First time I ever hitchhiked…with kids! (Day 3 back in Africa)

So, I have had to thumb a ride several times over the course of my travels, but never with children in tow!

Today was a first. After a very late night of packing, repacking and rerepacking bags our vehicle to accommodate our ridiculous amount of stuff and 6 people (teacher Anna Linhart is with us), I finally went to bed around 2am and Travis at 4am (jetlag and too many things on the mind), waking up at 6:30am to get our crew going. We were all in great spirits as we turned off Entebbe Road to Masaka Road en route to Fort Portal (5-6 hours away) and then Bundibugyo (another 3+ hours). Aidan threw up three times, though he was cheerful and enjoyed sitting by his new best buddy Anna. As we were enjoying the cool air conditioning (the ONLY air conditioning in all of Bundibugyo Districs), Travis noticed that the speedometer no longer was working…nor was the rpm display working, nor the electric windows, nor the airconditioning…hmmm. Better pull over. And then black smoke started coming from the back of the car. Not good. So, Travis turned off the car. And we prayed. No longer did just the electric systems not work, but now the car would not even start!

And we prayed. And called the faithful mechanic Atwoki who was going to see his daughter in Bushenyi, but turned around and picked up two mechanics and more tools to come to our rescue.

Meanwhile, it was getting hot. On the side of the road, there was little shoulder so the kids could not really get out and play, but inside was even hotter as the windows would now not roll down. A small Corolla type car pulled over and the largest Ugandan man I have seen got out to try to jump start our car. No success. Then the Ugandan Wildlife Authority LandCruiser pulled over and jumped our car. Still no success. Next, Travis did what any good driver who is broken on the side of an African road should do- put branches in the road warning people that the lane is somewhat blocked. Another 4wd vehicle pulled over to offer assistance, but they were fairly full, but in true Ugandan style said they could crowd together to accommodate more. About that time, a man in a Toyota Patrol (4wd vehicle) pulled over and talked with Travis. The next thing I knew I was grabbing up kids, diapers, a bottle, my cell phone and some money to dash into his car to make the 2+ hour drive to Fort Portal with our new friend Tinka. Knowing that our moms pray regardless that it would be 4am in the US, we sent a text explaining the situation. Travis’s mom had been praying for a good Samaritan to come to our rescue. And God provided!

While we were in Fort, hanging out at our evening’s accommodation, Travis continued on the side of the road for a few more hours until he was greeted by Bob and Jennifer Chedester and their van full of kids. The Chedesters, now serving in Kenya, were “logistical” missionaries serving the Fort community and the team in Bundibugyo for many years. “Mr. Fix It” Bob tied a tow rope from his van to the much larger and heavier Land Cruiser (TLC as our friend John Mancini likes to call it) in hopes of towing it to the next town. It was a dance of trying not to crash the two cars, pull the van backwards, and pull the now non-functioning Land Cruiser. As they were pulling closer to Mebende, the tow rope snapped, once again stranding TLC on the side of the road. But just at that moment, the mechanic Atwoki and his two mechanics arrive to save the day!

Basically, the air conditioning compressor seal broke and burst across the engine. It jammed the belt and blew the ignition fuse. Atwoki said that if we had driven any further, it would have been the end of the engine.

He patched it together with a promise from Travis to return to his shop early in the morning. They proceeded to make the drive to Fort, Travis learning the amazing story of God’s faithfulness to Atwoki through the ministry and friendships of early World Harvest missionaries. What a blessing it was for Travis to spend time hearing insights about ministry among the Babwisi people!

Our kiddos cheered as Travis arrived around 9pm as they were not too keen being separated from him, especially in such a rushed and unusual way. I pray that we all sleep well tonight and that tomorrow we can make the drive to Bundibugyo safely, even if it is without air conditioning!

Day 1 Back in Africa

Landing in Entebbe after a flight we almost missed (think: family of 5 wakes up at 8:12am after a fitful night’s sleep to quickly throw things in bags, dress children and run to a 8:35am shuttle to run to the front of lines to get to our gate on the other side of the airport...) at 9pm, we filed a report for one missing trunk and met our taxi drivers who drove us to the Matoke Inn where we tried to enter quietly as the other missionary guests were sleeping (how quiet can a family of three young kids really be?!). At the breakfast table, a young photographer who was spending three months in East Africa reporting about missionary life asked if Aidan is our only child (L and P were still sleeping), “because if he is, from hearing him last night, he’s a doozy!” Hmmm, maybe time to move to a different mission guest house. After traveling through Kampala to a friend’s house to collect our left-behind belongings and our hopefully, fixed car, we drove to our evening’s accommodation at the MAF guesthouse. It is a little oasis of peace and space at the end of possibly the worst pot-holed road in all of Africa. However, our welcome here may be short-lived as our three kids took turns calling for us or crying because they could not fall asleep from 11pm nonstop to 1:30am. Ahhh, jet lag.

