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Canaan Children's Home |
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Stony Point
Church 2007
At Canaan Children's Home
Members of Stony Point Church, in Richmond, Virginia returned to Uganda for another visit. An account of their visit is found below.
One
more time, thank you all so much for your interest, prayers, and support
for the team that went to
I
wanted to let you know that we will be presenting our “Uganda
Report” on Sunday evening, September 9, at Stony Point Presbyterian in
Richmond (5:45 pm). We hope to have pictures, video, and reports
from the team members – hope you can make it!
One
of our team members, Clay Asbury, took some great pictures and videos of
our trip that you can see here:
Also,
you can see pictures of some of the medical work that we did here:
Finally,
I’ve asked the team members to jot down their “final thoughts” on
the trip, which you can read below. It seems really clear this year that
again God was our rock and our fortress during this trip. He gave us the
strength not only to do what we went to do, but to work with Ugandans
and each other in a truly Christ-honoring way.
So
here you go – the team’s final thoughts. It’s a fair amount of
reading, so find a few minutes when you’re not too busy, grab a cup of
coffee, prop your feet up, and enjoy!
For
the
John Keltonic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The
Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom
I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From
Butch and
John
has asked us to give some final thoughts on our trip to
-
When our trunks didn’t arrive for several days God provided
everything we needed. God was gracious and we didn’t do without anything
that we really needed.
-
Several people got intestinal bacterial infections but God restored
their health and everyone recovered in a couple of days and was able to
continue their work.
-
Butch was teaching the business conference the first week and got
sick on the last day. He had notes prepared so I taught for him that day.
We were trying to teach Christian business principles and some of the
concepts we presented were very different to the Ugandans. I think God
wanted Butch and I both to be involved in the teaching to give these
people a picture of a Christian couple who work together in a business.
There is a lot of distrust among the Ugandan people, even between husbands
and wives. Also, women are not always valued by their husbands and
husbands are not always respected by their wives. As we stood before them
and told our story of how God has worked in our marriage and strengthened
it as we have worked together we pray that they were encouraged to let Him
be the center of their marriages too.
-
God made it clear that Butch and John were not to go to Gulu for
the second week even though that was the original plan. Butch got sick and
John was unable to contact the missionaries and the other contact person
in Gulu. So they stayed and we were able to do a business conference in
Kayunga the second week. We met a widow there who had been run off by her
husband’s tribe when he died. They took everything she owned because
they felt that her husband’s possessions belonged to the tribe. She was
trying to start a business and already had a contract to knit sweaters for
a Christian school. She knew how to do the knitting but didn’t have
money for the knitting machine. We were able to talk to her and help her
get the knitting machine she had been praying for.
-
God used us as His hands and arms to hug and love on the 101
children at Canaan Children’s Home. These children have been put in this
place and given the opportunity to grow and learn in order to be used by
Him for His kingdom and for their country in the future. It was such a joy
to get to know some of the children and to sing and worship with them!
-
We shared the gospel with many groups including a group of Muslin
children and we pray that God will grow the seeds that were planted in
those hearts.
-
God has filled the hearts of the Ugandan pastors and youth leaders
with a desire to know Him more and He will use the training they received
to help those people reach many more in
-
A couple of times we were in uncomfortable situations with more
children than we could possibly handle. These had the potential to be a
little dangerous but God protected us and kept us safe.
-
God gave us the opportunity to get to know, love and encourage the
13-year-old boy that we sponsor, Henry, and two of his friends,
Christopher and Joel. We learned that Henry’s parents were both killed
in an automobile accident when he was small and he doesn’t know when his
birthday is or where his brother and sister are. If we are able to fill
just a little of the void left in his life with our love for him then God
be praised! It means so much to these children to know that we love and
care about them.
