HopeBuilders Team 5 Dec 2009 - Jan 2010

The Final Chapter

2010-01-20T22:02:00.006+11:00

Tuesday 12th Jan
After a lot of days working very hard, today the team took some time off for well deserved R&R. Well R anyway. We enjoyed the magnificent Victoria Nile from the vantage of a raft as we paddled 31 km over some of the world's largest rapids. It was an exhilarating experience, as was the time spent drifting along as we swam beside the raft. One of our guides came off a little worse for wear courtesy of a stray paddle, but his temporary replacement was more fun anyway.

Wednesday 13th Jan
Only two days to go and much still to do. Nurse Judith finalised the recording of her health checks on the children, Sarah found some mobility at last and completed some recording tasks also. Emily climbed up on the roof of the brick making shelter to install the capping along the ridge and others made sure that the last of the trusses were made up for the roof. Before retiring for the day we managed to lift one truss up and into place.Dinner tonight was our last restaurant trip as we went back to "Two Friends" for some familiar cuisine.

Thursday 14th Jan
Last day at the village today. The major task involved getting the roof trusses up onto the roof and secured in place. We managed to do this and attach all of the battens as well so that it should all stay in place. People not directly involved in this made sure that the village was in a fit state for us to leave. Anne-Marie and Emily can get a job sorting out my shed any time based on their efforts in transforming the shed. The container was also put into some semblance of order.
At the end of the afternoon we arranged photos of the team and all of the village residents.After our final dinner of Posho and Split Peas we headed back over to farewell the children, Lois and Agnes, and Ivan and Robert who have been such a help to us. The children performed several songs for us and were very appreciative of the gifts that the team members had brought for them. It was a difficult time of letting go, but also we had a sense of achievement in having completed the building tasks that we were given. No-one really wanted to leave, but our need to pack before catching a bus at 6:00 am tomorrow meant that we had to.

Friday 15th - Sunday 17th
The 3 week sojourn in Uganda ended with a trip north west to Murchison Falls for a safari. The bus trip takes approximately 9 hours so it is with great relief that we were able to peel ourselves out of the bus and into the swimming pool on arrival. A scrumptuous meal had us all prepared for the boat ride on the nile and game drive in the park on Saturday. We saw Hippos as plentiful as the rabbits behind the vineyard church and had some elephants and giraffes put on displays for us.

Jackson's Hartbeest

There were many other animals to see as well, but unfortunately no lions or zebras.

Monday 18th
After overnighting in a guest house in Kampala, we left for home just after lunch.
The team worked exceptionally well together, and despite the lack of trade skills amongst us, we think we did a pretty amazing job doing the things we did. As we shared together on the last night of the safari trip, pretty well everyone talked of the ways in which they had been blessed, far beyond what we expected to be. We are all thankful that we have had this opportunity and want to encourage anyone else who thinks they might be able to help, to give it real consideration and prayer and join one of the teams that will be coming in the near future.

This sunset over the Nile river farewelled us from a wonderful trip to Uganda

2010-01-12T05:08:00.007+11:00

Day 12 - Friday
Lots of fun today unpacking the container. The crane didn't arrive until well into the morning, but we had already unloaded about one third of the stuff before it was off the truck.
The children clapped as different items came out of the truck, and especially as Emily disappeared inside the water tank to get the things out of it.

We had everything out and then put quite a lot of it back in but in a way that we could access the things we need now.
There was work going on as well around the place and all in all it was a very good day for us.

Day 13 - Saturday
We worked in teams today. One team set up the swing set and concreted it into the ground. Another set about the task of putting a new roof on the brick making shelter. Others began the very difficult process of digging a trench for plumbing and electrical work, Roger and Ron started making roof trusses and some ladies began sorting clothes and making sure the children had new clothes and shoes to wear to church tomorrow.

We worked a long day and then quickly cleaned ourselves up and walked down the road to Hope Community Secondary School where Robert, and his lovely wife Rachel had prepared dinner for us. Several suggestions were made that Rachel could get a job as a cook at YWAM!

Day 14 - Sunday
Church at a number of places today, Abundant Life with the children, Wairaka Miracle Centre with Pastor Moses and Bugembe Miracle Centre with Robert. Then the bus collected us from our various locations and took us to town for lunch at Flavours. They make good food and great fresh juices, but they take their time doing so and our whole trip became just lunch. On our way home we dropped in at the Care4Kids orphanage and spent a couple of hours playing with a different bunch of kids.

(Photos at Care4Kids used by permission of ISA)

Today we really did feel like we had earned our day of rest. It has been a very big week with little time off.

Day 15 - Monday
Into our last week now and the need to get things done was a powerful driving force. The roof on the brickmaking shelter and the plumbing trench are both almost complete. Sorting of clothes and books from the container is all done. The swing was completed and a long line of kids were able to enjoy the fun of a great new swing.
The truss making really got into gear and we can see the end of that process approaching rapidly. All of this was achieved today despite a power blackout. We were able to put the new generator to use. Of course we needed fuel and oil for this, gso Robert arrived promptly with those. A nice bottle of oil and 7 litres of petrol in a shopping bag! Most of it was able to be transferred into our gerry can before filling the generator. Some things you just can't do at home are so much more acceptable here.

Another Update

2010-01-08T05:19:00.002+11:00

Day 9 – Tuesday
Another long and frustrating day in Kampala for Ron and Pastor Moses today. Despite meetings with the Chief Minister and Ministry of Finance officials, we made no progress at all on obtaining our container. Our hired Clearing Agent seemed not to be in control and was not getting us anywhere. We left him with instructions to lift his game tomorrow.
Back at the site, the final bricks were laid on the Admin building in the morning as well as the last of the door frames installed.

After lunch the team took the children and mothers from the village on an outing to a swimming pool. A lot of fun was had and many sodas were consumed.

