The dry season is here (although the rain hasn’t quite given up yet!) but it doesn’t seem to be a reason to celebrate. Jenny tells us that it is also nicknamed “the die season” for a higher than normal percentage of people die during this season, many from pneumonia. There is also an outbreak of typhoid in the area at the moment, and fears of the dreaded Ebola illness spreading from Sudan. As “mzungus” with a good clean water supply available and inoculations before we arrived we do not have many fears of these illnesses but for local people, especially those with babies and young children, they are a great worry.
Our work here is continuing to grow. The Diocese has arranged a series of missions at each of the five Arch Deaconries with the theme of “Walking as Jesus walked,” 1 John 2 v 6 and we have been invited to take part. Compared to Britain Christianity is still in its infancy here and many people who come forward to accept Christ are unclear what that actually involves and can end up living as non- Christians 6 days out of 7. Others feel it’s perfectly alright to add Christianity to their other beliefs, paganism, witch doctors etc., just to make sure they have every angle covered!
The aim of the missions is to make it clear what it means to be a Christian; following Christ’s life and living in obedience to Him, every day, not just on Sundays. The Mission takes place at every Village church within the Arch Deaconry and involves over 70 visiting ‘assistant missioners’ (of which we are just 2) joining a team from the church, and usually taking centre stage. This involves visiting people in their homes (which is far better accepted, if not welcomed here than in England) to speak and to pray, speaking at open air meetings and church services, and visiting schools.
In England this would have followed weeks of planning. Here, you arrive in the morning (as Irene did) to find you are asked to arrange and lead a 2 hour meeting at a school with 1,400 pupils aged 4 to 18 years, to make an altar call, and it starts in 1 hour’s time! At least it’s an opportunity to learn to rely on the grace of God! We were blessed in our home visits to meet and pray for many wonderful people, but who have difficulties. These included:
- a young couple, married 1 year and with a small baby, but bed ridden since December because of an illness that has weakened their legs
- having climbed up a steep, slippery and dangerous mountain goat track to meet in their remote homes old ladies who can barely walk, and therefore have no chance of ever getting down the hill to the church and shops, or visit friends
- a family living with a husband said to be demon possessed. You begin to believe he is, rather than mentally disabled, as he scamper up a steep hill, impossibly fast and in panic when he sees you coming
- the heart breaking stories of the families of peasant workers where the husband is a drunkard, spending whatever little money the family has on cheap booze at the expense of his children’s school fees. We hear that about half the men in the village are drunkards.
The new term at the Vocational Training Centre (VTC) began on the 23rd May and has brought some problems as well as an opportunity. The problems have arisen because three of the staff had to be dismissed due to lack of finance; this means the other staff are having to try to teach a combination of year groups in each lesson to cover the deficit. However in conjunction with a Peace Corp worker (US equivalent of VSO) Irene is encouraging the tailoring department to put together some samples of their work to send to an American organisation who support the sales of bead work from a group in Kampala and who want to expand and sell skirts, bags and purses etc. The V.T.C. will have to produce some good quality samples by June 24th which is a very tight deadline for them, especially considering their lack of working sewing machines; but if they can successfully produce the required goods it may lead to a small business being set up which could provide some income for both the students and the VTC.
Having seen treasurers and financial records kept by all the parish churches Malcolm is trying to write a basic training manual – the ‘Noddy’ book of church accounting. This has been quite a challenge as the treasurers are from many different backgrounds and education levels and the English needs to be clear and simple, not an easy task when discussing the finer, less interesting points of finance. The draft is now almost finished for approval by the Diocese and he is looking at the best way to produce it so each treasurer can have a copy.
At the end of this month Jenny returns to England for three weeks to fund raise for the work of Potters Village. She has asked us to move into her house to help look after her children Hannah and Jo Jo.
Please thank God for:
- the people we have met on the Missions, and the response many have made to what God has said to them to accept him for the first time or to repent
- the safe and enjoyable visit to Kisiizi Hospital where Malcolm has been asked to return in July to help prepare their annual financial statements.
Please pray for:
- the young bed-ridden couple, Eric and Jacklin, that God will bring peace to their marriage and healing to their bodies
- the design of tailoring samples, that they would be attractive to the USA and will generate income for the Training Centre and students
- Jenny as she travels to England for a strenuous round of visits to churches to raise funds for the Potter’s Village Home for Vulnerable Babies
- us to be given extra energy as not only will we have a pre-adolescent 10 year old girl and a lively 5 year old boy under our wings, Jenny’s house is at the top of a steep slope and we are not getting any younger
- for our eldest son and his wife, David and Sarah, as they come to work at Potters Village for 3 months from 23rd June, that all their preparations go smoothly and for safe travel
- Malcolm, that he writes and has printed an understandable book keeping manual for Treasurers who have limited education
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