-
One day we were talking to Pastor Isaac about having a talk with
the three boys we had gotten so attached to about the importance of
keeping up their grades in school. Isaac decided that we should talk to
all 101 children about this. So for several nights we met with different
“families” (this is what they call the groups of children who live
with an auntie or uncle at the orphanage). The second night we met with
the older boys and Lindsey joined us. She really spoke from her heart to
them about the value of an education. It was awesome! When we finished the
“education” talk Butch asked Lindsey and I to leave, and he stayed and
talked to the boys about abstinence. AIDS is such a huge problem there,
Butch just really felt the Holy Spirit prompting him to have this talk
with these boys. He was way
outside his comfort zone but God used this discussion and many of the boys
thanked him greatly for his words of wisdom and for caring so much about
them.
-
God brought into our lives many new friends who live in
-
On our trip home we missed our connections in
These
are just a few of the ways we saw God at work while we were in
From
Laura Lehman
For
me, this experience is all about people. People I meet… people
we minister to… people we evangelize to… people who come alongside
us to further the Lord’s work… and especially, the people who travel
from
Since
this was my third time as a team member to
As
usual, there was a lot of hard work going on… and the entire team was
amazing about pulling together: going where they were needed on
short notice was par for the course. And that was even before
anyone got sick! And speaking of sickness…..
I
MUST thank my adorable nurse, Miss Mary Anne Rice, for taking such good
care of me when I was ill. She was so sweet… she even climbed
into bed with me to rub my head! She was an angel of mercy….
UNTIL!!!…. my fever refused to go down… and then she turned
into Mean-Scary-Nurse!!! Wow! She pulled off my blankets,
turned the fans on me, and started wiping me down with ICE WATER!!!
And she kept doing that all the way to the International Clinic!!
Boy! I tell you……. Like I said…. She was
amazing! Thank you sweetie! (Remember, girl… what happens
in
Leading
a team this year also made for a new experience. The folks who
went into the schools with me were wonderful. We were
so blessed by the kids we talked to, especially in the High Schools,
where we were given some tough questions. Clay referred to these
sessions as “stump-the-chump”! And that was how we felt
sometimes. By the second week… we found our rhythm and were much
more confident. The Lord was so good by providing just the right
people to talk with the students THAT DAY. A perfect example
(just one of many, mind you) was the last day in Kayunga, at a Technical
School, we were asked several questions with a more theological bent…
and we were so happy to have Steve with us that day! (thank you,
my friend, for coming along with us…you were wonderful!) Could
we have answered those questions without him? Of course… and
believe me, Lindsey fielded one of these beautifully! But
certainly the Lord had provided the perfect team that day. And
each day went that way.
As
usual, Bible Club was extraordinary. Week one was extra creative,
since we didn’t have all our props. But it certainly was fun!
Clay as Jesus was,… well… really terrific. (you thought I was
going to say something snarky didn’t you?) And Mike’s
Adam was,… well… you’ll have to ask Lindsey! But I think the
craziest moment was when Ambrose stepped in one afternoon to help us
out. I whispered to him that I needed him to pretend to argue with
me like kids do and call each other names. So we started in with
the name-calling…Me: “ You are really stupid!”
Ambrose: “Yeah? Well, you’re ugly!”, and so on.
Well, after 2 or 3 rounds, Ambrose went blank and couldn’t think of
any more names to throw at me… so he suddenly yells, “Well,…. YOUR
MAMA!!!!” I thought I was going to choke with my laughter!
(and believe me… You need to stand back when I choke with laughter…
just ask Steve!) John Anthony had to step back into the building
behind us so he could laugh his head off!! Classic. Ambrose
Winfree, you are so cool! But the best moment of all, has to be
our final bible club, out in the middle of a field, sort of
circus-style, where we shared the gospel with about 150 children
[following a false prophet] who stopped to listen to us on their way home from school. We were
all exhausted, but I know that was the moment when each and every one of
us felt like we were doing something big for the kingdom. Those
kids left with a coloring book depicting the life of Jesus. What a
great ending.
