Sarah in Uganda

Suppose....

2012-02-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

"Suppose another time you are making a big decision in your life, and you need help. You have options before you, and you need guidance to decide which way is best. So you ask God for help. But He doesn't answer with guidance. Instead He answers by sending the Holy Spirit, who is our Guide. God sends the Helper, who will live in you and not only tell you what decision to make but also enable you to make that decision.

Yet another time you need discernment, and God gives you the Spirit of wisdom. At other times you need strength, and God gives you the Spirit of power. Still other times you ask God for love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control, and He gives you the Spirit, who makes all these things a reality in your life."

~Radical by David Platt

p. 57 - 58

Heavenly Father,

Send your Holy Spirit; the Guide. You have promised to lead the blind... and You have promised to say "this is the way, walk in it..." You have promised wisdom and strength. Fulfill your promises; direct me and give me strength to obey. Holy Spirit, You are welcome. I need You.

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Psalm 78:4, 12-14

"We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done."

"He did miracles in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. He divided the sea and led them through; He made the water stand firm like a wall. He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night."

"Lord, as we wake from another night's slumber, we are reminded that Your dreams are given to us and not merely conjured up by our imaginations. Help us understand both that Your dreams come at a price and that their rewards are immeasurable." (commonprayer.net Jan. 15th 2012)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-02T03:39:00.005-05:00

Dear friends,

Just wanted to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day! While the world celebrates earthly love let's remember that we have access to the greatest Love.

As you are looking for that special gift, please remember to consider the impact every purchase has. You have the opportunity to impact the lives of these ladies (and their families) for the better by buying their hand-made jewelry.

Check it out here! www.imanilove.com

'Learning About His Ways'

2012-01-29T15:18:00.000-05:00

From My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers (Aug 1st)

He Comes Where He Commands Us to Leave

Matthew 11:1

"When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities."

"If you stayed home when God called you to go because you were so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all the consequences to God, the Lord went into your city to teach, but as long as you were disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch where you begin to debate with Him and put what you call your duty into competition with His commands. If you say, "I know that He told me to go, but my duty is here," it simply means that you do not believe that Jesus means what He says."

He Works Where He Sends Us to Wait

'....tarry until....' (Luke 24:49)

"Wait on the Lord" and He will work (Ps. 37:34). But don't wait sulking spiritually and feeling sorry for yourself, just because you can't see one inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our own spiritual fits of emotion to 'wait patiently for Him' (37:7)? Waiting is not sitting with folded hands doing nothing, but it is learning to do what we are told.

These are some of the facets of His ways that we rarely recognize."

From My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers (Aug 1st)

Wings

2012-01-23T14:44:00.001-05:00

I am currently staying at the children's home for 10 days while their house mom is on vacation. So far it's been a blast. :) Several of the girls had chicken pox last week. When I got here on Friday morning, the first thing Jolly told me was "Auntie! Last night I prayed to Jesus to take away my chicken pock, and today they are gone!" Sure enough, she had maybe one or two spots left but the rest had totally disappeared overnight.

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Today -

Nancy: Auntie, when it is time for you to go back to America, I'm going to fly there to see you and to see your home.

Me: How will you fly?

Nancy: With my wings! (flapping her arms)

Doreen: Where will you get wings?!

Nancy: I will pray to God to give me wings like the angels and He will give them to me!

Doreen: Why don't you just pray to Him to give you the money to go!?

Back!

2012-01-17T09:07:00.007-05:00

So good to see Nancy's GRIN, Doreen's shy smile, Jolly's hugs, Jacky's attitude, Vero's constant questions, Gloria's hand in mine, Mercy's brilliance, Fatuma's silliness, Anita's sweetness, Charlotte's quiet joy, Janet's energy, Espe's confidence, Charlie's giggles, Naomi's fire, Afosina's wisdom, and Aloyo's sincerity.

Pray for them, for their house mom Carol, and for the home in general...for God's Spirit to be in every corner of that home. For His angels to surround it and keep watch. For the girls' hearts to be open to what God wants for them.

Interesting...

2012-01-12T04:54:00.001-05:00

'On January 12, 1948, Mohandas Gandhi began his last successful fast in New Delhi to convince Hindus and Muslims in the city to work toward peace. Six days later, convinced that harmony was achieved, he ended the fast. For most of his adult life, Gandhi read -Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount every morning, convinced that it contained a truth more powerful than the empire that occupied his native India or the enmity that divided Hindus and Muslims. Through “experiments in truth” like the public fast, he sought to put -Jesus’ teachings into practice for the sake of peace.' from commonprayer.net

Safely In Uganda

2012-01-10T23:43:00.002-05:00

I'm so thankful for uneventful travels and a safe arrival in Uganda at 2:15 AM yesterday...I stayed the night in Entebbe and am now in Kampala. A couple of fun facts - I ran into someone I know from Gulu (Coy, Robbie, and baby Anna) on the flight from Chicago to Istanbul, and we were also on the same flight from Istanbul to Entebbe. I don't mind flying alone but it is always comforting to see a familiar face on the other side of the world. Also, I was planning on a special hire (rented vehicle & driver) to get to Gulu... I was just praying for someone to share the ride & expense... but instead God has connected me to another missionary who is making the trip anyway. He provides way above and beyond my expectations.

2011 In Review...extended version =)

2012-01-04T12:56:00.005-05:00

2011 has been an eventful year for much of Africa, including Uganda and the surrounding area. In Feb., Uganda had presidential elections. In July, South Sudan became an independent state, and in Nov., the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) also had elections. Each of these events had the potential for instability or violence. I’m so thankful for God’s protection in spite of various protests and instability in Uganda following our elections, and that things have now settled. Please remember South Sudan and the DRC in your prayers, as they are both still experiencing violence.

I have recently begun learning more about the DRC, because although I am in Uganda, many of the women and children that Zion Project works with are refugees from the DRC. It is the 12^th largest nation in the world, with many valuable resources such as gold. However, since obtaining independence in 1960, it has been a place of conflict and instability. For the last two decades, it has been the location of “the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II.” This is because of a number of things including conflict over resources, tribal conflicts stemming from the genocide in Rwanda (Hutus/Tutsis), and the presence of many rebel groups. Over 1 million Congolese have been displaced from their homes, and the DRC has been rated 2^nd on the list of the “world’s worst places to be a woman” (Afghanistan has first place). These are some of the reasons that brought the community of several hundred Congolese to Gulu, Uganda, where Zion Project has the opportunity to minister to them.

I have enjoyed my past year working with the Zion Project. I have several different roles, through which I have learned a lot about myself and my gifts. On a normal day, I begin the morning attending worship and devotions with the 10 Congolese women employed in our jewelry making program, Imani. It is always an encouraging time even though I can’t always understand the songs, since they are in Swahili. After that my mornings are spent helping out in the counseling center office or planning lessons for the girls in the children’s home, where I go for the afternoon. We have 16 girls, ages 4 to 14. The first thing I hear when I walk through the gate is several voices saying “Auntie, is it my turn today?” I take a small group of 2 or 3 of them each afternoon and we work on English, reading, or other subjects. We focus on English in the home because it is one of the official languages of Uganda. They will need it in the future for university and an advantage in the job market. Tutoring is important for the girls, as many of them had never attended school before entering the home at age 10 or 11. I also get to spend a lot of time just hanging out with them, playing games, reading books, or talking about Jesus! We had several fun events this year, including trying Pop Rocks for the first time and visiting a big park, complete with a playground and a boat ride.

I also got to help with the process of identifying new girls to come into the home. When I got there in Dec. we had 11 girls, and over the next few months we took in 5 more. It was a difficult process, as we heard a lot of hard stories. For every girl we were able to take in there were probably 4 or 5 that we had to turn away because we just don’t have the space. Many of them have similar stories, but I wanted to share one with you.

Anita is one of the girls we took in this past spring. She is 11 years old and had never been to school. Her father is dead and her mother is a commercial sex worker and HIV+. She abandoned Anita to move to Sudan for work. When we heard about Anita, she was moving from door to door trying to find work just so she could eat her next meal. She was at high risk of being exploited or abused, so we took her in. Anita was used to fending for herself and had a rough background, so it has been quite a process for her to learn how to live in a home with 15 other girls and how to get along with others. She also had quite a struggle with attending school for the first time ever, but she has made great progress in both areas. It has been amazing to see how much of a difference attention and love can make for girls with backgrounds like Anita.

In addition to my work with the Zion Project, I have continued spending Saturdays with Every Child Ministries out in the village of Tegot, where I was working in 2009. When I first got back to Uganda last December it was SO fun to see the kids I had taught the year before and to hear how they were doing in school. On Saturdays I go see them and help out with Saturday club for the 72 sponsored children. I was excited to be there when ECM received a shipment of books for their library in Tegot Primary School, and also to visit their summer team in the village when they were digging two new wells. The two communities that received the wells were truly blessed. It was amazing to see the joy on their faces, knowing they would no longer have to get their water from dirty creeks. One of my projects early in the year was to take updated photos for sponsors. I enjoyed trying to get the children to break the cultural norm of not smiling for pictures!

There have been many good moments over the past year but also many difficult ones. In July, one of our security guards (whom I considered a friend) stole $500 from my room while I was away from the house. As inconvenient as it was to lose the money, and as much as it hurt to be betrayed by a friend, I still had much to be thankful for! My laptop, camera, i-pod, and other things were all on the desk next to the money, but they didn’t get taken. Another difficult day was when one of the Congolese women in the community, Niclette, lost a baby a few minutes after it was born. I was there to represent Zion along with our Imani women, and although it was a difficult day, it was so encouraging to see how our women reached out to Niclette and her husband (who is a Muslim, but noticed the love of the Christians who surrounded him and his family!)

There were also many highlights during the past year! One was a week long retreat at Mto Moyoni, a counseling/retreat center on the River Nile. It was a wonderful week full of relaxation, time with the Lord, and learning a lot in some great seminars. I have also had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people who are in Uganda for various reasons, and we have enjoyed many evenings of food & fellowship. This is often by candle light when the power is out, and it makes me feel like we are having a similar experience to the early church! JAnother highlight has been getting to know my neighbor, Grace. She is in a unique place, as a Ugandan girl in her early 20’s who isn’t married or a mother yet, so I am thankful for many opportunities to hang out with her. Of course, every day that I spend with the Zion girls is also a highlight and such a blessing. They never cease to amaze me with their resilience, joy, and eagerness to learn!

I am so thankful for the opportunity God has given me to learn more about Him and His heart for vulnerable people, especially children! I also want to thank Him for His protection over the past year, as well as both the high moments and the low ones that remind me that I depend upon Him for everything. I want to thank Him for the chance to meet so many amazing people...Africans who are giving up everything to follow Him, and other missionaries who are such an example and encouragement to me.

The Future

As you may remember, I was supposed to be completing my time with Zion Project this past November when I came home. As the time drew near, however, I was not feeling like it was time to leave yet. Several things began to indicate that it might make sense for me to extend my time with Zion for a few months. Zion’s director, Sarita Hartz, announced that she would be taking a sabbatical in the U.S. from December to March, and that she wished she would have more help on the ground in Uganda. The second reason was that another volunteer is coming to help at the children’s home, but not until March. In addition to all of this, the day before I left to come home for the holidays, we received an important document that would allow us to move forward in applying for a license for the children’s home. The license application was supposed to be one of the major things that I accomplished while I was there, but we had gotten stuck due to circumstances beyond our control. Because of all of these reasons, I am returning to Uganda this Sunday, Jan 8^th, and will be continuing my work with Zion Project until sometime in March or April.

I am confident that God will continue to provide, as He always has, and have already been amazed by His provision since I’ve been home this trip. I want to be honest with you that I do not know what will be next after my time with Zion is finished. I intend to use the next three months to actively seek another ministry in Gulu, or somewhere else in the world, possibly even the United States. The people of Northern Uganda will always have a very large part of my heart, and I am certainly willing to remain there if God makes that clear. However, where I am is not as important to me as what I am doing. My passions are reducing child vulnerability, fighting human trafficking, and helping refugees, and I am aware that God may call me to any number of places in the world where there are opportunities to share Jesus with people affected by these issues.