Day 10 – Wednesday
This was the dirtiest day of all as we put in a big effort washing down the walls and scraping the floors to rid them of all the excess mud. The building is now looking good and some of the top plate has been added as well in readiness for the roof to go on. Still no good news on the container, although at least now the information is back with customs in Jinja where we can try to sort it out a bit better.
Anne and Emily went off for a while in the afternoon to visit the mother of 4 of the children in the village who is very sick and unable to care for her children. It was a very moving time for them, and they were able to help bring on the operation that she needs.
It was unanimously decided that it was time for another dinner out so we made a booking at 'Gately on Nile' and enjoyed a wonderful time.

Day 11 – Thursday

Hallelujah – It has come! The container is on site. Pastor Moses' tireless efforts finally brought reward when a new agent was given the job and managed to do in half a day what the previous guy could not do in two weeks. By early afternoon the container was released and Ron and Pastor Moses rode triumphantly into the village atop the container.

Prior to that the remainder of the team had continued to clean up and move unused bricks around in readiness for the next phase of work. We look forward to tomorrow unpacking the container and using the stuff inside.

A different kind of day

2010-01-05T05:16:00.002+11:00

Day 8 - Monday 4th
Monday began as normal and we were quickly into bricklaying. Sandra was nicely dressed in her best sandals, owing to the fact that her work shoes and older sandals had 'disappeared' from just outside her room yesterday. Derek led devotions for us at breakfast, and as breakfast ended, Ron found out that he was going to Kampala for the day to attempt to have the container liberated from its 'prison'. 5 hours in very cramped buses and people not in their offices despite prior indication that they would be meant no success yet, but very hopeful of better news tomorrow.
The rest of the team remained behind and did a lot of work so that the bricklaying on the Admin block should be finished by lunchtime tomorrow.

2010-01-04T01:57:00.003+11:00

Day 7 – Sunday

Beautiful clear skies greeted us on this day of rest. After a breakfast we prepared ourselves with cinnamon scrolls and rolls from the Ossie Bakery in Jinja, we went off to church. Half of us went across to the village and accompanied the children to the Abundant Life church just down the road. The other half of us went by taxi to Pastor George's church across the Nile in Njeru. In each case the services started with our group making up the bulk of the congregation until all of the locals flocked in.They also both went for 3 hours. Despite not understanding all of the words that were being sung, there was no doubt that we were experiencing real worship, with God's presence evident.

The group that came to Pastor George's church had to put up with Ron's preaching. Maybe next week they will get a break.
Church was followed by lunch in Jinja and tonight we are guests of Pastor George and his family for dinner.

Sandra ad Emily on the way from church to lunch in Jinja. No need to hang on!

Update

2010-01-03T03:39:00.004+11:00

Day 4 – New Years Eve
A rain free day. Good working conditions in the morning with some cloud cover and the hint of a breeze allowed us to really push on and get many bricks laid. Once Roger finished the welding of the tie rods for the roof he started working on the door frames.. He and Sandra left us for a while in the afternoon to visit a boy they have been sponsoring. The rest of us continued laying bricks and moving scaffolding. Rodney and Adam prepared a couple of the window sills and finished them off very nicely.
After dinner we gathered up some of the fun stuff we had for the children and went back over to the village to celebrate the New Year with them. We took glow bracelets and party poppers and lollipops and bought sodas for everyone. There was lots of laughter and singing and many photos taken. It was a real treat for us, and just a chance to consider how different this new year is to the last one for these children. I don't think too many of us actually stayed up to see the new year in, though we were able to share it with some rowdy locals and others at the base.

Day 5 – New Years Day (Friday)
We're going out for dinner tonight! Much of the morning conversation centered on what we might be able to have for dinner tonight at Two Friends. We are still getting over the fish from Wednesday – even though only a few of us actually tried any. The conversation was a good distraction, and with a short spurt of a little over an hour after lunch (in increasingly steady rain) we finally laid the last of the external bricks on the Admin block. So as I write this we are all getting 'dolled up' for a night out.

The dinner at 'Two Friends' was all we had hoped it would be. Lovely food in a lovely setting and a chance to relax and chill out together for a while. We must do it again some time soon.

Day 6 – Saturday
Once again it had rained quite heavily during the night making our work site very sticky. Despite this we were very productive, finishing off several of the internal walls and repairing another which had 'shifted' a little since being erected by the previous team. The children did not seem quite as active today, and chatting with Ivan later, he explained that the mother of some of the children in the village who is very sick and in need of an operation and he asked us to pray for her, so please join us in that.
We had the afternoon off to relax around home, nothing planned, just taking the opportunity to clean up, read, talk, walk, whatever.

The building continues

2010-01-03T01:50:00.011+11:00

The building continue to come along nicely. We have completed the 4 layers of bricks all round the building and are now laying the bricks on the top of the internal walls.
Here are a couple of photos of the last bricks being laid on the outside wall.

Just some other photos to show we have been working

And some of the local wildlife

and Roger working on door frames

Adam

Pray for Sarah

2009-12-31T04:06:00.004+11:00

Just though we would update everyone on how Sarah is going.
We went to the doctor this morning to confirm what I already thought and to get some pills to fix it up. The doctor confirmed that it is cellulitis and thinks the cause was a spider bite.
So she has started to take a course of antibiotics so pray that these will work quickly so Sarah can get back to work.