I,
for one, am still processing a lot of what I saw and did in
From
Ambrose Winfree
This
is pretty hard to write. I have been very busy since I got home, so
I have not spent too much time processing my two weeks in
This
year I felt that I was able to get to know some of the pastors and Isaac
better than last year. Since this was my second trip, I am sure that
they felt more trustful and open. Pastor George from Seeti (sp?) is
a good friend of Isaac's. They knew each other in bible college and
fled to
I
will also always remember the man we met in Jinja while we were
distributing mosquito nets. The needs there were so great, and our
100 nets that we had brought were not enough to put a real dent in the
problem. His name was Wilberforce. He said that he was proud
of his name because Wilberforce had been a man who helped those who were
oppressed. He wanted to be like him.
Sunday
afternoon - sitting around the table with Rebecca - hearing about what she
was doing during the Amin persecutions in the 70's. She was living
with her parents. She thought that Isaac was probably dead.
The Christians would meet in smaller groups at different places - never in
the same place twice - so that the troops would not find them and arrest
them. Isaac and Rebecca are about the same age as Becky and myself.
In the late 70's we were newlyweds. We had just come back to
There
is certainly a lot more that I could say about the trip. The
children - so many kids to hug - I think I will leave it to others to
cover all of that.
John
and Anita, thank you for your leadership. Most of all, thank you for
your contagious passion for the people of
God
Bless,
Ambrose
From Jeannie Mills
My
thoughts since coming home have been mostly about gratitude, being an
American and the typical cultural stuff I've been experiencing. I haven't
really had any major culture shock, at least not yet. I've been
thrown back into working and doing
Upon
arriving home and walking into my clean air conditioned house and taking
a shower, I thought about responses one can have on having seen what
I saw over there and coming home and seeing what I see here. I think
as Americans we tend to have two responses to the world around us and
our undeniable role in how things are outside of the
I
guess the one thing that has frustrated me upon arriving home is
I
Thank
you so much, John. It really has been such a gift to me, and
This
trip has only confirmed my heart for
Sincerely,
Jeannie
Mills
From Clay Asbury
Since this experience has changed me in ways I'm still discovering, I'm unable to write down many final thoughts. However, I can describe some of the emotions, observations, and insights I've had since returning. Here they are in no particular order.
The
transcendent, universal message of the Gospel. Externally, our
team had little in common with the Ugandan people -- at least in terms of
skin color, nationality, income, etc... However, when the
Gospel is preached, human souls respond in exactly the same manner
every time, everywhere...with a renewed heart and mind capable of
kindness, compassion, humility, and charity. The Holy Spirit
recognizes itself in other believers and we saw ourselves as we truly are:
brothers and sisters in Christ with the Ugandans. It smashes through
worldly distinctions that divide us turning them into trivialities when
once they were impenetrable barriers.
The
Church with a capital “C” at work throughout the world.
In
Ugandans
are happier than we are. Despite tremendous poverty, Ugandans seem to
have a greater capacity for joy and far less anger, sadness, and
bitterness than most Americans display. Although we taught while we
were there, I felt like the student learning about what strong faith looks
like in the face of suffering, how material simplicity produces less
anxiety, and how fortunate one is who can take great pleasure in song,
dance, and worship alone.
God
wants His people to get to know each other. Much work is to be
done in Richmond, but I'm certain now that God wants us to meet, love and
share the Gospel with as many humans as we can all over the world. I
told many there that I am not rich in
Faith
without works is dead....or at least asleep. This
line in the book of James has always challenged me as I know it's not
works that save and justify me. However, after seeing how much good
is done in the name of our Lord with relatively little sacrifice on our
part, I am deeply convicted to do more. Two popular phrases can
express how I feel about works after
Moral
bankruptcy of Following a False 6th Century Prophet: Instead of evangelism, outreach, caring for
widows and orphans, the poor, etc...