Financial Needs

As I mentioned earlier, I became sick with pneumonia at the beginning of my break at home. This resulted in some unexpected medical expenses (still waiting to hear from my insurance about what they will cover). In addition to this, extending my stay in Uganda has brought some extra airfare and insurance costs. I also recently had to purchase contacts for this year. Many of you have given one time gifts in the past or even support me monthly right now, and any gift of any size is always appreciated. I would like to increase my monthly support base, but special needs or “future transition” gifts would also be a great blessing at this time. I have listed some of my current expenses below so you can see what your special needs gifts would go toward. If you are interested in becoming one of my monthly supporters, I would ask for a commitment through April at this point, while keeping in touch with you regarding my future plans after that. Please pray and ask the Lord if He would have you to join my team of supporters at this time. Thanks so much!

Contact lenses for 6 months…..... $88

Airfare...........……………..............$1500

Insurance………………....….…..…$500

Health Expenses…………...…..….$500

Visas…………………………......….$100

Travel to South Sudan to

visit a potential ministry option…...$200

I am still a missionary under Ripe for Harvest, and they offer several ways to donate to my account (#318), including by check or credit card. You can donate by credit card at their website by clicking here, or mail checks to:

Ripe for Harvest World Outreach

P.O. Box 487

Monument, CO 80132

(Make the check out to Ripe for Harvest. In the memo please write my name & account #318).

During the past year they became a member of the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability, which is a great accomplishment! You can also view their page on the ECFA website by clicking here. Contributions are solicited with the understanding that Ripe for Harvest has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds.

Prayer Requests

-Praise for God's protection, guidance & provision over the last year!

-Safety & a good immune system as I return to Uganda this Sunday

-My grandmother, Evelyn Thomas, has been sick. Please pray for a quick & complete recovery

-Wisdom as I look at options for the future

Thanks for your continued interest in my ministry, and especially your prayers.

Happy New Year!

Much love,

Sarah

+If you would like to buy paper bead jewelry made by some beautiful Congolese women, click www.imanilove.com.

+To see a photo album of my time at the children’s home, click here.

+Check out my blog by clicking here.

Niclette

2011-09-26T15:18:00.003-04:00

2 million people have fled their homes in Central & East Africa for other countries or regions. Maybe they left because of war, or a high threat of violence or rape. Maybe they left because of famine or drought. Probably they left family members behind. Loved ones, just like your loves ones, just like my loved ones. Just a statistic. Just a statistic, until you hear about how her father died in Congo a week ago. The money isn't there, though, for going home to be with her family. The money wasn't there a week ago to buy airtime to talk with her father. The money wasn't there a month ago to send for him to get medical treatment. The money isn't there, so she sits on the cement floor and weeps.

USA, deaths per live births, 4 out of every 1000. East Africa, deaths per live births, 30 out of every 1000. Just some numbers. Just some numbers, until you sit on a plastic chair in a crowded corner of a tiny one-room shack down a narrow dirt ally of a noisy slum. Just numbers until you watch the tiny, lifeless bundle being laid on a towel in another corner. Just numbers until you see silent tears roll down the cheek of a broken mother, robbed of the day's joy, rewarded for a difficult night of labor with nothing but grief and heartache. She sits on the cement floor and weeps.

Actions speak louder than words. Just a saying. Just a saying, until you hear that her husband is a Muslim. He watched, a week ago, as his wife received a phone call from Congo and sank to the floor. Just a saying, until you hear how he watched as none of his Muslim friends came to grieve with her, but her friends from church came and sat with her for three days. Just a saying, until you hear how he watched helplessly as his wife and newborn child were rushed to the hospital on a motorcycle taxi. How again, his Muslim friends were absent but followers of Jesus surrounded his wife from the moment something went wrong. He sees how they care for each other, and take care of each other, and sacrifice for each other. He follows the Muslim tradition of burying the baby the same day, but he refuses to let the burial proceed until the Christian pastor arrives to lead the service. How beautiful it is when the Body of Christ acts like the Body of Christ. How beautiful it is when His children love each other, and love others even though they might be different from us.

God could have revealed His glory that day by miraculously healing a baby. He didn't do it that way this time. But I know that He somehow used a tragedy to reveal a little bit more of His love to a man who might come to know Jesus one day soon.

Please pray for Niclette – for comfort and peace as she has lost so much in just a few days. Please pray for her husband – also for comfort, and that He would come to know Jesus.

If I had blogged in July...

2011-09-02T04:06:00.007-04:00

...I would have blogged about being stolen from. Our security guard entered our house one night while no one was home and stole $500 from my room. John wasn't just our security guard...I thought he was also my friend. I've been stolen from before, but by a stranger. It's a completely different feeling when someone you trust totally betrays the relationship. In addition, this is not a good place to have a crime committed against yourself, as many of the police are rather corrupt. We had to bribe them to even come and take fingerprints. If you want them to try to find the thief, you have to pay them some “appreciation” each time they do something. As bad as the betrayal felt, and as inconvenient as it was to lose $500, and as frustrating as it was to try to get the police to do something (they still haven't caught him), I still have so much to be thankful for. When the money was taken from my desk, it was right next to my laptop. My external disk drive was also there. My camera was also there. My ipod was also there. None of it was taken. I could have lost a lot more “material” things which are special to me, and a lot of work, photos, and files on my laptop. Yes, they are just things, but they have more value to me than dollars. I thank God that He spared me from losing any of those things. If you think of John, please pray for him. He had professed faith in Jesus and was being discipled by another missionary. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would minister in his life. Thank you!

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On a happier note...

4^th of July was fun. A local cafe which is owned by an American had a 4^th of July celebration, complete with hotdogs, sweet corn, onion rings, potato salad, and watermelon. Over 50 Americans gathered to enjoy American food and watch Independence Day, which I had never seen before. Thank you Sankofa!

I was there with some friends from the house church I attend (Pancakes & Podcasts). Here I am with my great friend Kristin! We were so excited for the meal!

In the month of July we had two short term volunteers. As the resident “long-term” volunteer in the Zion guesthouse, I get to welcome the short term volunteers and help them learn their way around Zion and Gulu Town. I really enjoy it. Bailey was here for a whole month, and we had a blast! She taught the girls tons of new songs and is still a daily topic of conversation at the girls' house. Martha was here for 2 weeks and I really enjoyed having her here as well. She is a teacher, so the girls really benefited from time with her, especially Anita who is in her first year of school at age 11. While Bailey & Martha were here, a couple of highlights included doing a 3 day VBS with the girls on Esther, Hannah, and Ruth & Naomi, as well as having the first annual Zion Girls Joint Birthday Party (complete with party hats thanks to Auntie Bailey!)

At the end of July it was time for Bailey to go home, so I went with her halfway to Kampala to a place called Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, where you can track wild rhinos on foot! Rhino footprint:

Of course I have seen rhinos before in the zoo, but a rhino with no fence between you is a totally different animal. The first thing the guide tells you before you head out is that if a rhino decides to charge, you should immediately climb the nearest tree. Now, I'm not known for my tree-climbing ability so this was a bit concerning. The second option, if you can't get to a tree, is to “get behind a shrubbery that the rhino can't pass through.” This was also concerning, as rhinos are rather large and very strong and through the whole treck I never saw a shrubbery that looked like it would be able to withstand the force of a charging rhino (and believe me, I was looking for them). Thankfully we didn't have to worry, as rhinos like to sleep during the day and even the ones that were standing up were kind of drowsy and not too inclined to charge. I learned a lot about rhinos that day but one interesting fact is that they have terrible vision, but excellent hearing. We could see this clearly as the momma rhino kept close tabs on our where-abouts, not by turning her head to watch us, but by constantly moving her ears to catch every sound we made. As a results of this, though, we were instructed to be very very quiet, as a rhino will charge after a threatening sound without waiting to “see” what caused it.

One ear to the front, one to the back:

Our guide pointed out some ants that were behind us as we were rhino-watching. They were big ants, and I can't remember what they were called but they eat termites. They had carried their eggs up out of the nest to “get fresh air,” which I didn't know ants did. The guide told us that soon they would smell us and start carrying the eggs back into the ground to protect them from us, and that's exactly what happened. The ants quickly changed from lazily wandering around near the pile of eggs to frantically carrying them back into the nest as fast as their little legs could move. It was so cool to see two of God's creatures, especially with the contrast in their size, and to learn about the things He has equipped them with for survival.

More from June...

2011-08-23T06:00:00.006-04:00

Every Child Ministries had a short term team come to drill wells for remote parts of the village near Tegot Atoo, where I tutored in 2009. I got to go along, before their arrival to help scout out the locations for the wells and send back photos, and then also after they arrived to see the work they were doing. The first time I went with ECM staff to photograph the potential locations, they asked around the village to see which men would be willing to help out and have a part in digging the wells for their communities. Many of their families had to walk for hours just to get water, and often still from a dirty source like this creek:

It was fun to see the excitement on the men's faces and listen to them express their happiness over getting a clean source of water. Here they are committing to work with ECM in the drilling, and checking out the future well site:

Men from the community contributing labor for their new well:

884 million people in the world don't have access to a safe water source, but ECM has reduced that by two villages. :) A small step but a very important one for several families in Northern Uganda. It is an honor for me to still be involved with ECM on a part time basis and to see the work they are doing for this community. You can check out their website at www.ecmafrica.org.

If I had blogged in June...

2011-08-17T04:24:00.005-04:00

...I would have blogged about taking the girls to Gulu Recreation Center. It's about 20 minutes out of town by boda or taxi. It's still under construction, as it has been for about 10 years, but parts of it are finished and super fun - like the playground, the fake safari (ceramic animals placed a few meters apart in the bush), and the rowboat on the small man-made pond! All of this for about a dollar per adult and 50 cents per kid.

The girls were toward the end of their holiday so they were pretty bored and needed some excitement. :) I got to their house in the morning... all they knew was that they were getting "a surprise". They all dressed in their nicest clothes and we piled into the taxi (16 girls, 2 house moms & their babies, myself, and the taxi driver - just 22 people). Too bad I didn't get a picture of that. All the way along the bumpy road, the girls kept guessing where we were going. When we left town they became really confused. We turned off the main road and followed a smaller dirt path through the bush until we came to the recreation center. The boat was the big attraction at first...but the staff told us we had to wait until they had blown up enough life-jackets, so we moved on to the playground.

After that, the manager gave us a tour of the fake safari. The girls could hardly stand still long enough for him to tell them about each animal before running ahead to find the next one.

When we got back from the bush, the lifejackets were ready and it was finally time to go for a boat ride! It was the first time in a boat for most of them. They loved it!

After that they ran and played, and spent some more time on the playground. We ate chicken and chips, drank soda, and rested in the shade...then it was time to head home. It was a quiet but happy ride back to the house. ;)

Broken Girl

2011-05-11T03:47:00.002-04:00

Look what he's done to you
It isn't fair
Your light was bright and new
But he didn't care
He took the heart of a little girl And made it grow up too fast

Now words like "innocence"
Don't mean a thing
You hear the music play
But you can't sing
Those pictures in your mind Keep you locked up inside your past

This is a song for the broken girl
The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world
You are
Hear me when I say
You're not the worthless they made you feel
There is a Love they can never steal away
And you don't have to stay the broken girl
Those damaged goods you see
In your reflection
Love sees them differently
Love sees perfection
A beautiful display
Of healing on the way tonight
Tonight

This is a song for the broken girl
The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world
You are
Hear me when I say
You're not the worthless they made you feel
There is a Love they can never steal away
And you don't have to stay the broken girl
Let your tears touch to the ground
Lay your shattered pieces down
And be amazed by how Grace can take a broken girl
And put her back together again

This is a song for the broken girl The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world
You are
Hear me when I say
You're not the worthless they made you feel
There is a Love they can never steal away And you don't have to stay the broken girl
You don't have to stay the broken girl

-Matthew West "Broken Girl"

Books and Babies

2011-03-13T15:50:00.005-04:00

Friday night I spent the night at the girls house. We ate dinner which was binyewa (g-nut sauce) mixed with small fish & eaten over posho. After that we cleaned up and then watched Happy Feet and ate popcorn =) Then it was bedtime.The next morning I woke up to breakfast of rice & tea while the girls began their laundry for the day. I left around 8:30 to walk to Mary's to meet the ECM staff for the journey to Tegot.