Observations made now that we are back:

`The scenes along the road in Kampala are less shockingly chaotic, but now a bit normal.

`I am used to women stopping their conversation or whatever they were doing to stand and stare at my three blondies, even making comments about them as if I was not there.

`Now I know how the Food Court at the one of two malls in Kampala works: I sit and am greeted by 8 different menu servers who patiently wait until I choose which type of food I want. I love it.

`Wheetabix for breakfast doesn’t taste like cardboard anymore.

`The all-night rave/revival doesn’t surprise me now; I even expect it wherever I am.

`My planning ahead means that I call my friend on the way to her house to tell her that I am coming for our things we stored with her and for the retrieval of our car. And I am not surprise that it is not there as the mechanic is driving it around.

`I may never get used to night time traffic convergence of pedestrians, motorcycles, bicycles, cars, huge lorry/trucks, and our own 4 wd vehicle all smushed together, creating and recreating lanes, bumping each other on the way.

`Praying for the long, bumpy trip to Bundibugyo. Curious about the state of the last part of the road as we heard that it is all but completely washed out and we may have to take the alternate mountain road. We have taken that road once before, when my mom was with us and a fish truck was stuck in the washout...starting to smell, being unloaded by all the people with baskets on their head full of looted fish, with locals assuring us that it was fine to cross (with a smile on their face and a plan to be paid to get us unstuck!). So, we'll see...

`We are all ready to be in Bundibugyo, to see our teammates, to hug our dog, to sleep in our own foam mattress beds. To know that our days of sleeping in 11 different beds in 4 weeks is done...for now. To be home.

A week of resting after 10 months of running: WHM team leaders meetings

We are sitting in the cozy home of the Stonehouses who have generously agreed to house us on our way to NYC for a two day date (catch up after 10 months dateless) and meeting with our dear friends the Lin-Liaos whom we lived with in Boston.

What a blessed week to meet with the other team leaders for WHM fields that are scattered around the world. Sitting with the East African leaders delegation, I was encouraged by their years of experience and input as we are the newest newbies on the field.

In one week it is hard to imagine so much can happen:

-Lilli had a stomach bug (thank you Grammie for taking care of her!)

-Travis and I were prayed for during the Grace Community Church services (though we missed it because we were in the church lobby talking with supporters! Oops!)

-We met with the Grace short term team that is joining us in January, hearing their personal stories and sharing ours.

-We almost missed our flight through Newark to Philly because the time between the first boarding call and the final call was 30 seconds.

-Travis appreciated the fine molding work behind the Stonehouse’s toilet as he also had the stomach bug the night before the meetings.

-We reconnected with Scott and Jennifer Myhre, sharing stories of life in Bundibugyo, over a mug of pumpkin latte in a cool artsy cafe.

-Topics such as strategic planning, individual personality typing, mobilization process, financial policy, conflict resolution, and team leading were covered in a week of meetings.

-Though Travis was sick, we shared about our journey and work with our dear friends at the Westchester Community Bible Study and were loved by Paul and DeeDee Cass.

-Patton’s broken tooth (that initiated from a fall in Boston to the breaking off in Kenya to the pinhole in Kampala to the major breakage in SC) developed an absess which resulted in an extraction. Thank you, Dr Paul Galloway and Grammie and Poppy for taking good care of Champ! We hear he was rather humorous when he was under the gas!

-We had enough streaming internet to watch our favorite show, Psych, on our computer.

-Having a cell phone with unlimited minutes (our Ugandan phone charges per second), we contacted 6 individuals interested in Bundibugyo.

-We heard from two families that we are friends with in NC that are praying about upcoming vision trips!

-We ate ice cream. And cake. And brownies. All that someone else baked!

-We slept through the night without waking to the call to prayer being played over the mosque loudspeaker at 5am.

-We laughed at stories told around the lunch and dinner tables.

-We took a walk, holding hands, without neighbor children following us or calling “mzungu!”

