The Sasser Family Adventures

The gift of an education

2012-02-09T23:53:00.000+03:00

On Thursday our team and I met with our friend Stephen, who lives in Fort Portal, and went to a remote village to see a community and school that he has been assisting.

Last year he and his staff found themselves in a tough situation. The district council, which had previously dropped several primary schools in his lap because they could not afford to run them, informed him that the nursery classes and primary classes could not share the same building and that they needed to be separated.

Under the pressure of a short deadline, Stephen informed us of his need to construct a school building quickly. Thanks to some wonderful donors we were able to assist him with the funding for the school building.

The school is now up to 302 students. Being a remote area and having a lack of schools in this area students are coming from all over the district to attend this school.

We feel blessed to have been able to be a part of this story.

Team building!

2012-02-08T23:35:00.000+03:00

On Wednesday one of our volunteers, Tammy, who currently lives in Kenya, hosted a team building workshop for the management staff of Bringing Hope to the Family. This was the first time team building exercises have been attempted here with the staff. The staff loved it and the exercises helped them see the lessons in a tangible way.

Tammy did a great job teaching them on servant leadership. And, Faith has already asked her when she will be back to continue teaching these lessons. Needless to say the workshop was a hit.

GSM abroad

2012-02-06T20:16:00.000+03:00

On Sunday we picked up a Global Support team from the airport, Travis being one of them. They came with a larger team to Kenya that is still in Kenya, but this small team has traveled over to spend the week with us and Bringing Hope to the Family.

They will be spending the week doing staff training with Bringing Hope and taking videos.

Coming together

2012-02-02T22:32:00.000+03:00

This week we have had the opportunity to get to know 3 families that are in the process of adopting children from Home Again. Katie had the privilege of being with them when they met their new children for the first time. She said it was an amazing moment. Today Katie also took them on a tour of all of Bringing Hope to the Family's projects.

We are excited to see God continually calling families to open themselves up and welcome in new family members. What a blessing this is for the children and the families. Amen.

Back to school!

2012-01-30T13:05:00.000+03:00

On Monday the Home Again students that attend boarding school in Fort Portal loaded up their belongings into the Bringing Hope van and headed back to school. The students were required to report back to school on Monday as the term begins on Tuesday.

Excitement was in the air as the students filled the van and headed off for a new term. Muda, Bringing Hope to the Family's driver, was a trooper as he played bus driver all day.

The local primary and secondary schools will begin in a few days. So, soon all of the Home Again children will be back in school.

Four Square!

2012-01-27T21:38:00.000+03:00

We recently painted a 4 square court on the back of the new basketball court. On Thursday we taught the kids at Home Again to play four square. The kids loved it and have been playing ever since. Just wanted to share the fun!

Short and sweet.

2012-01-25T17:32:00.000+03:00

Today we wrapped up week 9 of our second leadership class. We will be finishing this class in 3 weeks. We've lost a few students from when we began the term, but for those who are still remaining they are really enjoying the course and seem to be getting a lot out of it. Having the opportunity to share and invest in others is a great privilege and we are enjoying it as well.

Also, the ceiling in the lower house of Home Again is completely finished and painted now. We want to thank everyone who donated toward this project and all of our volunteers that helped install it.

Back to work!

2012-01-23T17:31:00.000+03:00

With our volunteer teams back home now and with just less than a month until we take a trip to the US we are busy trying to get our ongoing projects wrapped up. Now, just so you know, work here will continue on while we are in the states. GSM abroad will be be left in the very capable hands of Moses, our fellow GSM employee here in Kaihura.

We began painting the ceiling that we installed in the lower house of Home Again today. We had several willing helpers with the painting, which is always nice. We even had one helper from Australia, Barbara, who has been volunteering with our Australian friends here in Kaihura for a few weeks now. This holiday break has been a wonderful learning experience for several of the boys at Home Again. As seen in older posts these boys were instrumental in the installation of the ceiling. Now they are getting an opportunity to test their painting skills.

I also added a couple of photo's of the kitchen/bathroom addition at Home Again. Progress is still moving right along on this project.

Open for business!

2012-01-13T18:12:00.001+03:00

On Friday Village Art held it's official grand opening. There was certainly a lot going on. Thankfully Village Art now has a generator, so even with the power being out it did not slow down the festivities. Between the pedicures, hair weavings, sodas, PA system and dancing there was definitely a lot of excitement in the air.