Judith & Adam

2009-12-31T03:43:00.003+11:00

Day 3 – Wednesday
We awoke to wet morning after a lot of heavy rain yesterday afternoon and through the night. Fortunately it had cleared in time for us to start work at 7:30. We continued with all hands on brick laying throughout the morning and finished the courses to the top in the area where we had scaffolding. After lunch we moved the scaffolding and began some more bricklaying. The progress looks slow but the steel rods throught the bricks to tie the roof on do make it a lot harder. It is great to see it going up and we can see that it will be achievable. Still no container! Grrr! The whole team is working really well together and everybody seems to be enjoying it and working very hard. We are still getting used to the change in timezones, but sleep is happening a little easier for most now.
Dinner tonight was some rice with a peanut sauce (purple in colour) and some thing they called fish but I am far from convinced. Not the best meal we have had. A trip to Two Friends is now definitley on the agenda.

Roger struggling through his dinner

2009-12-30T02:32:00.004+11:00

The Arrival

33 hours after leaving home we finally arrived here at the YWAM Base in Jinja, adjacent to the Village of Hope. As we wearily unloaded our luggage from the bus we were allocated our rooms. We are spread out right across the base, but have found ways to keep in touch. After settling our stuff into our rooms we walked across in the dark to the village and were met with a very excited greeting by the children, and the mothers, Agnes and Lois.

After the initial greeting time we enjoyed some dinner that the ladies had prepared for us, then we took our dirupted body clocks off for some sleep We really are here in Africa.

The Work Begins
Day 1 began with rain. This delayed our start, and our breakfast for a while. Settling into the worksite took some time, as did working out what we could do and what jobs required something else to be done first. The day was really about preparation for the tasks ahead. Still no sign of a container on site – we need it really soon as there are things inside we want/need to use. Hopefully the right people can do what has to be done to get that sorted very quickly for us. It turned out to be a good day, and we are in readiness tomorrow to start laying some bricks. Looking forward to that!

Day 2
First bricks laid today. The building is on the way up again. We had a quick tutorial for all of the novices and then they were quickly into it. From Jeff who managed the mixer with Sarah on water supply, to Judith who was wetting the walls in preparation for all of the brick layers. Emily and Anne-Marie did some point work before going off to paint some doors. It was great to see progress being made. This afternoon we were in town for the first time, stocking up on phone cards and various other supplies. Up to date there haven't been too many complaints about the posho, although rumour has it that Roger may not have actually eaten any of it yet.

Agnes preparing our breakfast - delicious "Rolexes"

Made it to Dubai

2009-12-27T13:25:00.002+11:00

Well, here we are after 14 hours in the air, trying to work out what our body clocks are saying here in Dubai airport. The flight went without incident, some old hands (not me) slept well, others watched a host of movies, and all in good spirits. Fortunately that's the longer leg of the flight, only a short 7 hour trip from here to Entebbe to go.

A New Team

2009-12-22T22:10:00.004+11:00

Here is the new team about to embark on the epic journey to the Village of Hope in Jinja, Uganda. We have had our final meeting, collected tickets and shared around the tools that we need to fit into our luggage. Only 4 sleeps until we depart on Saturday - Boxing Day. Everyone is very excited and looking forward to getting to the village, meeting Lois, Agnes and all of the children, and getting on with the job of continuing to build the Village of Hope. Please pray for us that God will make us "strong and courageous"

from the top:
Emily & Anne,
Rodney & Derek
Anne-Marie & Ben
Jeff, Adam, Roger, Sandra & Ron
Sandy, Judith & Sarah

Sunday 22nd

2009-02-22T17:08:00.001+11:00

7/11 - Kenyan Airways Luggage Delivery
The safari was great and we are now on the way home. Unfortunately we are stuck in Bangkok airport waiting to sort out what has happened to Sam, Cam, Dan & Josh's luggage. Home tomorrow.

Wednesday 18th

2009-02-22T17:03:00.003+11:00

Our final morning on the site was good and bad. It was good to come to an end with all that we had been doing, but unfortunately a power outage meant that the welder and angle grinder were out of action so the last couple of shutters for the windows did not get finished. The new sign was installed by the front gate, and it is clearly visible from a long way down the road.

After lunch we caught a bus to the orphanage run by Pator Moses about an hour away from Jinja. This was the orphanage that has just had funds donated to get a fence to provide some security for the children. The children were very happy to have some Mzungu visitors and Pastor Moses was also keen to show us around. The team played with the children for a hour or so before they put on a little 'entertainment' for us. They managed to welcome each of us by name in a song, even if some of the names were difficult to recognise. Whilst we were visiting, John was busy submitting plans for the village and all of the buildings for approval. All you builders in the Yarra Valley eat your hearts out, the whole procedure was over in a couple of hours! Try doing that at home.

The evening was a meal at the family next door to Hope Village. This family has been very supportive of each of the teams and it was a good way to end out time in Jinja. Unfortunately the power outage had continued so we had to apck up and clean up in the dark. Power was still out when we left at 5:00 am on Thursday morning for our safari.

Tuesday 17th

2009-02-22T16:59:00.002+11:00

A good morning on the site with lots of work done then into town to do our shopping for presents for loved ones. The internal bricks were finished and some repair work was done on the walls inside house 2, timber work on the kitchens finished, and the window shutters got ever closer to being completed. The new sign for the village was painted by the signwriter and is ready to go in the ground. Whilst we were working, Ivan was busy talking with some of the local widows about how Village of Hope might be able to be of some help to them in the future, and Calista did a little nannying for old times sake!

Monday 16th

2009-02-17T23:36:00.002+11:00

Today was our last full working day, and we made good use of it with a 7:30 am start and a finish at 6:30 pm. The external bricks on house 2 are now complete, and the internal ring beam was uncovered and some remedial work on it begun. Tomorrow we hope to lay the top 3 courses of internal bricks. Colin and Cam, our metal workers, continued to produce doors, door fittings and window shutters. Bert and Dan finished all of the timber work in the kitchen dining area while the rest of us played in the mud. Many tired bodies dragged themselves off to the common room for a soda and then had probably our tastiest YWAM meal yet, maybe we are becoming desensitized.
News travels very quickli in these parts! This morning the local workers who have been doing all of the concrete work mentioned that they heard we handed out some clothes yesterday, and asked if we had any for them. They stand a pretty good chance of collecting many of our working clothes and boots when we leave after Wednesday.

