2011 In Review...extended version =)

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

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...

...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!

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

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...

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...

...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

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

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:

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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 : )

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...

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