Though this week was rather full, we needed the time and space for processing among safe and seasoned missionaries. It was restoring for our weary souls. Thank you, WHM, for caring enough to invest in your leadership. And thank you, supporters, for making it possible to attend a week of investment. We feel encouraged.

If there is ever a birthday to celebrate…

A year ago Aidan Birch came into our life and we could not be more thankful for the child God graced us with. He took his time coming- about two weeks past his due date. After this past year, I understand why. It was as if he knew that last moments of sitting still in peace and quiet he may ever have were in the safe little home inside Amy’s belly. Since that time we have spent significant time in 5 different states, 5 different countries and 3 different continents. He has logged well over 20,000 airline miles, seen the world’s highest deep -water lake and crossed over a mountain range with peaks over 15,000 feet- 11 times. He has moved into the jungles of the Congo, is learning two different languages (English and Lubwisi) and has endeared himself to our community in the Semiliki Valley. He has seen eagles, buffalo, giraffe, warthogs, elephants and a lion. He has fed giraffe in Kenya, practiced Kung Fu in Greece and boiled an egg in the Hot Springs of Uganda. Mostly he has helped his sister, brother and bhootu survive their first year on the mission field. And he has done all this while maintaining a growth rate in the top 75% and maintaining social and intelligence development way above average (unbiased doctor assessment.) This kid is awesome and we love him!

When we left a year ago, we were fearful about taking a 3 month old to Africa. He has thrived. God has been so faithful. It is definitely a good day celebrate.

Happy Birthday Aidani!

A smile

We were able to catch up with Baraba Paul last week before we flew to the US. He is doing well. He has been in Kampala receiving treatment now for 3 weeks. The tumor was confirmed to be Burkett's Lymphoma and has responded to the chemotherapy. The tumor has decreased back to the size it was when we first saw him (It had doubled from that size before he made it to Kampala). He has at least two more courses of treatments scheduled over the next several months.

Most importantly, we noticed something about him we did not see when he was in Bundibugyo. A smile. When he left to Kampala, he held a handkerchief over his face and would not look anyone in the eye. He was understandably sad and scared. When we met with him at the International Hospital in Kampala, though his face remains disfigured, their was an unmistakable smile! We were able to rejoice with him for the current progress and pray with him for complete healing.

Thanks for praying and stepping into this young boy's life with us!

Trusting Him with My kids

Last Sunday I had the privilege to visit a church in Bundikuri, a small village about 5 km from our house. I loved it. We met in a small one-room building made of mud and straw. Shawn and Heather Wallace were visiting us with Robert Carr. Robert and Shawn led a seminar on Peace and Reconciliation- a powerful promise from the Gospel. Afterwards, the pastor of the church in Bundikuri asked Shawn to speak for their Sunday service. So I hopped on a boda (motorcycle taxi) with Shawn and tagged along. Because we were guest, the children’s, women’s and church choir all lead us in worship- a beautiful mix of rhythm, color and voice. Shawn gave a great talk about Peter- someone I so often identify with, someone who has lots of big ideas but is scared to death when it’s time to trust Jesus and follow.

After the service, they held a baby christening. Six couples with their baby went to the front to ask for the Lord’s protection, promises and help in raising their children. They all looked so proud of their dressed up child and all looked so nervous about parenting. I could so identify with them. It was really the first time while in Africa that things felt familiar enough that it could have happened at our church in the US. That is until the elder and pastor undressed each child enough to check for charm bracelets and waistbands meant to keep evil spirits and illness away. One by one, each mother shyly pulled it off and gave it to the pastor. The pastor then prayed and parents vowed to raise the child to know Jesus and to trust Jesus with their salvation, future and safety.

I was struck with the profoundness of their act. They had to give up what their culture and families have taught for generations would protect their children. They did this because they were going to trust Jesus to take its place. I began to think of all the things I trust in to protect my children- “perfect” parenting, money, smart- well adjusted- well behaved friends, top education, federally inspected toys, clean floors, organic food, schedules, insurance… It’s a wonder my children can be kids with all of these charms hanging from them. Many of these have been stripped from us by moving to Africa. So, I often feel guilty about not having my children in certain schools or playing with the newest educational toy or while watching Aidan crawl across our bumpy concrete floor, or put anti-itch and anti-biotic cream on their dozens of bug bites. I wish I could take away these feelings as easily as removing a bracelet. But as hard as it is for my new friends here to step out of their culture and trust Jesus, so it is for me. I do trust Him today and pray I can again tomorrow.