Sunday 15th

2009-02-17T22:50:00.004+11:00

Church today was at Wairaka Miracle Centre, the church of Pastor Moses. I managed to decline an offer to preach, saying that we needed one chance at least to hear an African sermon. We were still ushered in to the prime seats at the side of the stage to ensure that we were visible to all, and we were given the opportunity to introduce ourselves and give a greeting. The service was quite similar to the others we had attended with periods of worship and a lengthy sermon. This is the church that the kids from Care4Kids attend, so the average age of the congregation was fairly low. Pastor Moses and all of his people were very welcoming.

After church we slipped into town for some lunch and then returned home by 4.30 pm. Ivan met us then and we walked to a local village to meet some of the people there who are really struggling. The mothers that we went to meet were off at a wedding, but we did catch up with one man who wanted to recommit his life to Jesus. He showed us the house that his 75 year old mother lived in and where she cared for 5 children. The children had one bed made of cushions off an old sofa to share, and the first thing we saw when showed the mother's bed was an eight inch long rat crawling off the bed. After praying with the guy and talking for a while we ventured off to find another family where we spent quite a bit of time. The mother here supports here family of five children by making liquor. There were about 5 of her customers present and we all sat down for a while. One of the customers, an older fellow asked if he could be 'saved'. We prayed for him and when Ivan asked if any of the others wanted to be saved, the mother replied that she would like to be but would have to lose her job because the church would not accept her profession. What a dilemma. When John asked if she believed in Jesus and accepted that he died for her sins, he was able to assure her that Jesus accepted her. When it was almost time to go, we gave them some clothes and trinkets which they were extremely thankful for. The visit was an opportunity to get in touch with the people that we drive past and see but have not had anything to do with until now. It certainly gave us a different picture of what life is like for many of Uganda's people, and its not a great picture.

The 75 year old mother who we missed yesterday, appeared at our breakfast today. We shared a little of our breakfast with her, and when Calista gave her some clothes that we had left she broke down in tears. It doesn't take very much of what we have in plenty to make a huge difference to these people. We at HopeBuilders are not just building homes for orphans, but we are becoming part of a community that hopefully we will be able to help, and give some hope, for a long time.

Saturday 14th

2009-02-15T22:23:00.001+11:00

Because we had Thursday off, we decided to work all day Saturday and forgo our afternoon in town. Finally the ring beam on house 2 was completed (10 days after we finished the mud bricks ready for it) so we were able to start laying the final courses on top of house 2. Bert and his crew erected the poles and beams linking the kitchen with the toilet/washrooms, at last giving some shape to that building. The welders were kept busy working on a large sign which is to be erected at the front of the block. A signwriter appeared and has painted a prep coat. John had to deal with the loss of our security guards who resigned on the spot in the morning after having had a pay claim rejected yesterday. He and Robert managed to find someone to replace them. We said goodbye to Tim and Ben from team 2 who headed for the airport for their trip home.

Friday 13th - no worries here

2009-02-15T22:19:00.003+11:00

After a fun day rafting yesterday, we were back at work today with lots of enthusiasm and determination to get as much done as possible. Once again John enjoyed the 'fun' of shopping for a long stint in the morning. We 'unveiled' the ring beam that we had poured on the toilet/washroom and proudly admired our work for a couple of minutes, then quickly set about laying the final 3 courses of bricks on top of it. The window shutters were all built and Cam hung the front door of house 1 and fashioned a locking device for it from a few shaky descriptions of what was required, so that house is now officially at 'lock up' stage. Just some internal doors to be fixed, a little painting and sealing of the walls to go before the beds can be made and installed. Bert did a lot of preparation on the beams to support the roof over the kitchen/dining/toilet area. We worked well together and came home a tired bunch. Always there to encourage us though are the 'site supervisors' from across the road.

Thursday 12th - A Day Off

2009-02-13T21:35:00.005+11:00

We had a day off from the work today and went rafting on the Nile. There were lots of rapids, including several rated as class 5 rapids. Our gung-ho crew kept choosing 'wild' over 'mild', and we spent quite a bit of time in the water having been flipped out. We also had some relaxing swims down the flat water parts of the river. Who would have thought 6 months ago that we would be in Africa rafting / floating down the Nile river? None of us that's for sure.

The Care 4 Kids Orphanage 2nd visit

2009-02-13T21:32:00.002+11:00

We went back to Care 4 Kids orphanage to have dinner with the children. We were greeted as warmly this time as the first time, and many of the children came searching out their 'friends' from the first visit. We took along a number of gifts to give the children, some went via the office, and some we gave to some very excited children. After the gifts had been given out, we spent some time playing games and talking with the kids. They showed us things like their school books and talked about what they had been up to. We had dinner together, posho and beans, and then for a treat, we had brought along some fruit for a rare dessert. After dinner, the children organised a game for us which ended up with all of us having wet seats - they thought it was funny! Our time together ended with a small fireworks session with fireworks some of our boys had purchased. We had to leave, but no-one wanted to and the children kept asking when we would be coming back. Care 4 Kids is a special place with great staff and the most loveable kids. Make sure you call in there next time you're passing!