This project is far more than just creating a salon, a craft shop and a bridal boutique. This income generation project is not only designed to provide jobs to several ladies in the community and help sustain Bringing Hope to the Family. This project is actually bringing hope to everyone involved. No one here thought shops like these were possible in a village setting. It is expanding and reshaping the minds of those around us.

We praise God for this blessing to Bringing Hope to the Family. We pray that it will be a successful business and a blessing to all who come.

We want to thank everyone who helped to make this possible!

Almost ready for the grand opening!

2012-01-12T19:41:00.000+03:00

We, with the help of our volunteers, Village Art staff and several other helpers have been extremely busy this week trying to get the salon ready for it's grand opening this Friday. This has truly been a team effort getting the salon and Village Art as a whole to this point. We are excited to have the salon completely set up for business.

As you can see in one the photo's business has been steady despite the salon being a work in progress.

We will post a blog after the grand opening to let everyone know how it went.

Kolby helping out, sort of.

James 1:27 in action.

2012-01-10T13:58:00.001+03:00

I want to highlight three beautiful things that are progress. Last year, through the generous giving of many individuals, we were able to raise enough money to construct a house for a widow and her children in a nearby village. Their living conditions were just dreadful. Prior to us raising all of the funds Bringing Hope had a donation come in from a donor in Poland. So, with that money they began the project.

After raising all of the funds we ended up with an overage, which is never a bad thing. Last September we met another lady who was in dier need of help. So, with the overage we have begun building her a house as well. So, through it all we have been able to assist 2 families with a new house. Praise God!

As to the third item, I want to update everyone on the progress of the bathroom/kitchen addition at Home Again. They are currently putting on the roof! Work has been moving along very quickly with this project.

We are thrilled to be a part of the great work that is happening here.

Training days!

2012-01-07T23:36:00.001+03:00

Our latest team has been with us for nearly a week now. This team is made up of volunteers who have been here before. This place and what God is up to here has a way of getting in volunteers and bringing them back again and again.

The main focus of this team's trip is completing the setup of Village Art's salon. Over the last couple of days the team has been training the staff on how to give pedicures and manicures as well as massages. Also, today the team helped paint the ceiling in the salon and plant shrubs around the street sign.

We have a lot of work planned for next week, so more updates will be coming.

Christmas in Kaihura!

2011-12-27T01:20:00.000+03:00

Christmas in Kaihura is always exciting and this year was no exception. The children of Home Again received new outfits, new shoes, and a great meal. After eating their Christmas meal they participated in several games and races. We want to thank everyone who gave towards the clothes, shoes and food to help make this Christmas a wonderful day for these children.

Thank you!

Time to say goodbye...

2011-12-22T00:40:00.001+03:00

Today was our team's last day in Kaihura. They spent the day hard at work trying to get as much of the ceiling at Home Again completed as possible. Scott, who has been with us for nearly 3 weeks is heading back on Thursday as well. He was busy installing more of the plumbing system in the new bathroom/kitchen addition at Home Again. We are so grateful for all the work these volunteers have done while they have been with us. It has truly been a blessing.

The team also had an opportunity to spend some time with the children at Home Again and share a meal with them. Also, despite not having a backboard installed on the basketball goal yet there was a lot of basketball being played on the court today. The children are very excited about learning to play basketball. This was a great wrap up for the team's time here.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

A learning experience

2011-12-17T10:35:00.000+03:00

We are excited to see how quickly the projects at Home Again are being completed. The crew that is constructing the Home Again addition began working on the walls today. Yesterday with the help of our volunteer, Scott, who has been an absolute blessing, the plumbing for the toilets was installed.

Also, the ceiling in the lower house at Home Again is over half way completed now. Scott and a couple of other volunteers have used this opportunity to get several of the boys from Home Again involved in the building process. This has been a wonderful experience for these boys. They are learning skills that they would not have gotten without these guys taking the time to teach them and allow them to participate. Thankfully this ceiling project has been about much more than just the installation of a ceiling.

Scott came with our first team in December and planned to spend 3 weeks with us here in Kaihura to help with the Home Again addition. His desire was to be used while he was here. We have greatly appreciated his efforts and willingness to jump in and lead the way with the ceiling installation as well.

We want to thank our friends at Facedown Records, the No Name action group, St. Matthew Lutheran Church and everyone else that donated towards these projects. We appreciate all that you are doing to help the children at Home Again!

