Uganda 2007

 

• At the beginning of the trip my wife, Jan, and I joined the Atlanta Buckhead Community Fellowship group and headed to the UNIFAT school (above) in Gulu, Uganda (see page 7 in Southern Tidings, April, 2007 issue at http://southernunion.com/tidingspdf/07-04AprTidings.pdf).  Much attention has been given to Gulu because of the plight of more than 60,000 children being abducted, brutalized, and then forced to serve in a rebel army called the “LRA” (see www.invisiblechildren.com).  UNIFAT has more than 1,300 students and offers assistance to orphans and needy children in this war-torn area. During the past year, Buckhead Community raised over $35,000 to assist UNIFAT school. With those funds, they filled a 40-foot container with almost 5,000 school books, 25 computers with computer/media equipment, tons of clothes, lots of sporting equipment, 10 office desks, and more than 100 Shoe Gift Boxes for children. They then shipped the container from Atlanta to Gulu. They also were able to purchase material to place a fence around the campus (http://allafrica.com/stories/200707161789.html).  We joined 15 members from Buckhead Community Fellowship who came to work on the fence and become personally acquainted with the staff and students at UNIFAT school. It was an amazing experience that brought to mind how fortunate we and our children are here in United States. It also showed the amazing value of education in the life of a developing country.

• One of the members of Buckhead Community is from Gulu. Because of medical issues and the political climate in Uganda,  John Otto (above center) had not visited home in over 20 years.  A few men from Buckhead Community and I were privileged to go with John to see his mother, brothers, nephews and nieces for the first time in more than two decades.  What a wonderful reunion it was!  John's mom wouldn't let him go at first, but kept hugging him, saying, “I thought I would never see you again.”  Then, after realizing that we were with him, she came and hugged each one of us tightly, giving expressions of joy as she thanked us for bringing her son back home. What a great experience!
• On July 19, Shelly Litchfield, an educator from Collegedale Adventist Academy, Collegedale, TN, came to Gulu with two academy students; Amanda Mitchell and Travis Pyke (see www.gccsda.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1561&Itemid=211). These students were part of an 11 member team of classmates which raised over $25,000 for the Invisible Children of Uganda campaign. The campaign raised over $1,200,000 from schools across the US. Collegedale Academy was the third highest contributor in the list of 370 schools raising funds for this project.
   

• As we were leaving Gulu, Jan and I visited an IDP (internally displaced person) camp. (see http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=54855). These are government instituted “political camps” which are home to a huge number of Acholi refugees in northern Uganda. We have heard the number of people displaced are anywhere from 800,000 to over 2,000,000. The conditions these people have to live in are deplorable. Many are sick and most are hopeless. They live in these sub-standard camps with little or no chance of employment. They see no future. It is our sincere hope that in 2008 both medical and preaching teams from Georgia-Cumberland Conference will inundate this area with the practical love of Christ. They desperately need loving assistance as well as hope only the Gospel can bring. The response will be overwhelming.

 

• Five Share Him teams from Georgia-Cumberland Conference came to Masaka, Uganda, to hold meetings in the district from July 13-28, 2007.  Speakers Jonathan Balaban, Dr. Bruce Bergherm, Pastor Chris Bullock, Pastor Rudy Skoretz, and Scott Thurmon, with their support team members Nicolas Beidel, Cody Limone, Stelle Skoretz, and Britteny Thurmon, tirelessly ministered to the community and shared the gospel their entire two and-a-half week stay.  In the process they gave away Bibles, clothes, shoes, glasses, provided funding for special projects, visited homes, prayed individually with several hundred people, and served the people of Masaka. You can be proud of their work as they gave honor to Jesus' name.

 

 

   Jan and I, and the medical team then left for Bushenyi to visit Dr. Manual at the Ishaka Adventist Hospital in western Uganda.  What an education we received!  The hospital is grossly understaffed and has a very small budget to work with (110 beds with only 2 physicians).  There is a great need for professional medical personnel and an increased budget, just too adequately do their job.  Our medical team decided to give their remaining medications to the hospital pharmacy, which was gratefully received.  Those donated supplies actually tripled the pharmacy's stock! 

 We then went to Kasese where an Adventist woman, Evon David, from Washington, DC, began an orphanage several years ago next to the Adventist church and school.  There are 30 children at the orphanage (ranging from 2 years to 16 years old).  It was apparent that the staff and housing facilities provided a good environment for the children.  We were able to help the orphanage with clothes, toys (soccer balls, jump ropes, etc.) soap, flash lights, and OTC medications. What a pleasure it was to see the children rejoice with receiving the new gifts!

From that point, Jan and I went across the country to the city of Jinja to visit Pastor David Brass and his son, Matt.  Matt and his wife, Larisa, live in Lenoir City, TN, and adopted two Ugandan children six years ago.  When we arrived in Jinja they were in the process of adopting three more children!  We met up with David and then visited the "Welcome Home" orphanage (above) where the Brass’ children came from.  We were impressed to say the least!  There were 65 children (ages 4 and younger) and the facilities were very clean, well ordered, and we saw a dedicated and loving staff.  We were also surprised to find modern appliances (refrigerators, washers, and dryers) which were actually the first we had seen in Uganda!

Larisa Brass and her sister, Mindy Burgin, have established the Kirabo Foundation (see www.kirabofoundation.org), which is based in Jinja.  Its primary purpose is to provide help to orphaned and disadvantaged Ugandan children by providing educational scholarships.  This year there are 42 Ugandan children in school because of this foundation. Education is a vital element in helping to stabilize Uganda’s future.