Once everyone was there we piled in the van. It was full of boxes of books (donated by www.booksforafrica.org through Visions in Action, I think?) which were going to the library at Tegot Primary School. Once there the sponsored kids helped us unload and organize the books on the shelves.

Progress was slow as people stopped to read a bit. :)

Finished product:

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One of the house moms at Zion, Stella, just had her baby a week and a half ago. It's a boy! This evening Naomi and I went to visit. Meet Ethan Joel:

Proud mama:

So that was the weekend. :)

God's Love

2011-03-09T09:53:00.000-05:00

I visit Mto Moyoni (Swahili for river in the heart), on the Nile River, just a little ways north of it's source in Lake Victoria. A Dutch lady named Ingrid teaches us for five days. She has been a missionary in Uganda since the 80's, and has stayed through being slandered, robbed at gun point more than once, and shot through the arm.

The bad news is that the enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy.

The good news is that God's love is stronger than ALL evil.

Five days later I get off the taxi in downtown Kampala. Kampala is big, and overwhelming, and I've avoided it enough that I don't know my way around at all. I'm supposed to meet a friend at a coffee shop. I'm sure I can find it myself, I just need to get to a street that is named on my map. I show my handdrawn map to the conductor as he's busy trying to get more people to load the taxi. Can you point me in the direction of this coffee shop? He squints at the scrap of paper and another man comes to see what is so interesting. Neither of them can tell me exactly where to go but a woman comes over and asks where I'm wanting to go. She starts walking and the conductor says "This one is taking you." What? Okay...

I follow her, trying to catch up while dodging venders and bodas (motorcycle taxis). I introduce myself and find out that her name is Agnes and she is from the north, from Lira, a member of the Langi tribe. She is a widow and her only child has also died, but she cares for several orphans. She is constantly walking out into the middle of the street rather than using the sidewalks. Bodas whir by her and she is totally un-phased and just walks even further into the road. I'm convinced she's an angel. "Were you already coming this way or are you only helping me?" "I'm only going this way for you!"

We reach the area and I'm tempted to tell her thank you and that I can find the shop from there. Maybe she just wanted to help me in order to get some money or something. But I decide to refrain and we ask directions to find the specific coffee shop. One guy sends us the wrong direction and then two ladies send us to "a cafe" which is the complete wrong one on the complete wrong street. Finally we look at the map again and find the right road. The coffee shop is closed for fumigation. We walk a block further and find a small local restaurant with tables on the porch. I find out that my friend can't make it to see me after all.

I buy Agnes and myself a bottle of soda and we plop down. It's getting late, and I expect her to rush off to make her way to the other side of town, where she's hoping to stay the night. Instead she sits and shares with me how God has been so good to her. How her husband was a pastor, and they lived in Tanzania on the shores of Lake Victoria, and how he shared everything he had with everyone who came into their home, even money. "He would want to give someone something and I would just look at him and say, 'My husband, you do what you see is good.'" She continued with a smile... "He was preparing things for me for when he would leave. After he died, everyone in the community came and brought food to my house on a daily basis. A big jug of cooking oil. 10 kilos of rice. 5 kilos of beans. Food just kept coming. People gave me clothes. Even now, people are still giving me things." She opens a brand new handbag and shows me that it is stuffed full of beautiful new dresses. "They said, 'You're our mother. How can we let you go without something?' My husband had shown so much love that everyone wanted to repay it after his death." She went on and told me stories about how God had given her opportunities to minister to people. Not even a trace of bitterness toward Him after losing both her husband and her only child. Only joy, and peace. As we finish our sodas and get ready to leave, she prays for me.

God's love is stronger than all evil.

A Day in the Village

2011-02-26T18:10:00.021-05:00

I was supposed to be in Jinja right now, but because of some unrest resulting from the mayoral elections this past week, I delayed my trip until Monday. So, normally on a Saturday I would be in Tegot with ECM, but they were unable to go this week. So, I got to go visit Richard's village!

Richard is our guard and has become more like a brother to us. He takes great care of us! He invited Naomi and I to visit his village, Bar Alimo, which is about an hour and a half motorcycle ride outside of Gulu. He knows how to drive so he rented someone's bike for the day. Naomi rode with him, and I called my favorite boda, Sunday, to come and take me. I trust Sunday's driving immensely because he is the boda driver that I was riding with when we ran into the cow. (I know – that sounds funny. It was not his fault that we hit the cow, but rather his skilled driving that kept the accident from being worse than it could have. Not trying to downplay God's protection in that instance at all, but seeing how a boda driver handles something like that makes you trust them to do it again in any similar situation). So, Richard wanted to head out at 7:00 sharp and told Sunday to be here at not a minute past 7. I figured that still meant Sunday would show up around 8, and Naomi and I were still getting ready a few minutes after 7 when Richard called saying he was there and that Sunday was also there. We rushed around and finally were ready, only to step outside the gate and find that Richard had left to buy socks. We waited a few minutes for him and finally left around 7:30. We stopped briefly for fuel, and then we were off, halfway between muzungu time and African time!

I absolutely love taking bodas out to the village...any village...I think I might start taking boda rides out to the bush even if I've not been invited to anyone's village. If you go in the morning, the air is cool. The sun is not yet feeling harsh but still kind of friendly. The scenery is incredible, and you just feel free. I wish I knew something about African birds because I saw several today that piqued my curiosity all over again. At home I'm used to knowing what most birds I see are, but here I see at least one every day that is so unique and beautiful. The only negative thing about riding bodas out of town is the layer of orange dust that collects on every inch of you during the journey.

We bumped along for about an hour, and then took a sharp turn onto a smaller road. A few minutes later we turned onto a smaller road, and then onto a path through the bush. Eventually we came out onto another big road, passed a couple small trading centers, and then ended up on an even smaller path through the bush. Thorns and bushes were wacking us on either side and we even had to duck for a couple of tree limbs. We finally pulled into a large clearing with a few thatch-roof huts scattered around at about 9 AM. This was Richard's family's place.

We were immediately greeted and welcomed by Richard's aunts, Korina and Santa, his brothers Walter and Denis, as well as Walter's wives Dorine and Alice, numerous children, and even more numerous pigs, dogs, chickens, and goats. They ushered us to a circle of chairs next to one of the huts, where we deposited our bags and rested for a few minutes. I paid Sunday for driving and he left. Richard continued introducing us to members of his family, and then his oldest brother, Walter, announced that he was going to kill a goat for us. This is the first time I've experienced this in a village – goats are very expensive, and usually people will just kill a chicken for you (which is still a sacrifice and a big way to honor your guests). Here are Walter and Denis, introducing us to our lunch:

Walter and Denis took the goat over behind a tree (a very small tree) and proceeded to slit it's throat and skin it.

Ground-nuts (what we know as peanuts) are basically a staple food here, so of course they have a fancy machine to remove the shells. :) Here's Naomi practicing:

Richard got us our first round of Mountain Dews from inside the hut, and took us past the clearing into a small wooded area where he has set up some bee hives (which are made out of huge water pots). No bees have set up their homes yet but he is hoping they will when wet season comes next month. Ugandan bee hive:

Then we got a tour of Dorine's gardens – we saw sesame, sorghum, millet, cassava, and bananas. Gardens here are not like gardens at home. They seem to blend in with the bush and if you don't know your plants you can totally miss that you even just walked through someone's garden. We walked for about an hour and by now the sun had gotten down to business and was no longer being friendly, so we went back to find that breakfast was ready – goat liver and 2^nd Mountain Dews! We were hungry from walking and the goat liver was really good. Part of Dorine's garden - this is a cassava plant:

After breakfast we met some more family members. Richard and his siblings are 9 total, and there were only a few of them who couldn't make it to that part of the village for our visit. When you visit someone's home here it's common to give a few formal “words,” telling them thank you for welcoming you and how happy you are to be there. The family gathered around and we shared some words, and then Walter said he would save his words for us until it was time for us to leave. His second wife, Alice, brought out her new baby which we got to hold and take pictures with. Her name is Aol Betty and she is three weeks old. This was Richard's first time meeting his newest niece.

Eventually it was lunch time. Dorine brought a basin, soap, and a pitcher of water and poured water over our hands for us as we washed up. They served us cassava (gwana), millet bread (kal), sorghum bread (kabir), and potatoes (layata muno) along with sesame seeds cooked in a certain way (lakorokoro) and greens (boo) cooked three different ways, and of course goat. Richard's family all joined us to eat lunch, which is unusual – often they leave the guests to eat by themselves so that they can “feel comfortable.”

We ate until we couldn't eat any more, and then the shade was disappearing so we moved our chairs inside Dorine's hut to continue visiting, passing around the baby, and... drinking a third round of Mountain Dews!

Only Walter's first wife Dorine and Richard's oldest sister, Nighty are saved, but his other sister Lily was wearing a necklace with all the colors of the wordless book. Naomi complimented her on her necklace and asked if she could explain what the colors mean as far as our faith goes. Lily agreed so Naomi shared. Walter, Denis, Lily, Alice, Nighty, and some of the kids listened intently. Nighty then shared with us how she came to Christ. She used to brew alcohol and didn't want to accept Christ because she knew she would have to leave brewing and she didn't see any other way to feed and support her family. Then her husband became sick and through some other hardships she eventually became desperate and decided to accept Christ. Almost immediately after leaving her brewery, He gave her new ideas of ways to make money, which she began doing. She has been supporting her family in those ways ever since. Nighty sharing her testimony:

When asked what they thought about what Naomi and Nighty had shared, Walter said he knew that he would follow Jesus someday but that the time hadn't come yet. Eventually we learned that for him, Denis, and Alice, their main reason for not following Jesus yet was because they still wanted to do funeral rites for a relative who had passed away sometime back. (Traditional funerals here include many cultural things including having a witchdoctor present who communicates with the deceased person. At times the “deceased person” may even demand that one of their children should be sent to be with them.) When a person becomes a Christian there are a lot of things like that in Acholi culture that must be given up (every culture has both redeemable and non-redeemable aspects). When they said they “couldn't follow Jesus yet because they needed to first have a funeral,” I knew I had heard that before...and realized I had to read Matthew 8:18-22 (after Naomi helped me find it), which talks about the cost of following Jesus.

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

I emphasized that following Jesus is not easy, and that there are things in our culture (whether Acholi or American) that have to be given up, because God calls His followers to be different from the world around us.

I am glad I didn't think too much before reading the passage because I would have chickened out. There's a lot more that Walter will have to give up if he accepts Christ, like having two wives...both of whom were in the hut with us while we were sharing. I was sure that God brought that passage to my mind and that He wanted it shared, but afterward I felt like it was a really hard word and that maybe it had been inappropriate. Richard later assured me that it was the right thing to share though, and that people here need a “hard Gospel,” that it somehow makes them soft. He can already see a difference in Walter from the last time he saw him in December, and he thinks that he truly is close to accepting Christ. So, please pray for Walter and for the rest of Richard's family.

The conversation moved on to other things, and Walter shared the story of their family and how they lost both their mother and father. He and Richard have both been abducted by the LRA multiple times. The story of how God protected Richard while he was with the rebels is incredible. If you want to read more you can check out Naomi's blog about it here: http://naomiformissions.blogspot.com/2011/01/richards-story.html

Eventually it was time for us to go. The family presented us with a bag of peas (lapena), some ground-nuts, (pul) and of course a big piece of goat meat (rangu dyel) as parting gifts. Then we took some group photos.

Richard's brother in law is a boda driver, and Denis was also wanting to return to his school in Gulu Town, so, we all three piled on a bike to head home.. On the way back we went over this bridge! (Naomi and I had gotten off and walked across on the way in).