Team Benton

2011-12-16T22:43:00.000+03:00

Today, I want to highlight our current team of volunteers. This team is from Benton, Alabama. We have been in relationship with this team and their church for nearly 3 years now. They have been faithfully praying for Bringing Hope to the Family and the people in this region of Uganda.

We are excited to have them get to see, experience and be a part of what they have been focused on for so long.

On Friday many of the team members went to the village of Mbale to visit homes and hang mosquito nets. It was a great day of meeting families, sharing Christ and helping to save lives with mosquito nets.

This team has been busy all week assisting us in helping the people here. They will be with us for about a week more, so more updates will be coming.

A week's worth of photos

2011-12-16T00:15:00.002+03:00

We have been flat out around here for nearly 2 weeks now. All but one of our last team's members have headed to another area of the country to hold medical outreaches. Also, our current volunteer team arrived on Sunday and made it out to Kaihura on Monday.

This team has been quite busy this week. They have visited villages and hung mosquito nets, painted Home Again's kitchen/dining room, baked Christmas cookies with the children at Home Again and been out to tour Bringing Hope's farm in Kyongera.

On Friday another group of these volunteers will be visiting families in Rensinene to hang more mosquito nets.

More updates will be coming soon.

Making progress...

2011-12-08T23:26:00.000+03:00

Today was another busy day in Kaihura. Our team visited 6 homes in Busanza where they hung 20 mosquito nets and checked for illnesses within the homes. Some of our team will be returning to Busanza tomorrow to provide medications to the homes they visited today.

Also, today work continued on installing a ceiling in the lower home at Home Again. Below are a few photo's of the progress on the ceiling.

Outreach day.

2011-12-07T20:51:00.001+03:00

We had a lot going on today from working on Home Again's new bathroom/kitchen addition to the upper house and beginning to install the ceiling in the lower house, but now I want to highlight today's medical outreach.

Most of the team, along side several of Bringing Hope to the Family staff members, went to the village of Nyayamba where they hosted an HIV testing outreach. This village is about an hour from the main road. Thus it was a very rural village. The outreach was very successful. The team had a steady flow of people coming to be tested. The team also tested those who appeared to be sick for malaria and provided medications to those who needed them. I will share the day's results once I get them.

On the way back they ran into some vehicle problems which delayed their return by a couple of hours, but that just adds to the experience.

Overall they had a great day.

More updates will be coming, so please check back soon.

It's team time!

2011-12-06T18:23:00.000+03:00

Our first team for the month arrived safely and with all of their luggage on Friday night. They have hit the ground running. After arriving in Kaihura early Saturday evening 3 of our volunteers helped deliver a baby girl at Hope Again Medical Center later that evening.

The digging for the foundation of the new bathroom/kitchen addition to the upper house of Home Again has been completed. Work on the foundation will begin tomorrow weather permitting. It appears that the weather is not aware that this is now dry season.

The second section of cement for the basketball court at Home Again was laid today.

Also, we visited 5 families in the village of Kagorogoro today. We hung 10 mosquito nets and our medical volunteers treated 5 patients.

Tomorrow our team will be holding an HIV testing outreach, so check back again for more updates.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T14:19:00.001+03:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend. I just want to share with you another update from Kaihura and share some of our Thanksgiving photos. This year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house for all of the American missionaries in our area. It was a great day of hanging out with friends and eating good food.

The first portion of the slab for Home Again's basketball court has been poured. We hope to have the project completed within the next 3 weeks.

Also, the pineapple crop at Bringing Hope's farm in Kyongera is starting to produce now.

Have a great weekend!

Getting the job done.

2011-11-18T14:21:00.001+03:00

We have several projects running at the same time as I mentioned in an earlier post. I want to update everyone on where the projects stand as of now.

The plastering of the lower house of Home Again is about half way done. The dividing wall in the lower home has been constructed. This separates the house into 2 smaller houses. One side is for boys and the other is for girls.

The screen windows for Home Again's dining room are just about done.

Weather permitting, work will begin on the basketball court Monday morning.

Also, all of the shelves for Home Again have been completed and most of them have been installed. Plastic bins have been ordered to go on the shelves. This way each child will have their own bin for their clothes. This will bring them one large step closer to getting the inside of Home Again organized.

We want to thank everyone that has contributed to any of the projects. Together we are making a difference!