We
are not doing enough: We asked a doctor at Jinja Children's
Hospital if just $25 could save the life of a child there. His
answer: "$25 saves the whole ward." I think all of us were
uncomfortable hearing this because it forced us to realize how very little
it takes to make a difference and how much more me can do.
Personally, I cringe when I consider how much money I've wasted or spent
on luxury items I didn't need. It would be easy to feel guilty about
our wealth, but I thank God for His conviction by the Holy Spirit turning
unproductive guilt into action as an expression of Faith. Our
blessings were meant to be shared, not hoarded.
Idolatry:
The greatest paradigm shift for me is the realization that
Clay
Asbury
Grace,
the incredible Ugandan woman who helped us with the children's programs
this year (and we really couldn't have managed without her - she is much
more than simply a translator - which really isn't a simple job in
itself), said to me enthusiastically at the end of our last presentation,
"This was the best year yet! We got to go around to many more
villages and share the gospel with so many children!" And to me, that
statement sums up my concluding thoughts. With the distribution of mosquito
nets at various villages, we always had a brief gospel message for the
adults and a presentation for the kids - usually at a nearby school, with
hundreds of children in attendance. I can still see their faces in my
mind's eye (with the help of Clay Asbury's photography) - and that is what
is continuing to run through my head. Faces of children and adults
listening to the hope of the gospel, pondering, taking in its truth. Only
God knows how he worked in their hearts, but I am so thankful that this
year we had even more opportunities to tell people about Jesus. It doesn't
get any better than that.
Thank
you so much for all of your support, your prayers and your love.
From
Mary Ann Rice
I
can't stop thinking about
Here
are the few things that I'm (pretty) sure of:
Life
is going to be different, I hope. My biggest fear is that I will slowly
sink back into my old habits and ways of living, and put confidence once
again in "the flesh." We spoke again and again to the Ugandan
students about the treasure of Salvation in Jesus. I am so rich in Him. I
pray that I will not forget to share my spiritual wealth. He IS my
treasure. HE IS. Amen.
Final
thought: I wish we said amen more in church. Oh well.
Mary
Ann
From
John Anthony
It's
allablur........
Thoughts:
- Robert
and James are the two cutes little Ugandans I've seen in 1 place
- The
Pastors at Kayunga would have sat 24/7 to learn - they appeared so eager
to learn (We need to return next year)
- It
is good to make repeated trips and develop lasting relationships
- Who
knew a mosquito net would be such a precious commodity?
- I
enjoyed the conversations with pastors more this time than any previous
trip
- We
can learn about worship and faith from our brethren in
- I
want to be able to do more...what ever more is in God's time.
-
It's
humbling to have a pastor travel some distance at his own expense to
deliver thank-you gifts for spending a couple of hours with
"his" congregation on Sunday morning
- Meseese
(SP) was a wonderful experience wish you had been there
I
think those are my most lasting thoughts...perhaps one final one on the
team. It was a team that served as needed, Everyone performed in places
they did not anticipate without complaint.
John
From Steve Constable
Although
I’ve seen a lot of the world, including more than one developing
country– nothing could have prepared me for the time we spent in
I’m
not talking about the superficial differences from the western way of
living – the standard of living, the bumpy roads, the ever present
sweetly acrid smell, the lush vegetation and everything that seems to grow
there in abundance from pineapples to tea… I’m not talking about those
things.
It
was the people who astonished me. The children and staff at Canaan
who though they have very little wealth – rejoice in the great riches
they have found in the Gospel; the overwhelming priority in almost every
situation of relationships over things; the smiles and waves from total
strangers at a bunch of pasty looking (I’m describing myself) mzungus
traveling by in Isaac’s van; the gratitude and humility of people we met
from school teachers, to ministers, to the young woman who sold Mike
Bryant a 3 foot high wooden giraffe. I came home deeply humbled at
my own self-sufficiency and arrogant independence. I hugged my wife
and kids, resolved to worry less about my job and more about my friends,
and thanked God and continue to for the greatest gift we have or could
have – what we share with our fellow believers in
Thank
you for your prayers, encouragement, love and support to this year’s
project – we couldn’t have done it without you all!