After a long, fun day it was finally time to head home...

Prayer Requests - Feb 17th 2011

2011-02-26T15:34:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

Things are going well here in Gulu. My weekly schedule has become a little more established now that the girls are back in school. Each morning I attend devotions with the Congolese women. These are lively worship times which always include drums, dancing, jumping, and sometimes actions like stomping the devil into the ground or mocking the way he shakes when he hears the name of Jesus. Starting next week I will be teaching the women English on Tuesdays and Fridays immediately following devotions. On other mornings I spend time doing administrative work or helping with the identification of new girls to enter the children's home. On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons I teach the girls in the home. Wednesday afternoons are outreach time – we go with the Congolese women into their communities and the slums and reach out to people by praying for them. It is always incredible to see how God touches people during those times. On Saturdays I go with the ECM staff out to Tegot for sponsorship club. So that's an average week in the life of Sarah here. :) I intend to do better about updating my blog (uganda-journey.blogspot.com) with things about daily life. For now I just want to share some prayer requests with you.

Ugandan Elections

As I write this in an outdoor cafe, a huge truck is driving by, plastered with campaign posters and using a sound system to blare music loud enough that you can hear it for blocks before it reaches you. Two or three guys are sitting on the back of the truck, wearing sunglasses and pretending to rap. This truck pauses in the street for a few minutes while passersby gather around and dance. This has been a common site over the last month as elections are drawing near. The air is filled with both excitement and tension, as anything could happen during this election (which is tomorrow, Feb. 18th). I encourage you to google Ugandan news or President Museveni if you want to be further informed on how to pray, but basically, there is a possibility of violence or riots similar to the recent ones in Egypt if the election is not conducted fairly. I am taking every precaution and we are praying that God has His hand on every aspect of the election.

Sudanese Referendum Update:

I want to say thank you to all of you who expressed your concern and prayers during the Sudanese referendum. I apologize for not sending an update on the situation before now, but it was partly because I was still waiting to see how things would go following the referendum. South Sudan has voted for secession and as far as the referendum, it was fairly peaceful. However, there are still issues to be resolved such as the oil-rich land along the dividing line of the two countries. In addition there was violence this past week between a rebel army and the southern army, resulting in the death of over 200 people, including women and children. The Sudanese people have suffered so much over the last few decades and I ask that you don't let your prayers for Sudan end, even though the referendum has been accomplished. Please continue to lift up our brothers and sisters there.

New Girls to Enter Home

Zion Project has, with the help of local pastors, developed a list of young girls in our community who are at risk of abuse or child prostitution. We are hoping to welcome 3 new girls into our home in the next week or so and would appreciate your prayers for them as they adjust, as well as for wisdom for us as we continue determining which girls are truly in need and seriously at risk. Sometimes it is difficult to determine the true story, even with help from the police, so we want to be extremely careful and be very sensitive to God's leading.

English Classes

I am a little bit nervous about beginning English lessons with the women. They are mostly at a beginner level and my only teaching practice was with intermediate students, so I'm going to have to adapt what I've learned and try to determine the best way to go about things.

Thank you so much for reading. I apologize that my recent updates have been mainly political prayer requests, however, these are the things that are happening here and that will have a huge impact on Africa in the future. I am thankful that you are willing to read and to spend a small part of your day lifting up Africa and her people.

God bless you!

Sarah

2011-01-08T02:50:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

Just a quick note to ask you to remember Sudan in prayer over the next several days.

Tomorrow (Sunday the 9th) is the independence referendum which will determine whether or

not Southern Sudan is the world's newest country. It could go smoothly and peacefully, but

to be perfectly honest there is a high likelihood of violence and possibly even civil war in their

future. Sudan is already a war torn and broken nation. The LRA rebel army that caused so

much havoc in Northern Uganda over the last 25 years is now in Sudan and could possibly

contribute to the violence there. I am just writing to ask you to please, please pray for the people of

Sudan. If God leads you to bring it up in your churches or Sunday schools, please do so. If

He leads you to fast for Sudan, please do so. Please share with anyone you know who would

be willing to pray. If you have half an hour and would like to learn more about the situation,

click here for a very informative video.

Thanks for reading.

With love,

Sarah

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T13:28:00.001-05:00

Hello friends!

Apologies for the long overdue update. After 4 delayed flights and 1 delayed bus, I finally arrived in Gulu, Uganda on December 4th. The first couple of weeks I spent figuring out what my role will look like, as well as spending time with the 11 girls at the safe home. After the first couple of weeks, things slowed down as Christmas approached, but tomorrow we will resume work as usual.

My role with Zion is one that I am very excited about. One of my tasks will be obtaining a license for the children’s home. Things are a little funny here in that you have to already be operating before you can get permission to operate. So far it has required some meetings with child protection officers, as well as meetings with other children’s homes who have already been through the process. Over the next few months it means filling out a long application, attaching copies of important documents like our NGO status, establishing something like a board of directors composed of local officials, and getting letters of recommendation from local officials and a health inspector. Another task is helping Sarita manage the PEPFAR grant which is funding various things for the counseling center and the safe home (Sarita is the founder & director of Zion so you’ll hear me mention her often). I am excited about helping with the grant because it’s something I studied in school but have not had much experience putting into practice. My other main role is with the girls at the children’s home. I want to be a regular presence in their lives and will probably spend at least 3 afternoons a week with them. I want to be an example of God’s love for them as well as teaching them things that will be practical for them in the future (like English). In addition, the women employed in beading necklaces at the counseling center are currently attending a parenting class, but in the future I may have the opportunity to begin an English class with them.

Some highlights of the past month include:

Being reunited with the staff of Every Child Ministries, who I worked with last year. We went out to Tegot Village on Dec. 18th for Christmas with the sponsored children that I tutored last year. ECM distributed gifts (soap, cooking supplies, and food) to each child and their family. The moms of the sponsored kids got each staff member of ECM a chicken, and I also received a big casava root and some sim sim (sesame seeds). The children had just gotten their report cards so I was able to see some of the progress they have made since Melissa and I left…most of them are doing really well, and some of them are in the top 10 children out of 100+ in a class! I am excited to continue working part time with ECM by going with them to sponsorship club every Saturday.

Of course, being reunited with the girls at the children’s home. They have all just completed their first year in school and they all did really well! Melissa and I (among others) worked very hard to prepare them for school and it has paid off. When we left a year ago, they spoke mostly Swahili (in addition to their tribal languages from Congo) but now they have learned Acholi (the local language) and have also picked up quite a bit of English. Both of those will be very helpful to them in the future.

Christmas day - we started off the celebration at the girls home by making Christmas ornaments and playing “Pin Baby Jesus in the Manger,” which the girls loved. While we kept the girls busy inside, the guys (short term volunteers Christian & Matt) put together a new playground outside. We sang songs, read the Christmas story, and spent time in prayer. Then it was lunch time (cabbage, greens, rice, chicken, casava, beans, chapati, and of course a special treat of soda). After that the girls received their Christmas presents (a new dress, night clothes, as well as some small toys). Then they got to play on their new playground, which was a big hit. We left in the afternoon and later in the evening gathered at Tyson & Sarita’s house for a more American Christmas dinner.

Praises:

Health - I was worried that traveling might cause a relapse of Malaria, but it did not. I am thankful for every day that God protects me from illness.

Support - God has provided for me in so many ways I never imagined. To my supporters new & old - thank you so much. Your generosity is a blessing and I am thankful that you are willing to participate in the work that God is doing in Northern Uganda.

Prayer requests:

Languages - I am surprised how much Acholi stuck with me after being gone for a year, but I want to continue remembering as well as learning new things. I am also trying to learn Swahili as that is the first language for the girls at the safe home and the women at the center who are from Congo. Languages do not come easy for me so please pray for supernatural ability and a good memory!

Balance - Please pray with me as I seek how much time to devote to each role - administration, the girls home, and my part time role with ECM.

Politics - Please pray for Southern Sudan as their independence referendum is coming next week (it will determine whether Southern Sudan should separate from Sudan or not). Also Uganda will hold elections in February. Please pray specifically for peaceful proceedings in both nations and freedom from all types of violence.

I hope that you had a blessed Christmas and were filled with God’s peace and joy as 2010 came to a close. I wish all of you a happy new year! Thank you for your prayers and support.

With love,

Sarah

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-26T11:26:00.002-05:00

To my friends, family, & supporters -
I hope you each had a wonderful & blessed Thanksgiving. I am thankful for so many things this year,and you are definitely on that list! I am in the beginning stages of packing and would greatly appreciate your prayers as I try to get everything done before leaving for Uganda on Tuesday.

Zion Project, the organization that I will be working with, just opened their online store today. They are selling jewelry, handmade by Congolese women in Gulu, Northern Uganda. Each necklace purchased helps provide for a woman and her children, which allows her to avoid prostitution for survival. The women are provided with daycare for their children as well as being paid a fare wage for their work. Most importantly though, through Zion Project's ministry to them, they learn that God loves them and that they are not worthless, even though they have suffered abuse.

You can read one of the women's stories here: Martha's Story

The online store can be found at http://www.store.zionproject.org/. Each piece of jewelry is beautiful and would make a great Christmas present that would be a blessing to the recipient as well as to the woman who created it. If your shopping is already done, feel free to pass the link on to others who might be frantically searching for that perfect gift. ; )

With love,
Sarah

34 Days Til Departure : )

2010-10-27T13:51:00.004-04:00

Hello there!

From August - September, I attended a CELTA course at Teaching House New York to become certified in teaching English as a second language. It was very enjoyable! I learned so much and I am excited to put it to use in Uganda. I am currently staying at home with my parents while preparing to leave, and have been making t-shirt quilts for friends (with the help of my grandmother) in order to raise a little bit of money. It has been nice to be home to help out with fall retreats at Bancroft. I just recently bought my plane ticket - I leave the afternoon of Nov. 30th, and arrive in Uganda late on Dec. 1st. I am so excited! I am also thankful that I will be able to spend Thanksgiving here with my family, as I missed it last year.

This next month will be spent preparing to go - spending time with my family, getting vaccinations, going to the eye doctor, finding insurance, and of course packing. =) I would greatly appreciate your prayers for the following:
-Wisdom in finding the right insurance
-That all would go well with my visa application
-Spending my time well -Safe travels & good health
-Wisdom in balancing my time between different responsibilities once I arrive in Gulu -God's provision of the rest of my support

Thank you so much to all of you that have already contributed toward my support. I am once again astounded at God's provision of my needs. So far I have $330/month committed out of the $700/month that I have budgeted for. I have also received $3,950 of the $5,000 special needs/startup costs (for covering travel to & from Uganda, insurance, visa costs, vaccines, etc.) If you would like more information about my budget, I would be happy to share with you. I am trusting that God will provide the rest before my leaving date of Nov. 30th.

If He is leading you to give toward my ministry, there are a couple of ways that you can do so. For tax deductible gifts, you can go online to www.ripeforharvest.com/donations.htm. There you can click on "Donate via Credit Card" (for one-time or automatically recurring gifts) or print and mail a "recurring electronic contribution" form. If you prefer, you can send a check (along with a note stating my name and account #318, and whether the gift is a monthly commitment or for special needs) to: Ripe For Harvest
P.O. Box 487
Monument, CO 80132

Thank you so much for reading, and especially for your prayers and support! God bless you all!
Sarah Dingus
Serving in N. Uganda with the Zion Project (www.zionproject.org)

P.S. If you'd like to receive my updates via email, send me a note at sarahdingus@gmail.com. Thanks!

Back to Uganda...

2010-10-13T01:00:00.008-04:00

Dear Friends,

I have been invited to return to Uganda to work with the Zion Project (www.zionproject.org), an organization that I worked with part time last fall. Zion Project’s main focus is sharing God’s love and spreading His Kingdom among outcasts including formerly abducted girls, Congolese refugees, and young girls rescued from child prostitution. Zion Project’s ministry to them includes a Women’s Counseling Center with a holistic program of counseling, devotions, and job training, as well as a Safe Home for 14 young girls ages 4 to 14.