Another reason to praise God!

2011-11-16T17:35:00.001+03:00

Today Bringing Hope to the Family held a well handover ceremony in the village of Kisangwa to celebrate the completion of a new shallow pump well. Kisangwa is a small village on the outskirts of Katooke town. This well has provided clean water to over 160 people!

Over the last few well constructions we, GSM, have been transitioning out of the lead role where wells are concerned. In order to have this well program fully succeed Bringing Hope has to own the project fully. We are still involved, but in a minor role. A young man, Peter, who works for Bringing Hope has been doing a great job taking the lead.

We love progress! Thanks again to those who donated to make this well possible.

Graduation morning!

2011-11-14T19:31:00.000+03:00

Monday morning during Bringing Hope to the Family's weekly staff fellowship we honored our leadership development course graduates with recognition of their accomplishment and a certificate to symbolize their achievement. This intro course was 13 weeks long and covered Biblical foundations and leadership characteristics.

The students were very excited and I believe the "graduation" has inspired others to sign up for our next course that will be starting very soon.

Holiday blessings

2011-11-10T17:15:00.000+03:00

With Christmas right around the corner many of us take this opportunity to bless those who are less fortunate than ourselves. There are endless ways that we can assist others (Angel trees, shoeboxes, soup kitchens, etc.). All of these things are wonderful opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others.

If you are still looking for a way to be a blessing this season I would like to offer up 3 ways that you could help the children at Home Again. Each Christmas Bringing Hope to the Family provides the children with a new outfit, a pair of leather church/school shoes and a Christmas feast. The meal is hands down the children's best meal for the year. And, this is the only time in the year that the children get to go to the market and choose an outfit for themselves. Christmas is truly an exciting time for the children of Home Again.

If you are interested in seeing these needs and/or others please follow the link here Know.Think.Act..

Work. Work. Work.

2011-11-08T21:46:00.000+03:00

Our busy month of work is well under way now. Katie went as far as our cans of paint would take her on the veranda today. She almost finished.

The guys digging out the ground for the basketball court at Home Again are almost done. They should be done within the next couple of days.

The crew that will be plastering the lower house of Home Again spent the day tearing down a needless wall in the house for us.

I, with the help of Chris from Home Again, cut all of the wood for the shelving that we will be installing in both houses of Home Again.

We'll keep you posted as work progresses.

It feels great to see projects being completed. Thanks again to everyone who donated to these projects. We couldn't do this work without you.

Hair wash anyone?

2011-11-04T14:35:00.000+03:00

On Thursday while we were in Kampala checking on the status of our work permits we were able to pick up a hair washing sink/chair for Village Art's hair salon. We're one step closer to getting the salon ready to go. We want to thank everyone who gave to make this possible.

More updates will be coming soon as projects continue to get underway.

Test time!

2011-11-02T23:26:00.000+03:00

Today our leadership course students took their final exam. We are pleased to announce that all nine of our students passed! Next week we will have our wrap-up class and celebration.

In other news we have a crew leveling the ground next to Home Again where we are having a concrete slab put in for a basketball court. We hope that construction will begin within the next two weeks.

This month we will be working on several projects at Home Again which include shelves, a ceiling and exterior plastering of the lower home. We'll keep you updated as the work progresses. It is amazing to see how far the orphanage has come over the last couple of years. Bringing Hope to the Family truly desires that Home Again will be a clean, safe and Christ centered home for needy children. They are well on their way.

Oh, and, the work on our veranda was completed on Tuesday of this week.

Help for Kisangwa

2011-10-27T17:05:00.000+03:00

Construction of a new shallow well for the village of Kisangwa has been underway for about a week now. This is our fifth well to construct in the Katooke area. Weather permitting we hope to have the well completed within the next day of two. This well is going to provide clean water to nearly 160 people within this community! We want to thank everyone who gave towards the construction of this well.

Construction that's close to home

2011-10-25T19:16:00.001+03:00

Work has been under way for about a week now on the volunteer house's veranda, which also doubles as GSM's leadership course classroom. We are really excited to get this part of the house done. The crew we hired to do the work has been awesome. They have truly been hustling and doing great work. The entire job should be finished within the next week.

Over a year ago Katie came up with the idea to start saving bottle caps to try her hand at decorating the walls once they were plastered. Yesterday that day finally came and we are quite pleased with the way things turned out.