Steve Constable
|
June 21, 2007
For the eighth summer in a row, a group from Stony Point
Presbyterian Church in Richmond, VA is going on a two week trip to
the village of Buziika, Uganda. There are 14 of us going this
year, and as in previous years, we have a lot to do! John Anthony
and Ambrose Winfree will be leading the pastor's teaching this
year. Pastor Steve Constable from Stony Point will be joining us
for the second week of our trip. Michael Bryant and Anita Keltonic
will be leading the youth teaching. Laura Lehman is heading up the
teaching in the local schools. Becky Winfree will be
handling the distribution of almost 1,500 mosquito nets. Anita
Keltonic will also be leading the Bible clubs (we're expecting as
many children as last year - possibly over 750!) Butch Joyce will
be teaching business practices and ethics with local businessmen
and women. Judy Joyce, Jeannie Mills, Lindsey Deebo, Mary Ann Rice
and Clay Asbury will be helping with Bible clubs, working with the
local kindergarten kids, teaching in the local schools,
working with youth, and probably a hundred other things we don't
even know of yet! And I'll be doing my best to try to coordinate
it all.
After months of planning, it looks like we're finally ready to go!
We leave very early from church tomorrow (Friday) morning - about
3:30 am - in order to catch an 8 am flight from Dulles Airport. We
hope to return late on Saturday evening, July 7.
While we're in Uganda, we're hoping to be able to send emails on a
regular basis. If you don't hear from us for several days, don't
worry. It's probably just that the electricity is not working, as
is sometimes the case.
Thanks for all your prayers and support as we get ready to leave!
For the Uganda Team,
John Keltonic
June 23, 2007 As
you may have heard by now, we arrived safely in Our
flight was about 45 minutes late leaving Dulles on Friday morning.
That wouldn't usually be a problem, except that we only had about 1
½ hours at Heathrow to change planes (including about a 15 minute
jog from one gate to the other after going through security). The
good news – we made the connecting flight! As soon as we landed in
The
not so great news – it turns out that our trunks weren't quite as
quick as we were. They must have been dawdling, because they
actually missed the flight - all 37 of them… The next flight into As
I type this, I can honestly say that we’re all in great spirits.
Ok, so we’re having to adjust our plans just slightly
to deal with the fact that we have no teaching materials, no
clothes, no pastors workbooks, Bible club props, no toothpaste, no
deodorant – you get the idea. Anita had bought some great puppets
and props for us to use at Bible clubs for the kids
I'm thinking we'll be making puppets out of socks
(and no, please don't ask what names we’re considering giving
these smelly socks!). someone can hold some branches and be a tree
on stage, I actually think this is going to be fun! So,
the bottom line is that we’re safe and doing great. My fever is
gone. Mary Ann Rice has a little tickle in her throat, so pray for
that. I don't think it will turn into anything to worry about. As
in previous years, we will try to e-mail you every day, if possible.
If you don't hear from us for several days, please don't worry.
It’s probably just a power outage on this end. This will be the
last e-mail I send for a while; every day a different team member
will be sending out e-mail for the team. Feel free to e-mail
us any time you want, using the e-mail address above. Again, thank
you for all your prayers and support! For
the
June 24, 2007
We had a terrific Sunday today and have made a million new
friends.
Our arrival Saturday morning here was met with scores of smiling
and cheering children in the main courtyard of Canaan.
Despite not having our luggage, we were consoled by the hugs and
songs of just about every child here. They are happy,
healthy, and well taken care of.
By Sunday morning, we had caught up on rest and headed out to
Isaac's church in Jinja where Ambrose preached and we taught
sunday schools for the little ones. We have learned some new
dance moves and they have taught us many new songs!