On being a man- My other job

A view of Christ School Bundibugyo's Campus

Students praying in Chapel

Best Football Pitch view in Uganda!

Boys Football- District champions-always a joy to watch.

Girls Football- Won the National Award for Best Disciplined Team this year!

2010 Candidate Celebration

As a man, sometimes you don’t do what you want to do. You do what has to be done.

When you tell the Lord, “Whatever. Wherever. Whenever” you had better be ready to do things you never dreamed in places you’ve never heard of and maybe even tomorrow!

The “Whatever” that I never dreamed about as a part of my job is leading Christ School Bundibugyo.

While I still am able to spend time at the health center doing ultrasounds, diagnosing difficult cases, seeing patients in my katubi, and referring/sending patients for more specialized care, much of my time is spent serving as the Chairman of the Board, which means I am the Caretaker of the Budget, the Guider of Strategic Planning, and the Guardian of the School Mission-

“To build God’s kingdom by developing servant leadership through a Christ-centered education stressing Christian fellowship, community service and academic excellence”.

I have to say, that even though I had not expected to take on this job (and that we are praying for someone with better expertise than I to come), I count it a blessing to be able to serve Bundibugyo, our 25 staff members and 336 students in this way.

Why? Because this school truly is a mustard seed planted. And as these children grow, they will help make Bundibugyo a place of refuge and peace for the people of the Semiliki Valley. Christ School Bundibugyo was started ten years ago with the vision of raising leaders with a heart for Jesus, a love for people and skills to help. This vision seemed somewhat farfetched 10 years ago, when the people of Bundibugyo were seen as the outcast of Uganda and the students here consistently performed the lowest nationally on exams and the district ranked utterly last in education. Today, Bundibugyo is no longer last in education and Christ School Bundibugyo has ranked in the top third of private schools across the country for the past several years.

The joy for us is the Staff. There are 25 staff here, most of whom are from other places in Uganda. Because of the difficult roads around the mountains, it takes some of them two to three days to reach home. It takes us two to three days to reach back to the US. These teachers feel as isolated as we do, struggling to understand a different culture and language. They also see their position as a calling, just like us. They are truly missionaries with us to this area forgotten by their own people but loved by God. We meet with them every Tuesday night to pray and study scripture together. Sometimes it is noticeable how simple doctrines are just not known. Other times, we are blown away by the profoundness of their understanding of Jesus.

I was especially thankful for them last Saturday night when two of the teachers challenged the candidates (this years graduates). The Deputies of Academics and Administration (our Vice-Principles) told them that they cannot do anything without God. They read Jehosephat’s prayer in 2nd Chronicles and out of Romans. Without Him, we are going to fail. With Him, there is no battle we cannot face. He is our hope, especially when circumstances around us disappoint us. He will make all things good, even failure, for those who love Him. They should not worry about the exams, but be confident in the One they trust and rejoice in the results, no matter what they are.

In Uganda, the National Exams are everything. There is no interview or essay for university admission. The Government takes the top 10% and gives them scholarships to go to university. The rest of the positions in universities are filled with those with the next highest scores. With a low score, you have no hope of continuing your education. Most people see education as their only way out of the poverty in Bundibugyo.

The students are also a great joy. We worship with them regularly at Wednesday afternoon Chapel and often on Sunday morning fellowship. They sing at the top of their lungs praise songs that lift our spirits after a long week’s work. They share prayer request and praises that challenge my understanding of the depth of God’s love and provision. At times, they share profound truths that excite me about the future of Bundibugyo.

There are several graduates who have returned from university to serve in Bundibugyo, and some have even returned to teach at CSB. These young adults seem to understand integrity, want to challenge corruption in the government and are seeking ways to love people here. There are also several students currently in college, studying to by community developers, medical doctors, nurses, accountants and information technologists. There is great hope in these students for this district.

So, right now, though my stethoscope is around my neck, I am up to my elbows in CSB spread sheets, budgets, policies, and meetings with the head teacher and staff.

Please pray for me in this, that I would have energy and wisdom to tackle this job….a job that we did not expect but believe that God has called us to for this season.

Pray for the staff- for courage to press forward.

Pray for the students- that they would excel in the Board Exams this November and would see Jesus as their joy and strength.

AND Pray for someone with academic administrative skills to serve and love this school…and if you know of anyone, let us know!