Another Ministry

2009-02-13T21:30:00.001+11:00

Several months before coming to Uganda, I received an email at work that appeared to probably be spam. It was sent to a large number of church email addresses. Just before I was about to delete it, I noticed that it mentioned the town of Jinja, Uganda, so I read it instead. It was from a guy called Alvin Imbizia, who has established a ministry called "Aids Ministry and Children, Uganda." I replied to the email, saying that I was coming to Jinja in February '09. Alvin sent several more emails and I gave him a phone number to contact me on when We arrived. Last week Alvin and one of his co-workers Michael, came out to visit me at YWAM, and yesterday I slipped off during the lunch break to meet him again in his 'office'. Alvin has a ministry to several villages north of Jinja, supplying farming implements for families and another program where a family receives a 'she goat' and then has to breed from that goat, and then give back the first born 'she goat' so that another family can receive a goat. Having a goat can be of great benefit to a family and this program so far has over 100 families in one village with goats, having started with just a few. Alvin's ministry is also involved in helping orphans by assisting the guardians of the orphans to be able to keep the children in their homes. Often the person who becomes the guardian of an orphan does not have the resources to look after them (that's why we are here building Hope Village) and his team try to help so that the children can remain with the wider family. Alvin was very excited that I replied to his email - I am the first and only so far - and he wants people to know about what he and his team of volunteers are doing so that people can pray for them. Please join me in doing that. There is a great deal of need here in Uganda, much more than what we as Hopebuilders can cover.

Better Again

2009-02-13T21:28:00.003+11:00

Wednesday 11th
The worksite had recovered largely from the rain of yesterday and so we were able to get lots of work done. Boards between the roof sheets and the walls were fitted, with holes for ventilation drilled on house one, as were more of the window shutters and the front door. The fascia board was painted with the thinnest paint you could imagine, so Ben and Callista just kept going around and around until some sort of coverage was obtained! Kirstie did a great job painting the window shutters. To make sure that we had at least one building to go on with on Friday, we boxed up and poured the ring beam on the toilet/washroom, as well as a slab outside the doors of this building. Hopefully the ringbeam on house 2 will also be completed by then so we will be able to lay the final 3 courses of bricks on those buildings. There are still lots of things that we would like to get done before we leave, and the time is beginning to run out, so we are hoping and praying for good working weather.

A Not So Good Day

2009-02-11T20:33:00.004+11:00

Tuesday 10th
A day that started well was kind of messed up by a torrential downpour just before lunchtime. The block became a river of mud as tools and materials started floating away. Fortunately, I was assigned the task of 'shopping' for today and was in town at the time. I returned after lunch to find a washed out team recovering back at the house. The sun came out and we were able to go back onto the site and do a couple of hours work, although once again it was much harder to get into it after the rain. The shopping expedition was an experience in itself. You have to be constantly on the lookout for people trying to rip you off with inflated prices. Robert is an expert at spotting this and lets people know if he thinks they are charging too much. We finished out trip with a visit to Robert's favourite restaurant for lunch African style. It was very tasty and very cheap! Goat meat in broth, with a side plate of rice, green banana mash, beans, cabbage and silver beet.

To add a bit more to Ronny's blurb above, what a write off day it was....Started with a power failure, so no welding, no grinders or power saws, then when it did come on our resident electrician Cam checked the voltage...165 volts and the steel cutting saw was almost as good as your teeth and the welder did not want to weld. Just an electrical 'brown out' so our electrician commented. The concrete mixer decided to spit a belt so... no mixer. The boys continued on to sift a couple of piles of dirt to mix with the mud to use once the ring beamers finished their job. Well when the rain came, 5" in 30 minutes then continual for the next 2 hours guess where their sifted dirt ended up, some neighbour down the track ended up with a pile of slurry. The new tarp cover for the brick making drying area couldn't keep up with the rain so the new bitumen emulsion bricks got a testing before they were completely dry, the ladies making bricks were busy digging drains to divert the water while others were trying to stop the huge puddles of water forming on the roof from collapsing onto their bricks. The mud mixing boxes had a couple of big rocks thrown inside them for a bit of weight as they started to float away. With a river flowing down our driveway, all the water from the roadside table drains flowing down our driveway, a couple of trenches were dug trying to divert the torrent down the road which resulted in drowned team members. After the rain departed and we were a slight bit dry we got back into it and everyone at the site grew a couple of inches, gained a couple of kilos and moved a bit slower...(sticky muddy shoes). Then the morning's shopping arrived, interior doors and all the timber for the roof of house two, the delivery truck made it 10 metres onto the block and disappeared into a huge hole. All hands on deck to extract the truck only to have a brake failure, the front wheels locking on and having to unload the truck and carry the timber to the house site all 150 plus lengths. We eventually got off the site at 6.00 pm for dinner of rice, potatoes and cabbage, followed by a soda. Then the troups relaxed playing cards.

A good Day

2009-02-10T04:46:00.004+11:00

Monday 9th
Another good working day on the site. Good weather helps and today was fine all day. Colin forged ahead making the window shutters, and has several fitted and others cut ready to weld together. Window sills were fitted to all windows in both houses today. Lots of walls were brushed down ready for sealing. The toilet/washroom walls are all completed up to ring beam level, and the cavity between the fired brick and mud brick walls at the end of the dining area was filled at each end, and a mud render on the exposed fired brick part of the dining area wall is almost complete. Lots of stuff done. The team is working really well together and enjoying what we are doing. The roofing team completed the last of the sheets and the capping on the roof of house 1, it looks a treat. The frustrations continue with the contractors who do the ring beam. Its almost a week since we finished the walls to ring beam height in house 2, and so far only 2 walls have the ring beam poured. unfortunately we have plenty to do after they finish, and the roofing team is held up also. Maybe tomorrow! The culinary department at YWAM must have known that we had a good day - we had fish for dinner which was a first and very tasty.