Mary Ann is feeling better and the whole team is healthy, well
fed, and rested. Although our medicines were in our luggage,
some of us carried extra meds in our carry on luggage.
Thanks to my smart wife, I am among those with medicine to share.
:)
Monday, John and I go to Entebbe to see if our luggage is there.
The team as a whole begins the Pastor Conference where we'll be
hosting Bible clubs for the little ones, Ambrose & John
Anthony will be training pastors, and Butch Joyce and John
Keltonic will be hosting a business seminar for aspiring
entrepreneurs.
A pic is attached of our arrival. This image really can't
convey the joy everyone experienced. Pastor Isaac and
Rebecca have treated us like royalty despite our protests!
Miracles are happening here for the children and community at
large. God is good!!
More to come - please pray for us and the kids!
PS: Also attached is a picture John took of me typing this
letter to give it a "real-time video feed feel."
Enjoy. :)
Romans 12:2,
Clay
June 25, 2007 Dear
Friends and Family – PRAISE THE LORD! We received 18 of our 37
trunks today! Only John and Anita and John Anthony didn't receive
anything. Everyone else got at least some clothes. It’s good to
get our stuff but we really had managed very well so far without it.
God has provided! Today
was the first day of Pastors Conferences, Business Conferences,
Bible Clubs, Youth Leader Meetings and going into schools. About 30
pastors came for today but we expect many more tomorrow and the rest
of the week. Ambrose taught about being founded on the Word as
pastors and in the afternoon John taught about disciplining leaders
in the church. The pastors asked many good questions. And, Frank,
the pastors all say HI. Butch had 15-20 men and women for the
business conference and he answered questions about raising and
selling chickens and making and selling bricks. It’s a different
economy here. Youth Leader meeting had about 15 folks and many were
back from last year. Michael and Anita had good discussions with
them on wisdom and what it looks like in your life. They heard a
testimony from a 16 year old girl who told of being beaten and
abandoned by her family because she refused to renounce the Lord.
Bible Clubs started with about 75 children and we expect many more
tomorrow and for the rest of the week. Michael made a great Adam to
Lindsey’s Eve since Clay had gone with John to get our trunks.
Laura and I (Judy) had fun in the schools talking about Jesus
and answering questions about
Everyone
is in good health and no one seems to be suffering from jet lag. We
are eating and sleeping well for the most part and the weather is
pleasant – not hot and sticky like
As
first timers Butch and I are overwhelmed by the children at Our
love to all Butch,
Judy and John Anthony
June 26, 2007 Cows
mooing in the morning, a distant moped zipping along the road,
incredible harmonizing singing, prayerful fervent worship, children
laughing and playing in the yard, it's the sounds of Uganda that
stick with me and tell me that I'm in a very special place and that
my time here is such a wonderful blessing and a gift from God!
As I type, Mr. B is leading the children in songs in the yard, under
the moonlight. Their voices! I wish I had brought a tape
recorder. We
are all having such a wonderful time. The children here are so
beautiful, the landscape is gorgeous, the entire experience is more
than I can describe. I'll try to tell you about just today.
Laura,
Becky, Mary Anne, Judy and I spent the morning at a government
school here in Buziika. The only word I know in Lugandi is
"Jambo" which means "Hi." So all the kids
were gathered around us and nobody had anything to say so I jumped
in to start our talk with them. I said, "Jambo."
They all replied, "Jambo." I then said louder,
"Jambo!!" and they replied louder, "Jambo!!"