I will have a few different roles, including:
1. Administrative help to Sarita, the founder & director of Zion Project.
2. Discipling & tutoring the 14 young girls in the Safe Home.
3. Teaching English to Congolese women, enabling them to seek more opportunities for education & employment. (I attended a course in New York Aug 21—Sept 21 to become certified to teach English as a second language.)
4. Working part time with Every Child Ministries & the families I met last year.

Prayer Needs:
· Wisdom & guidance on when to leave (looking at Nov)
· Safe travels & a smooth transition back to Africa
· Protection from Malaria & other diseases
· An effective & fruitful ministry for God’s glory
· God’s help in learning Swahili & Acholi!
· My family

Praise:
· My dad's trip & ministry in Haiti went well
· My Grandma has her sight back after 9 months of no vision & several surgeries

--------------------------------------------------

How can you partner with me?

I am so grateful for each one of you and praise God for your generosity in the past with your prayers, encouragement, and financial gifts. I appreciate your contributions in each of those vitally important areas!

I am committing to a one year term with Zion Project. In order for me to do this, I need monthly commitments (for living expenses) as well as special needs gifts (for airfare, visa costs, insurance, vaccines). I am hoping to raise $700/month in faith commitments, as well as $5,000 for the special needs listed above. So far I have $250/month committed, and about half of my special needs goal has been given already.

I am raising support through a sending agency called Ripe For Harvest. You can learn more about them at www.ripeforharvest.com or by contacting me. Gifts can be sent online through their website, as well as setting up automatically recurring monthly gifts through your bank account or credit card. If you prefer to send support by mailing a check, it should be made out to Ripe for Harvest and sent to:

Ripe for Harvest
P.O. Box 487
Monument, CO 80132

Please include a note with my name, account # (318) and whether you’re making a monthly commitment or a special needs gift. It is very important that you do not include my name on the check. If you prefer to send money to me personally, email me at SarahDingus@gmail.com and I will send you my address.

I am humbled that God has called me to serve Him, and excited for you to be a part of His work of restoration among the people of Northern Uganda.

With love,

Sarah

A Long Overdue Update

2010-09-28T00:04:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends,

Many of you may have gotten this in my recent supporter update, but I wanted to include it here as well for my online readers. : ) It's a bit overdue - just catching you up on the final update from my internship last fall.

As you may remember from my original letter, I was not 100% sure what I would be doing upon arrival in Uganda. I knew that I would be working with the sponsorship program, but no details. As it turned out, my main role was tutoring. God’s provision was evident from the very beginning… the first month of my internship, I was part of Every Child Ministry’s summer team. We held a vacation Bible club for children in Tegotatoo Village (formerly an Internally Displaced Persons’ Camp). The plan was for me to remain behind as the only American working with ECM in N. Uganda once the team returned back to the states at the end of July. However, one girl on the team, Melissa Rogers, decided to stay behind as well, extending her one month trip into September, and later extending it again until December! I was so thankful that God saw fit to provide me with a roommate. Melissa is a certified teacher which helped during our tutoring ministry. I learned a lot from her!

ECM’s work in Northern Uganda is mainly child sponsorship for children whose families have been affected by a 25 year war. Many families have been displaced by the war, separated from their homes and livelihoods. Many cannot afford to put all of their children in school, so ECM’s sponsorship program provides a way for that to happen. There were around 50 sponsored children, but Melissa and I created a tutoring program for 22 of them – the first, second, and third graders. Tegotatoo is an isolated area so there is a big shortage of teachers. The first grade class in Tegot Primary School, for example, has 120 students and one teacher. If a child is struggling with a concept, they just can’t get the help that they need. This was why tutoring was so important. With children whose lives and families have been torn apart by war, and whose home situations are not yet stable, putting them into a classroom like that is just setting them up for failure. How do you get a question answered, or help with a difficult subject, when you have 119 classmates and only one teacher?

Once we took the 22 sponsored children aside in an after school tutoring session, they immediately began showing improvement. The better student/teacher ratio gave them what they needed to make progress on a weekly basis. Children in these grades get out of school around 1:30 in the afternoon, so Melissa and I held a tutoring class for them two days a week after school while their older siblings were still in classes. We worked on foundational concepts that they were still struggling with – basic literacy and math skills. Every class also included a Bible story and a memory verse. It was incredible to see the progress that they made, from not being able to write their own name at the beginning to reading an entire sentence in their own language at the end of our time with them. Just being in a smaller class and actually having the opportunity for one-on-one attention from a teacher made a huge difference.

The second class we established was once a week for children in Tegotatoo who aren’t in school because their parents can’t afford it and they haven’t been sponsored yet. Some are 9 or 10 years old and have never been to school. This was our most difficult class because we had a wide range of children in both age and experience in schooling. We tried to focus on basic foundational things to prepare them for when they will hopefully be going to school. We also always incorporated a Bible lesson and memory verse.

The third thing we focused on was a partnership with another organization in Gulu called the Zion Project. This project ministers to Congolese refugees and vulnerable girls who have been affected by the war. They have a home for young girls who have recently been rescued from abusive situations. We had our third class there. These girls had also never been to school, so we began preparing them for when they would begin attending school. We worked on basic literacy and math concepts as well as Bible lessons. Sarita Hendrickson, the director, now reports that they are in school and doing well.

This was the longest I have been on a cross-cultural mission trip, and as a result, I was able to see some of the results of the seeds we planted and the ministry we did. Seeing changes in the children’s attitudes and abilities was so exciting! There were difficult moments, but there were also priceless moments and stories that make it all worthwhile. An example of those moments is Odong James, a child from our sponsorship tutoring class. He never seemed to be paying much attention to our class, or at least never seemed very excited to be there. I was often concerned about him, especially about how much he was really gaining by being in our class. At a parent meeting towards the end of our time there, his mother spoke to some of the other staff to tell them how much James had learned in the tutoring class - and to tell them that little James had been coming home in the evenings and teaching her the alphabet and other things he had learned!

It is a crucial time in N. Uganda and for the Acholi people. Devastated lives are being rebuilt and restored slowly and one at a time, and the ministries of ECM and Zion Project are being used mightily by God to have an impact in Gulu and the surrounding areas. I know that the love that is shared there will continue to spread, reaching more villages and more families with the hope and peace that can only come through knowing Christ. The Acholi people have been on my heart for over 5 years, and it was such an honor to finally be with them and learn from their resilient hearts. In spite of the pain, fear, and desperation that they have experienced over the last 2.5 decades, they are the most hospitable, friendly, and generous people I have ever met. I can’t begin to describe the impact that Mary, Simon, David, Agnes, Sharon, Winnie, Barbara, Kwo-tek, Concy, and so many others had on my heart and life.

I have been home from Uganda since December. I spent several months working at KinderCare with the two-year-old class, and then this summer I was on the summer staff team for Mission Serve (www.mission-serve.com), an organization based in Atlanta. They organize youth group mission trips in various cities across the US. I was a “project office manager,” meaning that I got to travel to several of their week-long projects to set up the office and make sure paperwork got done! I really enjoyed the summer and met many wonderful volunteers and participants at each project. I got to watch as God worked in the lives of hundreds of youth this summer, softening their hearts toward missions and those less fortunate than themselves.

Thank you so much for your prayers, support, and encouragement, and for taking the time to read! I hope that it has been an encouragement to you to hear how God is working around the world. Another post coming soon to update you on my upcoming return to Uganda to continue in ministry with both Zion Project & ECM!

With Love,
Sarah

Human Trafficking

2009-11-20T11:20:00.000-05:00

Hello friends,

In my last update I mentioned that we would be going to Kampala for a training on Fighting Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery. Lorella Rouster, ECM’s International Director, had attended a training a few months ago with an organization called Not For Sale, so she wanted to pass along what she learned to her staff and volunteers. I am familiar with the issue of human trafficking, but I learned a lot from the training because of the interaction with the Ugandan staff and hearing their stories and examples that are specific to Uganda. I wanted to pass along what I learned.

It is hard to imagine that slavery didn’t end with the Civil War, and that people actually buy and sell other human beings still today…but it’s true. Every country in the world is affected in some way by “modern day slavery.” The United States is hugely affected, but the majority of us are hugely unaware. More people are currently in slavery than at any other time in history.

Trafficking is defined as “The practice of people being tricked, lured, coerced, or otherwise removed from their home or country and then compelled to work with little or no payment, on terms that are highly exploitative” (Wikipedia).

Common types of trafficking:

-sex slavery

-forced commercial prostitution (an example of this: did you know that

in America’s “strip joints,” approx.60% of the women found there are trafficked?)

-domestic servitude

-forced manual labor, especially of children

-cocoa farms, other farms

-stone quarries

-selling at markets

-begging on behalf of someone else

-drug pushers

-service industry

-sweat shops, factories

(this is not to say that everyone, or even every child doing the above types of work is necessarily trafficked.)

-forced child soldiery

-fighters

-”wives” or concubines of soldiers (sex slaves)

-abduction & execution of children

-child sacrifice, killing to obtain body parts for rituals (African traditional religion)

Did you know that every year, approximately 200,000 children are trafficked within the United States of America in the commercial sex industry? Did you know that globally, 600,000-800,000 people are trafficked each year in various types of slavery?

Trafficking in Uganda:

The first thing that comes to mind regarding human trafficking in Uganda is the issue of child soldiers. The LRA has abducted a huge number of children over the last two decades, forcing them to become combatants and sex slaves. Another one that I have mentioned is the witch doctors who abduct children to kill them and use their organs for witchcraft. However, there are many other forms of trafficking that are present here. One involves the region of Karamoja, in the northeastern corner of Uganda. The Karamajong are a nomadic cattle herding tribe (similar to the Masai). Apparently there is a fairly common practice where someone either tricks or abducts Karamajong children, and then takes them to the cattle markets on the Uganda/Kenya border, where they are sold every Friday. There are booths at the “cattle market” reserved specifically for selling children. The child is then bought and taken to Kampala or other large cities, where he is forced to beg on the streets. At the end of the day, he turns over all the money he received to the traffickers, and is locked up until the next day when he gets to do it all over again. This is not a practice that is confined to the Karamajong and Kampala, but rather is seen all over the world.

I just wanted to pass along some of the things I learned. Thank you for taking the time to read. If we are truly followers of Christ, who was about setting the captives free, I do not think we can ignore this. Each one of those children is extremely valuable to Him. It breaks His heart to see them exploited, abused, and ignored. Modern day slavery desperately needs modern day abolitionists. There are many ways that we can be involved in the struggle against human trafficking. Here are some websites that can be helpful in this area:

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

http://www.humantrafficking.org/

http://www.polarisproject.org/

Thanks for reading.

Love,

Sarah

You can do something about the LRA from your sofa.

2009-11-13T13:31:00.001-05:00

BBC photo article about the LRA in Congo

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8306956.stm

The LRA in Central African Republic

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8284977.stm

Refugees in Southern Sudan talk about the LRA

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8188559.stm

What you can do about it:

http://www.resolveuganda.org/legislation/howyoucanhelp/call-in

More info:

http://www.resolveuganda.org/legislation

Update

2009-11-08T13:07:00.000-05:00

Hello friends,

I’ve apparently had some issues with my last few updates, as it seems not everyone on my list has been receiving them. If you are interested, you can make sure you are up to date by visiting my blog at http://uganda-journey.blogspot.com.

It’s been a busy few weeks since my last long update. ECM Gulu was joined by another American missionary, Christine Sliwinsky. We are excited to have her here! Melissa recovered a bit quicker from her second bout of Malaria, so we were able to leave on Friday Oct 16th to go to Kampala to get our visas renewed. We went first thing and dropped off our passports to get the process started. One of the Ugandan volunteers who helped the summer team with translation (Ocan David) is now a student at Makerere, and he had invited us to come and watch a student led cultural festival, so we went there Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. The theme was HIV/AIDS and Cross-Generational Sex. David presented a poem which he had written about HIV/AIDS in Luo, and we also got to watch an Acholi folk song. We also saw presentations by many other different tribal groups from Uganda, including dances, folk songs, dramas, poems, and dress code. It was fascinating.