Sunday @ church

2009-02-10T04:29:00.006+11:00

Sunday 8th
This morning we were off to church at Pastor George's church. Pastor George is the one who lives here at YWAM and whose eyes lit up when I was introduced to him as Pastor Ron. He was excited to have us in his church, the first Australian team to visit. The bus arrived nearly 30 minutes late to pick us up, but it was OK as we were following Pastor George, so I guess it couldn't start until he arrived. On the way the bus driver had to borrow some money so that he could buy fuel, as he did not have enough to get us to the church. At about 10.45 am we arrived at the church for a 10.00 am service. There were only a few people in the church, and they were praying loudly, probably for the previous 45 minutes. Pastor George was quick to grab my bible, notebook and glasses and proceeded straight to the stage where there was a couple of chairs for us. The rest of the team found seats at the front, although John and Bert were a little further back, until Pastor George interupted the service and called them up to special seats at the front! In what was called the 'first service', after some worship that was so full of energy and praise, I was introduced and given the opportunity to introduce the rest of the team. I began by sharing about the horrible fires at home, and we all joined in prayer for the people at home, and those who have suffered loss in the fires. As soon as we mentioned that Sam was a part of the worship team at home, he was given a guitar and told to tune it up and lead in a song. The whole team joined him as we sung "Our God is an Awesome God". A couple of the guys came up and gave brief testimonies. After much encouragement and many 'welcomes', the 'second service' began immediately. By this time the congregation had swelled to fill all of the seats in the church. Once again there was some brilliant worship, and much of it was in english, allowing us to join in. A group of children came and performed several dances that Pastor George explained to me were about being saved by God. There was a brief time for testimony, an offering, and then the most over the top introduction of the visiting pastor that you could imagine. Preaching was both an honour and very hard work, having to stop after each phrase while it was translated. It makes flow difficult, and humour impossible, but we managed to get there. I worried a couple of times when Pastor George took about 50 words to translate the 5 words I had spoken, but I am sure he was just adding bits to fire up an extra "amen" or "hallelujah". When we finished he did a bit of a wrap up, then called for people who wanted to be prayed for. Before they could come, he started into a testimony of a lady in the church who had had difficulty conceiving a child, had been beaten by her muslim husband, who had eventually suffered 2 miscarriages, and who finally had given birth to a healthy girl. Having shared that he called for other 'barren' women to come forward for prayer, and decided that I would be praying for them. There were others who also came out with various illnesses, and so we prayed for them. We were humbled when Pastor George called for a 'love offering' to be given for us. He explained that whilst it might seem strange Ugandans giving to Mzungu, he saw it as a good thing to do, so we were blessed as a number of people came and put money in the basket. Finally after 3 hours, we were finished. It really is a wonderful experience to share with people on the other side of the world in praising our one true God who unites us together, no matter whether we are white or brown (or red, as the sun caught me a little yesterday)

The Roof Appears

2009-02-08T00:14:00.001+11:00

Saturday 7th
The day started today with cloud cover, but no rain. We got stuck right into the work and made lots of progress. It was good to see the roof sheets start to go on house 1, and the ring beam on house two is beginning also. We are almost finished the brickwork on the washrooms, and a lot of extra work has been done washing down walls and fitting window sills and shutters. John and Calista slipped out over lunch to visit the child they sponsor through Compassion. They found it a little confronting in terms of the conditions the family lived in, but it was also good to see the program that was helping so many kids. This afternoon it’s a bit of R&R in Jinja for us all.

On Our Own

2009-02-08T00:13:00.000+11:00

Friday 6th
Well it’s just us now, no longer can we check with Paul about how things are meant to go or rely on Andrew to do all of the organising with Robert and Ivan. But the way things have gone, we seem to be coping OK on our own. Work is continuing with the building of the toilet / washrooms going well and the plumbing and electrical work largely complete. A torrential downpour at lunchtime made the site a lot harder to work on, and motivation levels were down a little as we were frustrated with some local contractors not turning up to do the things they were expected for.

Farewell Team 2

2009-02-08T00:10:00.003+11:00

Thursday 5th
Work continued on the site today, our last with Team 2. At lunchtime, the family next door who have washed our clothes, fed us breakfast and helped in any way they can put on lunch and a performance to farewell Team 2. It was a lot of fun, with us all lined up in their yard, eating beans and posho and cabbage and noodles using our hands. The entertainment involved most of the family and there were speeches from George and Florence as well as their pastor – quite a send off. We continued to work while team 2 packed up in the afternoon, and then we al cleaned up and hit the town for a nice dinner at ‘Two Friends’ restaurant.

Progress

2009-02-05T01:06:00.003+11:00

Monday Tuesday
Two days of hard work on the site have been very productive. House two is now ready for the concrete ring beam at the top of doors and window height. Doors and windows are being installed on house 1, the septic tank has been bricked up all of the way and has been rendered, the kitchen / bathroom unit for the two houses is well on the way and the plumbers have finally climbed out of their trench, been to town to get fittings and pipes, and are beginning the process of laying all of the pipes to get water in and out of the bathrooms. It has been great to see the willingness of every person to work hard and do the jobs that have been required, not just the ones they like. We really have functioned as a team, and it has been a lot of fun and it’s great to see the way the site is changing so rapidly.

Wednesday
Today a small group of us visited Hope Community Secondary School just a short 10 minute walk from Hope Village. The school has been built and financed by Robert who is a part of the HopeBuilders team and it opened on Monday. It was fun to see the school and meet the students and teachers. We had a look around and then sat with the students on their morning break and chatted with them for about 40 minutes. It was exciting to be there at the beginning of something that God has called into being. It was also challenging to see the needs that they have at the school, some of which are huge, and some of which can be easily fixed by a relatively small financial outlay in our terms, but that is money that is not so readily available to the school. Pray with us that God will provide for this school whose vision is to provide quality education at a price that is affordable to a wider section of the community than the other schools in the area
The girls in the kitchen preparing lunch for the students!

