Time

I can't believe we are half way through our trip! The days go by too fast.

Today was interesting in an unsatisfying sort of way. We had tea to begin the day, as usual. We were supposed to go to the grand opening of the Suubi Medical Center and visit some high schools, but things involving time don't always work out here.

We drove over to Sixteen where the clinic is located. The program was supposed to be 2 hours long, but political and religious leaders kept showing up as the program got started. Almost everyone spoke. Some were of an age and respect level to say whatever they felt like, such as blaming the government publicly for stealing money and telling them to give it back. The highest chairman, LC 5, was there and he said they could maybe look into helping the clinic and praising the new president,  which we have been told stole the vote.
Pastor Peter from Gaba Community Church in Kampala was there to preach and also Pastor Sylver. The kids from Grace school at Kacungwa preformed music and Adams team performed the skit again.
All in all, it took about 5 hours. Many of us stayed to not be rude to the speakers and make enough presence because of the honor,  but the teens quietly interacted with some of the kids behind the tents.
It was a huge deal! They served all the people food afterward and many shops were closed for this festival.

I have to say the clinic is great looking! There is a birthing room, dental room, lab room, reception, doctors office and exam room, multi-bed rooms, bathrooms, and storage. The speakers described it as the best clinic in the whole district. We also found out they have an ambulance! That's exciting, but the roads are terrible. So far the government has not provided any free vaccines,  which are really needed to prevent diseases. The clinic has promised to send teachers out to educate the public on preventative measures to keep them from having to go to the clinic. They also pleaded with the people to wear seat belts and helmets, use mosquito nets and other basic information.

Needless to say, we didn't make it to the schools we were supposed to visit. Brandon did have a short meeting with some piggery people to talk about soybeans as a feed source.

We wish we had a few of these hours back to spend with our kids, but it was important for them to honor those involved in the clinic and express their thanks Ugandan style.

I also found out there are 40 tribes in Uganda. Four of them in the Kacungwa area. They are: Luganda, Luchiga, Kiniolo, and Kiniawanda.  Pastor Sylver belongs to the  Luchiga tribe, which is the language spoken in the SW Uganda.

It is late, I  have to pack and we leave early for Kampala tomorrow, so I will go for now.

Mukama Mulungi- God is beautiful,
Danelle

Sunday

We went to Kacungwa for tea at Pastor Sylver'so new house, just down the hill from the church. He now doesn't have to walk for miles every day.
After tea was church. The worship was great and Ken preached about having eyes of faith during suffering.  It was great and I think the people understood it.

We had lunch and visited with the kids. We visited the piggery while Brandon was interviewed by Melanie Kratzer for her ARM video.

At 4 we arrived at the cow pasture where they hold the football / soccer game. We met all the players in the field. It was Kyluma, in blue  (defending champions of the Canby Cup) verses Sixteen, in orange. I thought the cross roads near Kacungwa school was Kacungwa the town proper, but the town is actually called Sixteen because it is 16km from the main road.
It was a real high energy game with some nice sacrifice-the-body moves and an injury collision. It ended nill-nill so the kick off ended 9-10 with Sixteen the winner!
Adam and his team performed the "Everything" skit as best they could without the sound system working. Then Pastor Sylver said a short message and talked about the clinic over a bullhorn.

We arrived at the hotel late for dinner, but the hotel staff has been awesome working around our messed up schedule.

Sorry the posting has been spotty. We were having WiFi issues.

Center Day

Saturday was center day. That is a day where all the sponsored kids get some meals and teachings and write to their sponsors. We arrived at 10:30 and the greeting was even better than 2013, when I last came! There was running and cheering and dancing and drumming. The women and children heading up the greeting and there were hugs and tears. We were ushered into the church and given the run down for the day. We gave the kids some poridge and an egg. Some have poridge ( corn flour) with milk and some without, based on their parents wishes. Brandon spent some time at the piggery while the rest of the people went to tea. We then talked to the kids in the classrooms. I was with Chris and Hunter Dublin and Mariah Hembling. We talked about obeying parents as Jesus gave us the example of obeying God. Also loving each other as an action to please Jesus. How it is easy for 1 person to pull others down and easier as a body to lift others up.

After talking, we served the kids lunch and we had ours. Then we sorted donations into the office and gave out some gifts and visited with our kids. They also had a lovely musical number by the kids with bells and strings and pipes.

The days go by too fast! We have to leave Kacungwa each day at 4 or 5 to make it back to Mubende for dinner and before dark. The light lasts from about 6-6 every day.

Thanks for praying. We are all healthy now and enjoying our time visiting with friends.
The WiFi has been having issues, so I'm hoping to catch up with the posts soon!