Saturday evening we left Kampala and took a bus a little under two hours away, to Jinja, Uganda. That night we rested, but Sunday morning we woke up early and went to see the mouth of the River Nile. It is beautiful and exciting to see. The Nile flows out of Lake Victoria. 70% of the source of the Nile is from the lake, while the other 30% bubbles up from an underground spring. We ate fresh tilapia caught from the Nile, saw hundreds of birds including eagles, kites, and kingfishers, and took a small boat ride out to the location of the spring (stopping at a small man-made island to stick our toes in the Nile). It was a beautiful day and a much needed rest from the busy pace of our work here.

Monday morning we returned to Kampala, and went back to immigration to check on the progress of our visas. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we took care of various things in Kampala, and spent time with ECM’s Gayaza staff & missionaries, as well as our friend Kibuule, who was the summer team‘s driver. We also got to visit the Ugandan Martyr’s Monument. Our visas were finally ready on Friday, so after picking them up from immigration, we returned to Gulu by bus. We missed being with the kids in our classes, but were thankful to be able to give Simon some lesson plans so he and Christine could keep classes going while we were gone.

Saturday morning, October 24th, was GuluWalk. The program began around 8:30 with some cultural dance presentations by local primary schools. Walking began a little after 9. We had a live band in front and a truck with a giant sound system in back playing loud music. We walked up and down the streets of Gulu town, with breaks and speeches every few minutes. It is difficult to estimate but I am pretty sure there were over 1,000 people walking. We walked for a little over two hours, ending up in a large field for more speeches and dancing. It was an honor to finally be participating in GuluWalk, and especially to be doing so in Gulu! GuluWalk was a great success this year, with their global efforts raising over $125,000 for building the new youth cultural centre in Gulu town.

This week (Monday morning) the entire ECM Gulu staff is traveling down to the Gayaza office. ECM’s international director Lorella Rouster is in the country and will be presenting a training on human trafficking and modern day slavery. We will travel on Monday, have training Tuesday and Wednesday, and return to Gulu on Thursday.

Melissa, Christine and I have had several opportunities to join Simon and Mary in doing home visits for the sponsored kids. The purpose of this is to get to know the families better, to find out how they are doing, and to hopefully encourage them. However, we always end up being encouraged by them as well. This past week we traveled to the home of one sponsored girl, Apio Prossy. Our meeting was mainly with her father, and it was so encouraging to see a father who is very involved in the lives of his children. He mentioned how most people in the community look down on him and some even avoid him, because he refuses to drink alcohol. Alcoholism is a huge problem in the camps, and even here in town. Many children have lost their fathers because of the war, but those whose fathers are still alive watch them desert their families or see them drunk day after day. So, hearing this man’s story was a huge encouragement.

Prayer Requests:

-Zion Project - they have been experiencing a great deal of spiritual attacks from a number of sources. If you would like more details let me know and I will forward you the update from Zion Project.

-Sudan, esp. Southern Sudan, as they prepare for 2010 elections

-That Joseph Kony would be apprehended and that the children who are currently still captives of the LRA would be returned to their homes.

-For the sponsored children and their families/guardians as they face the ordeal of resettling.

-Safety for ECM Gulu as we travel down to the south for training.

-That Melissa and I would have wisdom about what to focus on and how to best use our last couple of weeks when we get back to Gulu.

Thanks for your prayers and support.

Love,

Sarah

Oct 22nd

2009-11-08T13:04:00.000-05:00

Oct 22nd

Hello friends,

Melissa and I are currently in Kampala trying to get our visas

renewed. We hope to return to Gulu tomorrow.

Here is a link to a multimedia piece created by one of the members

of the team that we came with in July, Megan Lange. It is all about

Tegotatoo, the IDP camp that I am currently working in. The man's

voice narrating in parts of it is Simon, our translator and very good

friend. Please take a few minutes to watch.

http://limegreenphotography.com/tegotatoo

Love,

Sarah

Additional Prayer Requests...

2009-10-12T10:18:00.000-04:00

Hello friends,

A couple of additional prayer requests - after Melissa and I both emailed our supporters that we were all better, Melissa began feeling bad again. We are fairly sure it is Malaria again so she has already begun taking the medicine. Please pray for her! It is so frustrating to be kept from the kids and from ministry, especially as we near the end of our time here. I am feeling fine, but I appreciate prayers for knowing how to best take care of Melissa and how to help her feel better.

If Melissa is better, we are supposed to travel down to Kampala this Thursday after class in order to get our visas renewed. We plan to go to immigration early Friday morning, and expect to be gone until the next Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how quickly they process our visas. Please pray for a safe journey and that all would go smoothly at immigration.

Thank you!

Sarah

GuluWalk Oct 24th

2009-10-10T16:18:00.003-04:00

Hi Friends,
I don't know if you are familiar with GuluWalk, but it is an organization/annual event that raises awareness for the situation here in Northern Uganda. It began as a response to the war that occurred here over the last 23 years. Unfortunately I have never had the opportunity to participate, but this year I am very excited to be participating in GuluWalk IN Gulu.

In addition to raising awareness, this year GuluWalk is raising money to build a youth cultural centre in Gulu. I think that this is an important endeavor for a number of reasons. The youth here have been affected in many ways by the war. Neighboring tribes often look down on the Acholi people because of the war that occurred here, even though it was not their fault. Having a place that honors their culture will restore a sense of cultural pride. Having a place that encourages the arts, justice, and ultimately peace will have a great impact on the youth and everyone in the community. The youth here are daily faced with opportunities to make bad decisions or to fall into activities that can destroy their future. Having a place that provides good alternatives to these things is very important, and it is an area that is greatly lacking in Gulu.

GuluWalk is happening on Saturday, October 24th, in many cities around the world. You can check the website at http://guluwalk.com/get-involved/cities/ if you are interested in getting involved. If you are unable to get involved yourself, but you want to help, feel free to look below at my request for support. You can support me in my walk for Gulu by buying a brick (or several) to help build the new cultural centre.

Thank you for taking the time to read, and for your interest in my work and Northern Uganda.
With love,
Sarah

Subject: Support me and buy a brick!

On Saturday, October 24, I am walking for the children of northern Uganda - - and I need your help.

Along with being a walker, I'm also a 'builder'. I'm selling bricks on my personal page that will go towards building a Youth Cultural Centre in northern Uganda.

The centre will include a theatre, a training centre and will be a central hub of activity in town that will promote locally led approaches to arts, culture, justice and ultimately peace.

In the midst of the country's 23-year conflict, it is the children of northern Uganda that have suffered most. This year GuluWalk is dedicated to providing a future for these youth.

I am walking for these children and to fundraise in support of the Gulu Youth Cultural Centre. Help me be a 'builder'. Donate a brick (or two).

Click on the link below to sponsor me now:

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2378802

Thank you in advance for your support!

-Sarah

2009-10-10T12:51:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends,

Thank you all for your encouragement and prayers…thankfully, Melissa and I are almost back to 100% after our Malaria. We both continue to fight with a lack of energy, but that is normal and it seems to be getting a little better each day. Prayer requests will be included below in italics. : )

Being here has the potential to be very discouraging. It is easy to feel helpless, and to wonder if your being here is doing any good at all. At the same time, being here results in some very sweet moments. Basically, at least in my experiences here so far, there are many high moments and many low moments, with few in-between moments. As you can imagine, this can be very exhausting. I am thankful for the strength God gives and the reminders He gives me of my constant need for dependence on Him. I am thankful for the way He calls us to Himself and promises rest to those who answer that call.

When you pray for Melissa and I please remember these things…that He would fill us with humility and a willingness to depend on Him. That He would give us rest, and constantly fill us with His love for the children we work with and every person we meet throughout our time here.

A high moment:

On Wednesdays, Melissa and I have been volunteering for another organization separate from Every Child Ministries. It is called Zion Project, founded by Sarita Hartz (http://www.ZionProject.org). They have a home for several Acholi women who were formerly abducted, and their children. They also have a home for 10 young Congolese girls. Their mothers are prostitutes but did not want their daughters to grow up in that lifestyle, so they gave them to Zion Project. We tutor the children from both homes. On Wednesday, we stayed a little longer at the Congolese house after our class. Mama Miriam, the house mother for the Congolese girls, led us in worship and a time of prayer. Afterwards, she led the children to lay hands on Melissa and then on me and pray for us. As their prayers were in Kiswahili, I didn’t understand more than a couple of words…but I think it was one of the sweetest experiences I have ever had. Hearing them pour out their hearts to the Lord on mine and Melissa’s behalf was such a blessing to both of us.

Please pray for Sarita, her staff, and the women and children of Zion Project. The Acholi women are preparing to graduate from the program and move out on their own with new vocational skills. Sarita is busy helping them find homes and jobs, as well as schools for the Congolese girls to attend.

In other news…

I am thankful that Melissa is here for many reasons, but one of them is that she initiates many fun experiences that I would otherwise miss out on (Beanut Soup, for example). This time it meant trying a Jackfruit. These fruits are larger and heavier than a small baby, and they are prickly so when Melissa carried it across town to our house, it left her arms looking like she had carried a porcupine across town. Thankfully our friend Kosmas was around to help us cut it…

before you do so, you have to cover your hands with cooking oil because of the sticky white sap (think Elmer’s glue) that comes out of the skin…(armor?) of the fruit. When you get it open, the inside is divided into sections. It is very sweet and the taste reminded me of a cross between grapes and bubble gum.

I am also pleased to announce that we are slowly picking up bits of the Luo language. I passed a man on the road the other day and was surprised that I carried on an entire conversation with him. He greeted me, asked me how I was, and where I was going. I knew how to answer these questions, but what surprised me was that I understood him when he asked me. I have also learned how to say “Please talk slower,” so hopefully I will be able to comprehend more of what the children try to tell me.

The future…

Just this past week it hit us that we are only a month and a half away from our departure date. Gulu and the Acholi people have been on my heart for the last several years and I think it is going to be very painful to leave this place. I am willing to go wherever God sends me, and at this point I honestly have no idea if I am to come back here, remain home, or go somewhere else. Please pray with me as I seek His guidance and His will on this matter.

Thank you for reading.

With love,

Sarah

Malaria'd!!!

2009-09-22T05:25:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Melissa and I have both been sick with a bad cough for around two weeks now. Yesterday when we woke up we both had some other additional symptoms including fevers, so we ended up going to a clinic and getting tested for Malaria, which we both have. Melissa’s is a bit worse than mine and she is really not feeling well at all, although today is definitely better than yesterday so far. Malaria is very common here and fairly simple to treat… the doctor gave us some pills that will hopefully take care of it. We appreciate your prayers for a quick recovery, and that the Malaria will be completely gone from our systems. We are both very disappointed that we aren’t able to spend time with the kids at the festival today, and we will likely cancel our class for tomorrow and maybe Thursday as well. Thanks for your prayers.

Sarah

Don’t Drink and Herd

2009-09-22T05:23:00.000-04:00

Some time has passed since this event occurred, but it’s too great of a story to not write about on here.

One Thursday in early August, Melissa and I needed to get to the camp to have our classes, but the van was in the shop. So, we, along with Mary, Simon, and our friend Andrew secured boda bodas for the trip out. Each of us were on our own bike. We got to the outskirts of Gulu town and I was just riding along, enjoying the sites. Usually I keep an eye on the road ahead so I know to hold on for any big bumps, etc. However, this day I was distracted by looking at the shops and all the people along this stretch of road. In an instant, I looked back at the road and realized that we were about to collide with a cow. This was not just any cow, this was a HUGE long-horn steer. My boda driver kept his head and (only by the grace of God) swerved and kept the bike upright. However, as we swerved away from the steer, it also swung its head forcefully in our direction. The boda driver and bike escaped but my neck and shoulder collided with the steer’s horn and head. We swerved further over into the ditch, dodging people and bicycles, and came to a stop. There were a couple dozen people milling around at that point, and it felt like all of them froze to see what would happen next. Andrew was on the bike behind mine and he called out to see if I was okay. Without knowing for sure, I replied that I was. My left side was rather numb and of course I was stunned. I imagined that my left collarbone was broken and that blood was gushing from my neck, but thankfully neither was true. When I realized that, I told Andrew and the boda driver that yes, I really was okay…and we started off again. As we drove off I was laughing with relief (and partly to keep from crying) and I think the people on the street thought I was crazy. Mary, Melissa and Simon were far enough ahead or behind that none of them knew what had happened until we arrived at the camp. When we arrived, Andrew and the boda drivers informed us that the reason the steer was in the middle of the road, and swinging his head angrily, was because the man who was herding it was drunk. Thankfully Andrew had his first aid kit with him, so he let me borrow an ice pack, some disinfectant and a bandaid for the small cut on my shoulder. Other than that, I just had soreness and a nice bruise on my shoulder and neck.