Afternoon at Care4Kids

2009-02-05T00:00:00.010+11:00

Sunday 1st – Afternoon at Care4Kids

“Chaos!” would just about sum up today’s visit to the care for kids orphanage.
Within seconds of leaving the safety of the bus, everyone had kids jumping on them and throwing vortexs at them. I made the mistake of opening a pack of lollies and got mauled. A little girl named Samin did not let go of me the whole time. No words were needed, all she wanted was someone to hold her hand.

Cam

Buenos Aeries! Spanish is some what non-existent here, just in case you were confused. Sundays are always great, on Sundays you expect to see God move and not for any particular reason other than purely because it’s a Sunday. Today He didn’t disappoint, from our church service this morning we heard of how we are all ambassadors or Christ, that we should resemble Christ like attributes; to actually living that out. Spending time in the orphanage was heart breaking, and I’m certain I am yet to fully appreciate it all. Seeing how happy they were to see us and we didn’t even talk, just standing along side some of them was all the affirmation they needed. After 20 seconds of talking with a beautiful young girl named Grace, she said I was her ‘friend’. I didn’t deserve that honour, but I will uphold it!
They, most certainly, are the most valuable in the Kingdom of God! Who needs gifts for a birthday present, when I get to experience that!

dan dean

Hello hello, well today was certainly something I have never experienced. As you’ve read above we went to visit the orphanage and the welcome we got was amazing. To see how happy and thankful the kids are when all we do is just hang out with them, and how thankful they are to God for the position they are in. It really put into perspective how much I take my whole life in Australia for granted, I don’t even thank God every night for what he has provided me back home and yet these kids offer everything to the Lord. It was truly a humbling experience. Can’t wait to go back and spend more time with them.

Sammy Buscombe.
P.s I think I’m going to bring one of the kids home, they give you a look you can’t refuse.

Why hello :D
Sunday church in Uganda isn’t exactly the most exiting part of the week for a 14 yr old girl. Although it was very different.
But watching all the Ugandans praise the lord was only slightly more than I expected.
Was fair wow.
I knew they would be full on into church but seeing it for myself was truly amazing.
The woman next to me cried and I just put my arm around her which seemed to help.
The children came into church after singing some gorgeous songs. One little girl named Fiona sat behind me.
She reached ever so lightly reached into my hair so I felt nothing, then pulled out a single hair.
Little bit ouch… she tapped my shoulder and I turned around she showed me the hair and asked if she could keep it with a big smile on her face. I was surprised than something so little but foreign (my straight blonde hair) could bring a smile to her face. I glanced back many times only to see her playing with that single piece of hair.
The orphanage was a highlight.
Quite amazing.
When I first got there I was greeted with hugs and children holding my hand.
After talking to a few kids I went to a small house thing. There were 3 kids in their 2 girls about 5 yrs old and a 3 yr old boy.
They were a little hesitant and stayed in their little house until I played chasey and tickled them out.
I played chasey with a large handful of kids and the group kept getting bigger. The kids had endless energy but after a short while I was puffed. Chasing 15 odd kids was hard work!
I took them all behind a shed in the shade and taught them how to play duck, duck goose.
Then they taught me how to play some of their games.
Then everyone scattered and only a few girls from the previous group stayed and insisted on teaching me how they dance.
I taught them a bit of my dancing… one girl kept laughing whenever I moved my hips to show them (bottom out hand out…)
Africa is very amazing and I am really enjoying myself.
I have two African admirers one who asked me to marry him… nice kid: D we’re good friends.
Miss my family and friends-
Kirstie C:D

Hey, well care 4 kids was really a huge experience for me, I don’t really know what to do with young kids, so was kinda confused as to what to expect, that combined with a rolled ankle meaning I couldn’t run around and just play sport, I was expecting a challenging arvo, it took me a few minutes to settle in, but after a bit I realised all these kids want is time, love, affection, just the simple act of holding a kids hand was enough, the smiles on their faces said enough! It was hard to believe that kids come from such hard circumstances, they are happier than anything. It was really moving to spend time with kids who have been given an opportunity, and to really think about the fact that what we are doing is changing lives, its not just bricks and mortar, It was awesome! If your reading this and haven’t been over here, you totally should, if the opportunity arrises, I would strongly recommend.

Mark Matho Matheson

I stepped off the bus with a soccer ball in my hand. I thought the kids were coming up trying to get the ball, but actually they wanted to grab me and hold my hand. As I kicked the ball away, a couple of kids chased after it, but others hung around us and wanted to be picked up and held. The place became chaotic as kids and team members ran around kicking balls, throwing vortexes and climbing all over each other. Other kids who were less energetically inclined hung out with some of the team who were also less energetically inclined. We all had an awesome time, no-one wanted to leave, and we are all looking forward to going back. The best part for me was that it gave a glimpse of what we are building here at Hope Village.

Ron

Uganda, red mud, dirty clothes, posho and beans, a shower that doesn’t work, shopping in a village where mzungu are easy pickings …… why would you want to be here. White teeth, sparkling eyes, radiant smiles, snotty noses and kids that just want to hug you are just hold your hand, that’s why. As the ‘good book’ says ‘what ever you do for the least of these you are doing for me.’ Now not saying the people here are the least as they bleed the same blood that I do and they are cherished by our heavenly father and they are his children just as I am. It is really hard to get your head around the wealth/poverty line, the haves and the have nots. So if you’re reading this you have access to a computer, millions in this country have never seen one, think about what you can do to make just one person or child’s life different.

John

How can you have expectations for what we have all stepped into…. The work is sweaty before breakfast has even been served and I wonder why I have taken holidays to get my hands blistered and cut, so dirty that I only can remember what colour they once were, even after washing. Then one afternoon we take a bus down a track that could be described only as that… A bumpy dusty track which brings us to a large gate, before the gate has even closed behind us they all start appearing, a few at first with glowing eyes and eager smiles, there is a child clinging to my hand before I have stepped off the bus. And then it begins, an eruption of noise and energy we have arrived at the ‘care for kids’ orphanage. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced, completely overwhelming, however the kids are like any other in any other place…They want someone to play with, the time of an adult, and to be picked up and held, there are so many, I realize why I have taken ‘holidays’.