Safe arrivals

We have arrived and are now waiting to get money exchanged.
It takes quite a bit of effort to get 21 people and 49 bags, plus carry-ons half way across the globe. Kudos to Brandon and his gift for organizing. Most of all, glory to God for everything being smooth so far.

We were greeted at the airport by William from ARM, Dickens and Anita who are both helping with the pig project, Alex also with Arm. A big surprise was Pastor Sylver from Kacungwa in the city! We had a great greeting time with them as we loaded the bus. It is packed full!

We are driving from Entebbe to Mubende today. So not very eventful. Which is GOOD, because everyone is pretty tired.

One interesting tidbit for thought: we told a woman in Dubai that we were headed to Uganda for a mission trip. She went on a mini rant about how we are supporting a bad regime by coming here.
There are many things that have crossed my mind regarding this short conversation.
1. What country in this sinful world hasn't has some amount of corruption in it and she was ok visiting United Arab Emirates?
2. I can't go visit friends just because I don't agree with their political system?
3. Doesn't the Bible command us to preach to all nations, and if we don't agree with their politics, there would be many nations of people who would never hear of Jesus!

So whether we agree on politics or not, we can agree on 3 things.
1. God is in control and sets up or topples governments.  It's our job to trust him.
2. We are to love each other.
3. We are commanded to preach to all nations, tribes, and tongues.

So we are here! We are loved and loving.

Danelle

PS. The bus has WiFi!

Miracles, Mercy and Love

There is so much to say! Sorry if this is scattered, but I'm taking a break from packing my personal items to type this because I feel prompted to.


Thank you so much for those of you who have been praying already. God is doing great things!

One of us had a sinus infection that wasn't going away or being diagnosed properly, that is now being treated and is on the mend.

There had been a call out to the Canby community via Facebook for baby clothes for the baby home in Gaba and clothes for the orphans at Bethany Village. We were overwhelmed with too much of both items. We spent a whole evening packing as much of both into as many extra suitcases as we could. 1300 lbs worth in total! And we still had more!! The rest of the donations were taken to The Center to be used for local needs. I felt like Peter casting his net on the right side of the boat. We are so happy to be able to bless these two ministries on the other side of the planet and have enough for helping more people.

I had heard of a need back in January that Hope House, a safe house for preteen and teen girls to live, needed some books. In God's timing, just before we packed, the woman in charge got back to me about it with details. I was inspired to collect some of my favorites from when I was growing up. God supplied most of them for free from our local Kiwanis Thrift Store and there were also a few donations to buy the others I wanted to get, including some really nice Bibles.


Yesterday, I was reminded in the middle of church service about God's mercy. The topic of the sermon was about how God has declared all people's of the world as His children.

    Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

I know so many Christians, who when faced with so much evil in the world, say "Oh, Lord Jesus, come soon." 

Of course I want the evil to end and justice to be done. I can't wait to see His face and be in his presence. But I am reminded of the study of Revelations in Bible Study Fellowship this past year. We learned that God stays his hand out of mercy and love. He is waiting till the absolute last second He can, with outstretched hands to help those who will call on Him and accept His mercy. His delay from the wrath that sin deserves is for our benefit. He wants your heart now and He will only give you so many chances to come to Him before Jesus's return must be fulfilled. YET EVEN THEN He gives people the chance to claim Him as their Lord by showing only a fraction of His anger against sin. 

Don't wait till the last opportunity, people! Accept His love and forgiveness now. Forgiveness is a process to be worked through. Faith takes time to grow. 

Acts 10:34-35

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 

In the end we all know, that this will be the full outcome. All it takes is one choice. Choose God!

Romans 14:11 [Full Chapter]

It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ”

I probably won't post more until after we have left, unless God leads me to again, so until then.

Your Sister in Christ,

Danelle

Pre-trip Gathering

This is a test post and also some pre-trip information.

I can't believe we are leaving in just a few weeks to see our friends in Uganda! Time is flying and there is so much to be done.

*Check to see what clothes I have and if I need to get more
*Purchase medicines, get shots, buy bug repellent and sunblock, get gifts for kids and friends.
*Check luggage and make sure it's in working order
* Have group meetings and get to know those you don't know yet on your team.
*Be in prayer about things that God is laying on your heart and researching topics to speak about.
*Making lists of things to pack, so when packing day arrives, you don't forget anything!
*Making arrangements for all the things I'm leaving behind.

My brain is starting to buzz. It flits from normal daily things to get done to "Oh, I can't forget this." to "I need to look up that." Most of it gets forgotten immediately. Pray that I remember it again later!

Please, if you have read this, start praying for us now! We need to be focused and covered in Christ so we can be of utmost use for His Kingdom while we are there. I want to be pressed down and shaken, grown and blessed, loved and loving others.

In Jesus Name
Danelle Chase