If I had been paying attention to the road ahead and seen the cow coming, I probably would have panicked and caused things to go badly. As it was I hardly had time to realize what was happening until after I’d already collided with the cow. If I had made contact with the tip of the steer’s horn instead of the side of it, things would have been a lot worse. The boda driver also could have easily lost control of the bike. I am very thankful for God’s protection.

Update Sept. 18th

2009-09-18T03:56:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Where to begin! Since I arrived back in Gulu everything has been nonstop. The kids had progressed a ton while I was gone and are continuing to do well. It is amazing how eager they are to learn anything and everything! The children were always welcoming, but now they welcome us as friends and people that they look forward to seeing, which is a huge blessing to Melissa and I.

Some of you might be aware of the serious riots that occurred in Kampala last week because of political and tribal issues in the south. We are about 5 hours drive from Kampala and so it did not affect us directly, but please remember those affected in your prayers. Many people were injured and several were killed as well.

If you are short on time, please feel free to skip down to the prayer requests. If not, here is a story about staying overnight in the IDP camp. :)

Last week Melissa and I and our friends/translators Ben and Simon decided to stay overnight in the IDP camp, visiting with some of the families of children in the sponsorship program. It was a wonderful experience! We went on Saturday for sponsorship club, and afterwards we went to the home of Concy, one of the oldest girls in the sponsorship program. Her mother cooked us a wonderful meal of traditional local dishes like sweet potato, cassava, ground sim-sim peas, and cabbage. We were hungry from the long morning and ate until we were very full. After we finished, Simon informed us that there had been a miscommunication and actually there were two homes that were expecting us, and had cooked for us. So, we walked three miles through the bush to the home of Aol, another sponsored girl, and ate again. The home was so far from the camp because Aol’s family has already resettled. I can’t remember the name of the place in Acholi, but in English it means “The cow chased me.” There we also had cassava, as well as g-nut paste and g-nut sauce which were both delicious.

As it grew dark we began our journey back toward the camp. I don’t have the words to describe the beauty that exists in the African bush when there is no moon and the stars feel like they are inches away. You will just have to imagine it. It is certainly a reminder of how great God is…that with a single breath He could bring all of that into existence.

When we arrived back at Concy’s hut for the night, we gathered inside and the house quickly filled up with children from the surrounding huts who know us from the sponsorship program. Melissa and I chatted with them the best that we could without the help of Simon, who was busy outside. We looked through Concy’s photo album (a typical activity when you visit someone’s home here) and sang some songs, and then it was time for bed. Simon and Ben went to the home of one of the sponsored boys for the night, and we told the other children goodnight. Concy’s mother and sister were gone that night so some of the other girls from the sponsorship stayed. Concy asked Melissa to lead us all in a prayer time. We read a Psalm and prayed and then got ready to sleep. There were six of us sleeping on mats on the floor of the hut, with plenty of room to spare. They don’t look that big from the outside but inside they are very spacious and welcoming.

When Melissa and I woke up, the hut was empty. We sat around for a few minutes and then the girls returned from the kitchen hut with breakfast. It included tea, millet bread, another dish that can only be compared to tomato soup with large mushrooms in it (which was delicious), and pancakes, which are more along the lines of an American donut. After that we attended church at Tegotatoo Baptist Church, the only church in the camp as far as I know. This was our second time to attend this church, and it is my favorite place to attend here, although we don’t go often because of the distance from town. The congregation includes maybe 8 or 9 men, who are responsible for playing the instruments, and then maybe 25 women and twice that many children. The worship is incredible, and the majority of the songs are in Acholi with only a few in English. The locally made instruments are fascinating and have a unique and beautiful sound. Most of the songs include dancing and many of them include jumping up and down, regardless of your age. Melissa and I both willingly admit our unfortunate lack of rhythm, but it’s very difficult to stand still when you are surrounded by such movement.

After worship, they always include a time of testimony. The pastor testified that he was riding his bicycle after dark and he collided with another man, but neither one of them was injured and their bicycles were fine too. A woman testified that her daughter was preparing to give birth but something was wrong, so they tried to make it to the hospital….they didn’t make it in time but her daughter and the baby were both fine. Another woman testified that she had gone to the garden to dig that weekend, leaving her children at home, and when she came back she heard from the neighbors that her husband had actually cared for the children while she was gone, preparing them food and otherwise taking care of them…that had never happened before. After testimonies, the pastor preached in Acholi and Simon translated for us. Church ended around 2 PM and then Miriam came and picked us up.

The weekend was a wonderful experience…it was a blessing to be welcomed into the homes and lives of the sponsored children. Melissa and I both want to experience daily life in the camp to better understand the way they live, so we hope to spend more time there in the near future aside from our class time.

We will have one opportunity for that on this coming Tuesday. The Chief of Gulu has decided to have a festival, and he chose Tegotatoo for the location. I’m not sure the details or what the occasion is, all I know is that there is a festival, that it will last all day, and that we are invited. We are very excited, and I will be sure to let you know how it goes.

Prayer requests:

1. Melissa and I both have very bad coughs and a lack of energy. Please pray for a quick recovery and that our ministries would not be affected.

2. The political/tribal issues in the south.

3. ECM’s director Lorella Rouster as she travels to Uganda sometime in the next couple of months.

4. For the children - for their continued protection, and for their families as they are faced with the ordeal of resettling.

5. Melissa and I in our interactions with other “muzungus” (white people) who are here for various reasons. Please pray for one friend in particular who is very interested in why Melissa and I believe so strongly in Jesus.

Thank you for your interest, support, and prayers. It was an encouragement to see and hear from many of you while I was home.

With love,

Sarah

Mini-update

2009-09-08T13:02:00.001-04:00

Dear friends,

I am long overdue for an update! As many of you know, I have been home in Tennessee for the last two weeks after my grandfather, Roy Thomas, passed away on August 17th. It was good to be home with my family and my grandmother and I’m very thankful that I was able to be home during this time. As much as I will miss him, I’m thankful also that my Grandpa is experiencing fullness of joy in the presence of the Lord, and will never be in pain or have to suffer again!

I am now back in Uganda as of Sunday. Before I left, Melissa and I had become adjusted to our schedule and had settled into our different ministries well. I was beginning to understand phrases here and there out of people’s conversations, but I think it will take me a few days to get back to that point after being gone! We were beginning to see the children make a lot of progress in their learning, and since I left, Melissa has kept me updated on how they are doing. This past week they read their first sentence in their tribal language, Acholi. I am eager to get back to working with them. I missed the children a lot, as well as my co-workers!

Love,
Sarah

Prayer requests:

For my family, and especially my grandmother Evelyn Thomas
For me, that I would have minimal jetlag and be able to jump right back into work smoothly
For Melissa as she recovers from carrying on our work by herself while I was gone
For ECM’s founder Lorella Rouster as she travels back to Uganda from the states later this month to take care of various tasks
Please continue to pray for the children: for their protection, and for their families and guardians who are facing the ordeal of moving out of the IDP camps and into resettlement areas.

Aug. 10th 2009

2009-08-10T10:36:00.001-04:00

Hello friends,

My heart is heavy as I write you with a small update and a major prayer request. Witchdoctors are common in the southern part of Uganda and if I understand correctly, they are only recently becoming more common up here in the north as well. These witchdoctors are known for kidnapping children and cutting off their heads to use in their witchcraft. This is a broad problem that obviously needs prayer but it also directly affects the children that we are working with. As I have mentioned before, we are working with children in the Tegotatoo IDP camp, which is named for the hill that it is next to - “Atoo Hill” or “Death Hill.” The LRA used to have a camp there. Now, apparently the witchdoctors have established themselves on the other side of the hill. The government is currently requesting people in the IDP camps to resettle by the end of the year, and for the people in Tegotatoo, they are trying to move them to…the other side of the hill, where the witchdoctors are. Some families have already moved and so for the children to come to school, they have to pass through the area where the witchdoctors are currently working. Many of the children commute to school alone, because their parents or guardians leave early in the morning to dig in the gardens just to provide enough food to keep their families alive. We know of one little girl and her brother who remain at the school by themselves until late in the evening when their grandmother can get them on her way home from the garden. Please pray for God’s protection for these families and their children. This is a very difficult and dangerous place to be a child…if it’s not one thing, it’s another. It breaks my heart to see them and to realize the very real danger that they are in every single day. It’s difficult to understand the helplessness and hopelessness that their parents must feel.

Thanks for your prayers for these children.

Sarah

Friday August 7th, 2009

2009-08-10T10:19:00.000-04:00

Hi friends,

I haven’t been updating my blog aside from my supporter updates but hopefully I can change that. J Things are going well here…..Melissa and I work well together and I am really thankful that God planned for her to be here with me even though neither one of us had any idea until the last minute. It turns out that my main role here is tutoring, which is fine, but not one of my strong points as I don’t actually have a teaching degree. Melissa does, so that has helped a lot.

So, funny story. One day this past week Melissa and I went to the market on our own. We were quite proud of ourselves for buying carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggs, all without getting overcharged (muzungu price). As we were leaving, Melissa decided to buy some beans. She got two different kinds. Yesterday, we decided it was time to do something with the beans. Melissa opened one bag and put them in the pot, then got the others out… we were surprised at how much they resembled peanuts, but added them to the pot anyway. A little while later Melissa was checking to see how the beans were going. She got a spoonful out and called me into the room. “Does this look like a peanut to you?” She split the small brown “bean” in half and we realized….yes… they were peanuts. So…we have created a new African delicacy. Melissa has named it “Beanut soup.” We have plans to finish cooking it, invite our African friends over, and tell them it is an American specialty. Check back later to find out how THAT goes.

In our defense, African peanuts (called groundnuts) really DO look a LOT like beans. And they sell them NEXT to the beans in the market.

When we first got here, with the team and all, Ugandan culture didn’t really seem all that different from American culture (aside from small stuff) but the longer I am here the bigger the difference seems. I bought a Lwo-English dictionary (Lwo is another word for the Acholi language) and the selection of words alone made me realize how completely different their world is. This book is for use in primary and secondary schools, so the selection of words are intended to be common, useful words. From only one page, we find the Lwo words for “restlessness, being mentally ill or weak-minded”, “ancestral shrine”, “I have charmed or hypnotized”, and “black magic.” I was unaware, until I got here, of how prominent witchdoctors still are. Occasionally we hear of children who were kidnapped and murdered for certain body parts that the witchdoctors use. Most of the children we meet in the camps (and even some in town) have their left ear pierced with a small twig in it. Supposedly, if you are pierced, then your body is no longer perfect and you are of no use to the witchdoctors. It’s discouraging to see how much fear and suspicion have a grip on so many lives here.

Today was our day off. Melissa and I started off by cleaning the house and straightening our rooms, then we came into town to meet with a friend and eat “lunch” (at 5 PM). Now we are finishing up here and plan to have an equally relaxing evening.

Thanks for reading J sorry this was short - more to come soon, hopefully.