Then I yelled out, "JAMBO!!!" and they screamed at the
tops of their little lungs, "JAMBO!!!!!!" Then I said,
"I am Jeannie!" And they all screamed at the very
tippy tops of their lungs, "I AM JEANNIE!!!!!" It
was the funniest, cutest thing I've ever seen. We were all
howling with laughter. Later Mary Ann and I talked about what
people want to be when they grow up (lots of doctors, teachers and
pilots) and then we talked about HOW people want to be when they
grow up. We emphasized the fruits of the spirit and then ended
with some songs. Oh, and I had a rock star moment afterwards
when all the children crowded around me saying "Jambo" and
wanting to shake my hand. Then the camera came out and I
started taking their pictures. They would stare at me with my
camera and as soon as the flash went off they started cheering like
mad. It was hysterical. Pastor
teaching is going well, youth pastor training is good too. We
met a girl named Esther who was beaten by her father and told to
renounce her faith on the day she was baptized but she did not.
She led worship this morning and has a voice like an angel. The
two of us prayed for each other at a point this morning when we
all broke up into pairs and I felt so honored to be prayed for
by such a champion for Jesus. She is such a testimony! Mr.
B asked me to teach the youth pastors today. We are all
learning about wisdom so I taught about foolishness (Education
classes last year taught me to teach about what I know...). We
talked about the gullible fool, the obstinate fool, and the ruthless
fool. The young people do not like discussion format lessons
so it is like pulling teeth to get them to talk, but Mr. B, Anita,
Lindsey, Clay and I are working on them. I
can't speak about Butch's class other than to say that it's very
loud in his classroom. I told him last night it sounds like he
has a pinata in his classroom. They are getting really into
the business discussions! Bible
Club continues to be a hit. Mary Ann was an awesome lion.
Clay was a total ham for the kids but the real star of the show is
Grace, our translator. For all the acting and animation we put
into our puppets, she "translates" to a power of ten.
She gets REALLY into it. She's awesome. The kids loved
it. Especially the coloring and crayons. I can really
spot the kids who love art and who love to color. Even with
two crayons, they put so much thought into where they place the
color, which of the two colors to choose. It's so brilliant to
watch. We
went to the Buziika market this evening, Clay did the robot for the
townspeople (nobody got it) and bought a massive amount of sugar
cane. Dinner is a great time of day when we all relate the
funny stories of the day, the strong testimonies we heard, the
powerful stories, the interesting questions they asked us, and just
reflect on what a gift we are experiencing. I
must go to bed now. I need to wash the bug repellant off my
skin. Yuck. I also need to get out there and sing with
the babies!!!!! Until I get back, God bless you all and keep
the prayers coming! Love
to all of Jeannie
June 27, 2007 Hello
Everyone!!! It’s a cool evening here at Canaan (bet you never
thought you'd hear someone day it was cold in I
wish that I had the proper words to describe to you the skit that
was presented before the entire pastor’s conference today…Becky
did a presentation on the proper use of the mosquito nets that are
being sold this week. She was aided by the highly animated Mary Ann
and our resident mosquito-actress, Jeannie. Armed with a pair of
swim goggles (no joke, she had actually packed them…) and a large
picture of a mosquito pinned to her front, she swooped across stage
in an attempt to infiltrate the net under which a “sleeping”
Mary Ann rested unknowingly and confident in her newly acquired net.