A snapshot of Bringing Hope to the Family

2011-10-20T16:56:00.000+03:00

Life in Kaihura is moving right along. I just wanted to take a moment and share a few photos of some of Bringing Hope to the Family's staff hard at work. We thank God for their willingness to serve their community through the various gifts and talents that God has blessed them with.

High hopes!

2011-10-17T16:23:00.001+03:00

I just want to share a few snapshots from High Hope Academy. This school is a project of Bringing Hope to the Family. The school currently has classes from nursery (preschool) through primary 3. Most of the classes are filled with children from Home Again, but there are a few students from the community as well. The school has been in existence for two years now. The school's headmaster is a young man named Emmanuel, who happens to currently be enrolled in our leadership development course. He is a very dedicated person. He is also very passionate about his students education and the success of the school. We are pleased to see the amount of progress that the academy has made in such a short amount of time.

Nets for Kesina

2011-10-10T11:33:00.000+03:00

This past Thursday we made our first visit to the village of Kesina to visit homes. We first met up with a local pastor named John, who was to be our guide for the day. After putting nets up in his house we then visited 4 other homes. In all we hung 15 mosquito nets and provided safe, mosquito-free sleep to at least 30 people. This was our first of several visits to come to this village. We praise God for the opportunity to assist the people of Kesina.

Please help us help others!

2011-10-06T21:29:00.000+03:00

Global Support Mission is currently participating in a contest through Giving of Life. Giving of Life is going to provide 20 non profit organizations with grants that range from $2,000 to $50,000. The organizations are chosen by you, the voters. We ask that you and anyone you could mention this to follow the link below and vote for us. If you want additional votes you can register an email address, register your facebook account and/or enter your twitter handle (ex. @knowthinkact) which if you do not have one you can use this one.

http://givingoflife.com/browse/global_support_mission/

Please spread the word. We would greatly appreciate your help. Also, voting ends on November 4th.

Progress for Village Art

2011-10-05T18:56:00.000+03:00

On Wednesday Katie continued working on transforming Bringing Hope to the Family's old roadside sign into a new sign for Village Art. She, with the help of our friend Josh, has been working on the sign off and on for a week now. Painting during the rainy season definitely presents it's own set of challenges. The new sign will now display all of the various income generation projects that Village Art has going on.

Also, Katie's Mom, Cathi, spent half the day with the ladies in the work shop giving them a lesson on using the electric sewing machine to make quilts. The lesson went well and should help shorten the ladies' time per quilt.

Thursday we will hopefully be visiting homes and assisting these families with mosquito nets.

More to come...

A wonderful conclusion

2011-09-24T11:51:00.000+03:00

Last friday our smaller volunteer team wrapped up their 4 day biblical training conference. The content of the conference was basically a Christianity 101 course. The conference was a huge success with the number of those in attendance increasing each day. The people who attended had a great time and left feeling encouraged and excited.

As the conference wrapped up we were able to distribute 147 english Bibles to the those in attendance that lacked a Bible. Rutooro bibles, and additional english Bibles, are still on back order and will be distributed as soon as they are available.

We want to thank everyone who gave towards the putting on of the conference and the purchase of Bibles.

We are thrilled that we have the opportunity to assist with both the physical and spiritual needs of the people here.

Thank you UCLA medical team!

2011-09-21T19:30:00.000+03:00

Our medical team from UCLA has arrived back safely in California. The team was amazing, motivated and productive.

Through our home visits we visited 21 homes, hung 68 mosquito nets and treated 32 patients within these homes.

I am still waiting for the official count from the medical team, but we are certain that over 1000 people were seen and tested throughout our 6 outreaches.

We praise God for the opportunity to serve and bless the communities in the Kyenjojo District.

We want to thank the team for all of their hard work and blessing Bringing Hope's clinic, Hope Again Medical Center, with a lot of new medications and supplies.

We also want to thank everyone who prayed for the team and for the outreaches. To God be the glory!

Home visits

2011-09-15T15:42:00.000+03:00

I want to use this post to shine a spotlight on the home visits that our medical volunteer team has been doing all this week. So far our team has visited 17 homes, hung 55 mosquito nets and have checked and assisted 27 family members who needed medical attention. The severity of attention needed has varied from headaches to back pains to burn victims to cancer patients.