Sarah

:)

2009-07-28T11:47:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,
I wanted to give some more personal details about my trip thus far since my last update was rather business-like. The short term trip is over...last weekend we went back down to Kampala. Monday we told the team goodbye and then Monday through Wednesday we worked on running errands and getting our visas extended. Melissa’s church had a team in Kampala and so she met up with them Thursday and Friday, but I came on back to Gulu on Thursday. Mariam and I took care of some basic shopping for our home and worked on getting the house set up, and then Melissa joined us on Saturday.

It was kind of difficult when I was trying to decide whether or not to go with ECM because they require you to do the short term trip before allowing you to stay longer with their organization, and I had really wanted to just dive right into an internship without having a “short term” trip to start off with. I have to say, though, that I am really thankful for having come here initially with a team of such amazing, committed people. Everyone jumped right in and made working with the team just a blessing. Please pray for them as they are back home in the states, missing the children they built relationships with and trying to figure out how to communicate the things they’ve seen. It was also nice to have the opportunity to build relationships with the Ugandan staff in a team atmosphere. If you would like to pray for them they are Mariam, Simon, Joseph, Patrick, Mary, David.

An average day for our team consisted of leaving the hotel around 9:30 to get to Tegotatoo IDP camp around 10:00. The first few days when we drove up to the camp, the women who were cooking the children’s lunch would begin singing and clapping and greet us as we parked the van. The children would also run to the van ,but they kind of kept their distance behind the women, and only some of them were really excited to see us. Gradually though, each day, it seemed like there were more smiles on their faces and their excitement at our arrival grew. By the end of the two weeks, as soon as we were close enough for them to see the dust flying up behind the van, we would hear yelling and cheering and almost every single child had a huge grin on their face as they met us. What an encouragement, that maybe God was using us to bless them as much as He was using them to bless us. After we got there we would play with the children for half an hour or so and then begin the lesson with a welcome and song time. The translators had taught us some children’s worship songs in Acholi, and the children were amused at our attempts to lead songs in their language. For the program we met under the camp’s little thatch roof church. Each team member was responsible for a different part of the program each day, so that left each of us time to sit in with the kids and participate with them in the singing, etc. During each lesson, we would give an invitation and each day, several children would stand up to indicate their desire to accept Christ. A couple of times throughout the two weeks an adult, who had just stopped by to listen or bring their child, would pull one of the team aside and tell them that they want to be saved. With the children, of course, we had to be cautious because many of them were very young and possibly misunderstood the invitation or what they were doing, although we tried to be clear. But there were also many who I believe sincerely accepted Christ for the first time and truly desire to know Him and follow Him.
After the lesson and Bible verse, we would divide up into four “small groups” of about 50 children each. I was partnered with Brooke, and it seemed our group often ended up with like 60 children. If you’ve never watched a game of Duck Duck Goose (Otudu, Otudu, Gweno!!!) with 60 kids…you should! For small groups we would either play games or review vocabulary words from the lesson. Brooke had also brought a couple of children’s story books, and as soon as we finished reading one they would ask to please read another. These children that we were working with were anywhere from a few months old to thirteen or fourteen (although the majority were probably 4-10). Out of the 200 children, probably half of them are old enough to be in school, but are not, for various reasons. Many of them are on a waiting list with ECM, and as soon as they get a sponsor, they can begin attending school. As we saw with the story books and vocab words, they are eager and ready to soak up anything they can possibly learn.
After small groups it would be time to line up for lunch, which consisted of rice and beans, rice and cabbage, or rice and a small piece of beef, depending on the day. The school children would also join us on their lunch break. They would go back to school and then our afternoons would be divided up into two groups - four of our team members ran a first aid/wound clinic, while the rest of us visited with the mothers and babies or played with the children who did not need to be treated. During this time I often ended up with a smaller group of children who really loved to sing. The Acholi culture is a very musical culture. There are two girls named Winny and Sharon (probably around 8 years old) that I spent a lot of time with, and they would spontaneously begin worship songs while all the other children followed in, loudly clapping and often dancing. Around 3:00 or so it would be time to pack up and head back to town. Working with the children in the camps is very draining and tiring, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. (Although somehow it is an encouragement and a blessing at the same time that it is so draining). Although we could catch glimpses of their circumstance, by their appearance and behaviors, we really saw only a tiny part of their life and experiences in the camps. We saw empty Vodka packets lying all over the ground. The children are often violent, or at best rough with each other. Many of the women believe that their children are mistakes, and often don’t refrain from letting those children know it. Life in the camps is far from easy, so although N. Uganda is fairly peaceful, life is still difficult and no where near being back to normal for many people.

In the evenings when we got back to the hotel we would have a short team meeting and eat dinner, leaving a little time to relax and prepare for the next day.

On one of our last days in the camp, the school children got out early and joined our program for the afternoon. We talked with them for a little while and then they sang and danced for us. The songs were ones that they have learned for the music festival (which was also the reason they were out of school). The music festival is a huge event in Uganda where school children perform and compete against each other. I mentioned before that the Acholi culture is very musical. I was thrilled to be here and see them performing their songs. I am familiar with the music festival because of the movie War Dance. It tells the story of several children in the IDP camps and follows their school as they prepare for and then compete in the music festival. I highly recommend the movie because it really does an excellent job of portraying not only the devastation and sufferings that have resulted from the war, but also the hope and the resilience that the children possess. It would also give you a really clear picture of the place where I am working and what life is like here for many people.

Well, today is mine and Melissa’s second day of actually going to work with the ECM staff in the office. We have been preparing our tutoring program for Today and Thursday of this week (with children in the 1st three grades, from Tegotatoo camp). Please pray for us as we seek God’s guidance in what to teach and how to minister to these children. Thanks!

-Sarah

2009-07-14T10:10:00.002-04:00

This was last week's update...just now getting around to posting it to my blog. :)

Dear friends, family, and supporters,
I apologize for the delay in sending out my promised first update. In this update I will catch you up on what I am doing, what hashappened so far, and prayer requests for my time here.

Details about my time in Uganda:
In order to complete my masters degree in International Development,I am required to do an internship for a minimum of 3 months, in adeveloping country. Northern Uganda has been on my heart for severalyears and I have wanted to come here (to Gulu, Uganda) and meet theAcholi people myself…to hear their stories, to see their circumstancesfirst hand, and to further learn about God’s heart for these peoplewho have suffered so much (I will include some links below if you areinterested in learning more about life in Northern Uganda). After a“long” wait and several disappointing attempts at coming here, theLord has allowed me to come with Every Child Ministries (ECM), a well-established mission organization that has ministries in severallocations in Africa. They require their missionaries to come on ashort term basis first before making a longer commitment, and so inorder for me to do my internship I started out by coming with a short-term team. We have been here since July 1st and the team will be hereuntil the 20th. Once they leave I will extend my stay until December3rd in order to complete my internship. My internship will consist of working together with their nationalstaff (Miriam, Joseph, and Simon) on their child sponsorship programin the internally displaced persons camps (IDP camps). I will includemore details on that when I have them. J There is also a chance that Iwill be tutoring some of the sponsored children. Because of the war,many of them have been out of school, so when they gain theopportunity to attend school (through sponsorship) they have a lot ofcatching up to do. In addition to actually tutoring, I will be lookinginto how ECM can further involve themselves and develop a program tofurther meet this need of the children.

What has happened so far:
After some unusually eventful air travel (that’s a whole differentstory)…I met up with the team in the London airport and we made ourway to Entebbe, Uganda, and then by van through Kampala and intoGayaza on the outskirts of Kampala. There, we stayed at a hotel andhad training every day at ECM’s Gayaza office. We met the Gayazastaff as well as the Gulu staff and translators, who had traveled downfrom Gulu to join us for training.
Highlights:
-Had a great time of training, getting to know each other on ourteam, and getting to know the Ugandan partners.
-Had the privilege of celebrating with the Gulu staff at the purchaseof a van for their use in the north. This will be a huge helpfor their ministry.
-Worshiping together at a Ugandan church Sunday morning.

Sunday after church we drove the 6 hours north to Gulu. We got the new Gulu van broken in very well - we had the back seat so full of luggagethat the window popped open (one that wasn’t supposed to open). Wekept it shut the rest of the way to Gulu by taping it with bandaids.We were also very thankful for God’s protection as we were drivingalong fairly quickly and had a front tire blow out. Our driver, James,very carefully got us to a safe stop. Since arriving in Gulu, we have spent Monday and Tuesday in one of theIDP camps where ECM has done ministry before - Tegotatoo (sounds likeTay-gora-tor). It is interesting to note that part of the name of thiscamp means “death.” The reason it is named this is because it isalmost in the shadow of a large hill by the same name, where theLord’s Resistance Army had a base and killed many people back when thewar was focused in this area. (See the link below to read more aboutthe Lord’s Resistance Army or “LRA”).In the mornings we have worship and a Bible lesson with the children,break up into “small groups” (50-60 children in each of 4 groups) to do review and play games, and then feed them lunch. In the afternoonsome of us have been spending time with the mothers & babies, orchildren, while others have been running a first aid clinic. We hadWednesday off and will be spending Thursday and Friday in the campagain.

Prayer Requests:
One of the main prayer requests that I planned to send when I wrotemy first update was about finding housing here for the 5 months that Iwill remain after the team leaves. However, that one has alreadyturned into a praise. The most likely situation was that I would haveneeded to find a small apartment, and that I would have been living bymyself. However, when I got here and started talking with Miriam, shesaid that she would really love to move out of her current livingsituation and also to have a roommate. This was a huge relief to me asI was not sure how I felt about living alone. Miriam had a friend whowas able to find us a little house to rent, very reasonably. Inaddition to this, I had kind of hoped in the back of my mind that Godwould somehow work it out for someone from the short-term team to alsostay. I really didn’t think that was even a possibility. However, oneof the girls, Melissa, has decided to stay (as long as her planeticket can be changed & everything). She will probably be here til the middle of September! I am really excited to have the living situationworked out as well has having two roommates when I thought I wouldhave none. J

Another praise: our team is wonderful. There are 8 of us, as well asJohn Rouster (the director) and his daughter Whitney. We have workedtogether well. I have been extremely thankful for the team becauseseveral of them have already mentioned that they will leave behindsome of their supplies and simple things that are difficult to gethere so that Melissa and I will have what we need when we move intothe house.

Please pray for:
-the nearby countries of Congo, Central African Republic, andSouthern Sudan that are still being plagued by the violence of the LRA(that has left behind such chaos and brokenness in Uganda).
-for the team and their remaining 1.5 weeks of ministry here.Several of them are considering and praying about coming back toUganda on a long-term basis.
-that I would have clarity and a deep sense of focus and purpose inmy internship work. (That I would make the most of my time here andfind a good balance of learning but also contributing to the ministryhere.)
-the Acholi language is a little more difficult than I expected, butI would really like to pick up as much as possible while I am here…atleast enough to communicate with the children to some extent. Please pray that God would give me an ear for the language and that I would be able to pick up a great deal over the next few weeks especially!Thank you all so much for your interest, support and friendship.
God bless you!
Sarah

More about Africa, Uganda, and the LRA:
www.ecmafrica.org
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/about/history/

Leaving in a little more than a month!

2009-05-23T00:08:00.002-04:00

Well, I can hardly believe that I leave for Uganda in about 5 weeks. I hardly feel ready...a lot to do and not much time to get it done. I was hoping to have quit my job by now so that I could help out at camp but apparently that wasn't part of the Plan. He knows best.

When I was looking for a field semester I began by limiting myself to organizations that would not require me to raise support. I just didn't "feel like" raising support...I have done that a lot for short term trips and didn't really think it was the best thing to do it again. Also I just didn't feel like asking people for money. I don't enjoy that part. And besides, we are in the middle of an economic crisis. I know God owns everything and can lead people to give...but can I really ask people to give when we're in a situation like this?

But, when I received rejection after rejection for each place I applied...I finally resorted to applying to an actual mission organization, where I would be required to raise support. I was accepted, and reluctantly wrote my support letters and mailed them out. My entire support - around $9,000 - has already come in (within about 2 months), in spite of my lack of faith, or stubbornness, or whatever we should call it. Humbling, undeserved, and more than I could've ever imagined. Thank you Lord. He deserves all the praise - He is my Provider.