Our unfortunate mosquito quickly discovered the chemical that coats
the nets and ended the excellent performance with a highly dramatic
and tragic death scene. It’s
funny to think we've only been here a few days, our arrival was
nothing less than incredible, we all cried, I think I hugged all 101
kids and every staff worker as well! Unfortunately for me, the fun
ended after that first night, woke up Sunday morning and found
myself rather ill, spent that day vomiting and generally feeling
like dirt…so for the first day the best view I had was on the
ceiling in my room and the back of my own
eyelids…fabulous…Monday morning found me in the same state and
wondering just WHY exactly I'd spent 16 hours on a plane, run the
length of Heathrow airport at top speed, and was living out of a
backpack in a foreign country…thankfully by that evening mr Bryant
commanded me out of bed to play opposite him at bible club, we made
a stunning Adam and Eve. Trunks arrived that night- we all did a
little dancing when our number was unloaded, it was rather like
Christmas, the past we all don't understand is just how Steve
Constable’s trunk managed to find its way here while a few of the
team here continue to function without their own
belongings…Constable, be prepared to be mercilessly made fun of
for the floral comforter your bunk will apparently be sporting. Tuesday
afternoon I began my recovery with help from my faithful nurse Mary
Ann. Today has found me back to normal, after a heavy sleeping aid
and some serious prayer. I
apologize for the way this e-mail is so out of order…it’s more
of a stream of consciousness than anything. Today was clearly my
favorite day thus far since I was back on my feet. Spent the morning
at the pastor’s conference, and can I just say that Mr. Winfree
can really bring the word!!! WOW!!! What a blessing it is to see
each and every team member in their element and using the gifts that
God has given them!!! What a joy to wake up each morning just to
praise God! What a privilege it is to spend time each day learning
about one of the precious 101 lives that reside here at Lots
of Love from myself, the team, and the kids,
June 28, 2007 Greetings
from Buziika and Canaan Children’s Home! This
is Laura Lehman tonight. We have had a very long and wonderful
day. The Pastor’s training concluded today and there seemed
to be a lot of smiles and testimonies of lessons learned and hearts
touched. Ambrose and John did a great job teaching, and the
pastors are looking forward to Steve coming to teach as well.
The youth training and business training also ended well. Since
I led the team into the schools, I have more first-hand info on
that… Today we went to Lord’s Bible
clubs today was WILD!!! We have been in the outdoor chapel,
which is much cooler… but we must have had 500-600 kids out there
and then it started to downpour right at the end, so we couldn't
dismiss them! Oh my… it was so crowded! Finally, when
it was raining less hard, some of us went out to the gate with the
crayons and coloring sheets to pass and and basically stood in the
rain for half an hour while we dismissed the kids 20 or 30 at a
time!! Speaking
of Today,
John K. and Clay and Isaac went to As
a very few of you may know, today is Clay’s (****) birthday.
So, Lisa & Emma, you will be happy to know that it did not pass
unnoticed. He was properly gifted and humiliated for the
occasion with singing, fun decorations (on him) and cards
appropriate for the great guy that he is! Jim CR… you’ll
be pleased! I am confident that it was the most unusual
birthday he’s ever had. Well,
I should sign off… as usual, the gang Is out at Mr. B’s dance
party… so I am listening to beautiful music here in the office. Love
to all… I love you! Sula Balungi!!! Laura
June 29, 2007 I’m
so happy to finally have the chance to write the
coveted-after-dinner-email. When I see the Ugandan countryside
my heart swells until I’m afraid it will burst my chest. I praise
God for his artistry. Who knew there were places on the earth
more lovely than If
anything could capture more of my heart it would be the children at Today
we visited Jinja Children’s Hospital. We took some video
footage of the facilities, the patients and their families. And then
the team went from room to room taking polaroids of the mothers with
their babies. At first some of the mothers were shy but as they
began to understand what we were doing they became more and more
enthusiastic, some of them following us down the hallways making
sure we didn’t forget to take their picture. At this moment I wish
more than anything that I was a skilled writer, then somehow I would
be able to paint you a picture with my words of just how amazing
this experience was. How can I describe the smells, tiny rooms
packed to the brim with children, the tears, the smiles, the
expressions on the mothers’ faces when we handed them a picture of
their babies, the sound of overcrowded hospital wards, the prized
refrigerator for medicines, the measles isolation room. I
wanted to take each one of them in my arms and yell at the top of my
lungs “God cares that your child is sick! And I care that your
child is sick!” I’ll leave it up to John to explain just
how little money it takes to provide care to just one child. May
I never again complain about my health care plan. I’ve
fallen pretty hard for one of the little girls who lives right
across the street from Please
continue to pray for the health/safety/ministry of the team.
We need your prayers. We covet your prayers. We feel your
prayers. |