The team has been outstanding throughout these visits. Their level of care and attention has been encouraging to the families we have visited. The families are amazed that someone would care enough to trek out to their homes to provide them with mosquito nets and free medical care. At one of the homes we visited the mother of the home repeatedly asked if the medications were free. She couldn't believe it.

We greatly appreciate all that this team is doing for these communities.

We also want to thank our friends at Benton Baptist Church in Alabama for the dolls that we distributed to the children. We sent several dolls home with ladies to surprise their children when they returned from school.

The photos below are from Wednesday's home visits.

Comic relief

2011-09-14T21:34:00.000+03:00

This past Monday I was playing right out of the Clark Griswold play book. If the movie industry ever decides to make a National Lampoon's African Vacation movie I can help write the script.

Albeit, the credit, or blame, lies solely with me I will preface this by saying that no one else in the vehicle thought about it or warned me prior to my stroke of genius.

Now to the lovely story...

With our Pajero loaded down with family, friends and luggage (roof rack included) we decided to make one last stop in Kampala before we headed out to the village. We pulled into Garden City (the mall) and searched for a parking spot. We decided to go into the parking garage. As we headed up the ramp all we heard was....... scratch, scrape, yank, bang and BOOM! Immediately we all realized what I had just done. Yes, that's right, I had hit the low sealing with our recently purchased roof rack and it now laid mangled on the ground behind our car.

So, with a bit of effort we stuffed everything we could inside the car and roped our mangled rack and a suitcase or two to the roof of our car and headed for home. We are well on our way to a memorable trip for Katie's parents and our friend Modell.

In case you are wondering, I believe the rack is repairable. But, in the future I will steer clear of all parking garages.

I just wanted to brighten up your day. I hope this helped.

Chris

All together now!

2011-09-13T21:33:00.000+03:00

As of Monday all of our volunteers scheduled to come are with us here in Uganda.

Now to recap our highlights for the day....

On our home visits we visited 6 families in the village of Miranga, hung 19 mosquito nets, which will provide safe sleeping for at least 38 people. Our nurses also attended to 9 family members who needed medical care. One of the cases we saw today was a 9 month old baby boy who had a bad burn on his hand. The team was able to provide ointment for him and wrap his wound.

Today's medical outreach was in the village of Mbale. The team tested and checked 265 patients today. The turn out was the biggest so far. The team had to turn away right at 100 people as this was far beyond their capability. Overall the outreach was a huge success.

Also, our biblical training conference began today. We had a decent first day turnout. It is very common for the crowds to grow each day of the conference. So, we are expecting a much bigger crowd tomorrow. But, the first day still went very well. The people that attended today are very excited for what is to come over the next 4 days.

More updates to come...

Little Katie

2011-09-10T17:54:00.000+03:00

I want to thank everyone for your prayers for little Katie. I need to inform you all that Katie passed away today on the way to the hospital in Fort Portal. Her body was just not strong enough to fight off all that was going on within her. Katie was 9 years old and a very sweet girl. Up until the last week she always had a smile on her face. And, we praise God that she is currently with her savior.

Please thank everyone you know that was praying for her. God is faithful even when the outcome is not what we hoped for. Her suffering is now over and for that we praise God.

Wedding anyone?

2011-09-10T11:22:00.000+03:00

Looking for a wedding dress for your upcoming wedding? Come check out our selection at Village Art's Bridal Boutique! Thanks to many wonderful donations Bringing Hope to the Family's income generation project Village Art now has 30+ dresses and we have 12 more coming on Sunday.

A couple of days ago some of the ladies began unpacking the gowns and other wedding accessories. Katie was there with them and as you can see from the photos they were a little excited.

Thank you to all who donated!

Reaching out

2011-09-09T22:28:00.002+03:00

Today was our team's first full day of outreaches. We split into 4 groups as we ventured out into the community.

One team visited homes in the morning to hang mosquito nets and provide checkups to anyone at these homes that needed medical attention. This group visited 3 homes, hung 11 mosquito nets and saw 7 patients. The families were very happy to receive medical care in their homes.

Another team spent the morning assisting Bringing Hope's medical staff at Hope Again Medical Center. Much of their day was spent attending to little Katie. She is still in a similar condition as she was yesterday. Please continue to pray for her.

A third team went and spent the morning at the government operated clinic in Kyenjojo. Visiting this clinic allows the teams to see how a government clinic is ran and to have an additional outlet to assist more patients.