Colin

Being a nanny and a waitress I didn’t really think that I would be able to contribute much to this whole ‘building an orphanage’ thing… as I can’t build! But since coming here I have realised that this project is so much more than that. As important as the actual building is, building relationships with the people here is as equally important… and that is something I can do!!! In fact, here in this country, building relationships with people isn’t very hard at all, as all the people here are extremely welcoming and accepting. Within minutes of meeting you they classify you as their friend and they have even been referring to people from team one (who spent only three weeks with them) as some of their best friends. This is incredibly mind blowing for me, as in Australia it usually takes a fair while to establish a relationship.
As challenging as this experience has been for me, so far, both emotionally and physically I am very thankful that God chose me (a mere nanny/waitress) to be a part of this amazing project that will change the lives of many people… more than I realised it would!

Calista

Church Ugandan Style

2009-02-01T22:55:00.003+11:00

Sunday 1st Feb
Church this morning was very local - about 5 minutes walk from the YWAM base. It was fairly small, about 40 locals and 22 visitors. Just like home, very few people there at 10 am, turn around at the end and there were pepole everywhere. It was a familiar style for us, worship followed by some testimonies, we visitors were welcomed, there was a kids presentation then the sermon. Would you believe it? An American lady preacher! Mind you the local guy translates into the local language, and then when she had finished he summarised it again in english, with his off-sider translating for him in the local language. Then afterwards it was fun meeting them all and walking home with many of them.

Noah, the kid next door sang and gave testimony / led a special offering during the service

The Worship team seemed a fairly flexible arrangement - people moved in and out from the front.

The flurry of posts is about to dry up, it will be several days before we are back in town where internet access is available.

Our First Day Out

2009-02-01T00:36:00.002+11:00

Sat 31st Evening
This afternoon we travelled into Jinja town to acclimatise, find ATMs where we could get some local currency, have a bit of a look around and then we enjoyed a nice dinner at a restaurant. Some people found that their cards only work at one particular bank, and unfortunately both branches of that bank had very long queues that appeared not to be moving. We will try again tomorrow. Again we were amazed at the people wandering around, not only during the afternoon but also at night as we came home. Jinja town is a place unlike any I know about in Australia. The vast majority of shops are tiny little rooms smaller than most stalls at Victoria Market. The streets were asphalted, but had huge potholes all over the place and parts that have just been washed away. Adherence to road rules in the town centre was as bad as anywhere else, despite signs pleading for people to obey them. We found of course that there are different prices for Mzungus and Ugandans and you have to work hard to get a bargain, whils some things are remarkably cheap. Internet access to upload these posts and check a few emails etc is 500 Shillings or about 45 cents! Tomorrow we are going off to church at the local church where our breakfast cook Grace attends. Should be fun.

Working on the Site

2009-02-01T00:36:00.001+11:00

Sat 31st
After a good night’s sleep, we started with breakfast at 8am which consisted of chipattas (like pancakes but a bit heavier) with jam or with egg rolled up or the super model called a Rolex with egg, cabbage and carrot rolled up. There were also some roasted potatoes, some donuts, and more pineapple. We had devotions and conducted a prayer walk around the site, and then it was into work for everyone. Paul, site manager for team 2 allocated jobs to everyone and then it was hard work for all. Some laid mud bricks, some laid fired bricks for the septic tank, others dug trenches, some painted window frames, some mixed mud, others sifted dirt ready to mix mud, some brushed walls, some set out the string lines for the next building, the kitchen and toilet block, and John our leader went shopping. I think he ended up working harder than any of us.

God's Plane for Africa

2009-02-01T00:34:00.002+11:00

Our flight from Hong Kong to Nairobi was very interesting. The first part, to Bangkok, was very quiet and the plane was half empty. At Bangkok a number of people came on board. Thos who joined Dan in his row pulled out their bibles, in chinese, and read them for ages. When they stopped long enough for him to engage them in conversation he found out that they were on a mission trip to Sierra Leone to work in a train ing school there. A little while later I had a conversation with a young lady who, with her friend, (Sally and Esther are on the left in the photo) is headed for the Watoto children’s homes in Uganda to volunteer for a month. Then as we were walking into the terminal, I was talking to a guy headed for a remote locatiton 12 hours slow drive out of Addis Ababa where his son and daughter in law are serving God. They will help to get started the process of ‘home schooling’ the grandchildren. It really was God’s plane for Africa and its people.

We Have Arrived

2009-02-01T00:31:00.001+11:00

Friday 30th
Today we arrived in Jinja Uganda, after many hours travelling. To our great relief, all of our luggage including shovels arrived with us. We were met by Ivan and a boy from the house next door to Hope Village called Noah. They took us to our bus for the trip to Jinja- an amazing experience of complete disregard for road rules and the realisation that this is a very different place to Australia. We arrived in time for lunch and made our acquaintance with “posho”. We were spared the combination of it with beans, instead having a rather tasty egg plant topping.
After lunch we settled in, some of us resting and catching up on sleep, others fought jet lag by getting straight into some brick laying.
Dinner was rice, beans, chipatta – a rather thick pancake- and pineapple that was so good I really liked it and I don’t like pineapple.
An early night for most as we try to adjust our sleeping clocks.

The Journey

2009-01-29T20:11:00.000+11:00

Its Happening

We are on the way. Stage 1 of the flight has gone well. There was lots of room on the plane so we could all stretch out and get some rest. Everyone is excited that it is really happening now, only a few hours (well 18 or so) and we will be in Uganda ready to meet up with team 2 and get started. way.