Our fourth team went out to host a free screening outreach in the village of Kyongera. During this outreach the team in conjunction with a few of Bringing Hope's medical staff members tested people for HIV, malaria and typhoid. They also did checkups for those who were symptomatic. They were expecting around 100-150 patients. By lunch they had a line of over 200. After lunch most of the volunteers that were in the other groups headed out to assist with the massive turnout.

The team was able to test and check 200 patients. Sadly they had to turn away nearly 50 people being that 200 is the max that the team can handle per day. That being said, it was still a fantastic day. Though they couldn't help everyone they did make a huge impact in the lives of so many today.

As the day went on the afternoon rains came in. By the end of the day the roads were soup. It did made for fun driving. Overall, it was an excellent first day. And, we still have 5 more full days of outreaches next week.

URGENT: prayer needed

2011-09-08T22:44:00.000+03:00

I want to update everyone on the status of little Katie, the girl at Home Again that has cancer. Right now she is having a very tough time and needs urgent prayer. Along with cancer she is HIV+, plus she has TB and to make things worse she has chicken pox. She has been dealing with chicken pox for nearly 2 weeks, but her body is too week to deal with it. Everyone at the clinic here is very worried for her. Faith took her to the hospital in Fort Portal earlier this week, but there wasn't really anything they could do for her. Right now we do not believe she has the strength to make the trip to Kampala to visit the hospital there. We would greatly appreciate your prayers for her. Feel free to tell others about her and ask them to pray as well.

Practical ministry

2011-09-07T21:29:00.003+03:00

We had a busy and productive day here in western Uganda. In the morning we went back to assist the widow we met on Monday. We were able to provide her with some food, clothing, blankets and a tarp for a temporary roof. Being able to meet her immediate needs and pray with her family and neighbors was a true blessing to us. Bringing Hope to the Family is going to continue to assist this woman and her children and try to stabilize their living condition.

After lunch we drove out to Katooke Town to officially hand over the new well. We had a wonderful time praising God with this community as we were stuck inside the nearby church during a heavy rain storm.

Also, the rest of our nursing volunteers arrived in the village this evening with all of their luggage. Exciting times are ahead!

More to come...

Gearing up.

2011-09-05T18:16:00.001+03:00

Things are gearing up here in Kaihura. Four of the nursing team volunteers are in the village with us now. Katie and one of the volunteers are heading to Kampala tomorrow to pick up the other 14 volunteers that will arrive Wednesday morning. All of the members of this team are either nurses or nursing students. We have several HIV testing outreaches, mosquito net outreaches and days at the clinic scheduled for the team. The outreaches will begin on Friday.

Also, on Sunday we have another team arriving. It just happens to be Katie's parents and their friend Model. They will be hosting a 5 day biblical training conference in Kaihura next week. Needless to say for the next two weeks things are going to be hopping around here.

Today, a woman came to Bringing Hope to the Family asking for assistance. She recently gave birth to her second set of twins. She has six children total and her husband has been absent for a few months. He is believed to be in jail.

We visited her home today. She lives on her husband's plot which is next to her brother-in-law's land. Her living conditions are extremely poor, but I was quite pleased to see that her brother-in-law was helping her as best as he can. It is common for the husband's family to not assit the wife when the man is out of the picture.

We were also pleased to see that this lady has not given up on her children, but is looking for help for them. Bringing Hope is going to assit her as much as possible and help her get their living situation stable.

Bringing Hope to the Family is truly providing hope to many struggling families in the area.

Update from Kyongera

2011-08-24T10:48:00.001+03:00

Things are moving along nicely in Kyongera. With the rainy season upon us again almost every matooke tree has a bunch of matooke growing on it. Bringing Hope is about 5 to 6 months away from all the matooke they could ever want. They will have plenty of extra with which they will be able to sell in order to by other food items that they do not produce. The additional 3 acres that was purchased earlier in the year are being prepared for this planting season. Also, the roof is being installed on the dormitory that will be for the male students of Dorcas Vocational School. The rains, though helpful for farming, have been a hinderance to the construction process, but they are steadily making process.

We want to thank everyone who gave towards the work being done in Kyongera.

Getting ready for the dresses

2011-08-19T10:47:00.001+03:00

On Thursday Katie and Josh, a volunteer that has been in Kaihura with us for some time now, tackled the job of painting the two rooms that will be storing the bridal gowns and accessories. As Village Art continue's to grow the need for a new administration building for Bringing Hope to the Family becomes more of a necessity. Including these two new rooms Village Art has now commandeered 4 rooms that were offices for Bringing Hope staff members. Bringing Hope has been working towards a new administration building for some time. This is just extra motivation for them.

Next week we are hoping to hang shelving and a full size mirror in these freshly painted rooms. We've got about 3 weeks to get ready for the first delivery of gowns.

We are also happy to say that Village Art's salon has been very busy of late. They have had several clients over that last couple of days. Progress. We love it.

A glimpse of what's to come...

2011-08-17T10:46:00.000+03:00

Despite their lack of materials and having only one wedding dress to rent Village Art was able to land their first bridal client this past weekend. A lack of gowns is not going to be a problem for much longer as we have volunteers bringing over 40 gowns within the next month. On the other hand we are still trying to raise funds on Know.Think.Act for the needed equipment to get the salon up and running properly, but that being said they were still able to assist this bride on her special day.

The ladies at Village Art had a great time preparing the bride and they got a glimpse of what is to come for Village Art and Bringing Hope to the Family. I believe the excitement was too much to keep some of the other ladies with Bringing Hope away. There seemed to be several extra hands in the room to help get the bride ready. The wedding was held at the local Full Gospel church in Kaihura and went off without a hitch.

We are very excited for Village Art and Bringing Hope to the Family. Part of our vision at GSM is to help our network affiliates with self sustaining projects. Lord willing, this was the first of many bridal clients to come.

The week in review

2011-08-13T12:52:00.000+03:00

I just want to take a minute and recap our week. Rain and power outages. There's our recap. Just kidding, but it's partly true.

Seriously though, we continued on with our leadership course on Wednesday. We had to hold the class in our living room due to a violent rain storm. We had to read by candle light for a while until the electricity was restored. It was fun, though. And, everyone seemed to have a good time. Each week Katie and I are requiring homework from the students mainly to see that they understand the material and also for further studying. We were encouraged after reading their homework from the first week. It appears that they are grasping what we are teaching. That, obviously, is very important.

Also, after a few holdups (mostly weather related), the digging of a new shallow well in Katooke Town is underway. If the rain will lighten up some they should be done with the construction by early next week.

I have to brag on Moses a bit. He took all of the photos of the well construction. He's getting really good at taking nice shots.

Thanks for checking in. Have a great weekend.

Investing in others

2011-08-05T14:03:00.000+03:00

This past Wednesday we kicked off the humble beginning of GSM's one day University of Leadership and Social Enterprise. This first term consists of 10 students from Bringing Hope to the Family. We are very excited to see this course become a reality. We have been working towards this goal for some time now.

One of our goals at GSM is to strengthen our network affiliates through education. This first term consists of 2 courses one being biblical foundations and the other being biblically based leadership development. Our goal, and Bringing Hope to the Family's, is to invest in the younger generation of Bringing Hope's staff to help mold them into solid Christ centered leaders within their organization, community and wherever else God might lead them.

The first class was a huge success. We explained to the students that Faith chose each of them because she sees great potential in each of them. The students seem to be very excited about being chosen by the organization to be a part of this course, and also at the opportunity to gain knew knowledge.

We will keep you posted on highlights as the course continues. We would greatly appreciate your prayers for these students and the course.

When you think you've seen it all

2011-08-01T09:44:00.000+03:00

As we were visiting a home in Rwensinene last week I noticed a poster on the wall. Now poster-calendars are a very common thing around here. They can range from sports teams to religious themes to celebrities to politicians to this one. The title of this poster-calendar was "The final days of Saddam Hussein." It had several different photos of him, but this photo in particular caught my eye. Now, I've seen North by Northwest and I don't recall him being in it.

Rwensinene part 2

2011-07-29T16:21:00.000+03:00

I'll begin this blog with an explanation for our lack of posts this week. Due to a heavy rainstorm which knocked down 6 power poles we were left without electricity from Monday morning until late Thursday night. Thus we have been unable to keep a charge on anything electronic until now, but thankfully the power has been restored. And we are truly grateful for that.

Now on to today's adventure... We headed out once again to Rwensinene this morning. This was our second trip to this village. (Our last mosquito net outreach blog was from this area.) We visited 5 more families today and hung 15 nets again. The weather looked threatening today, but thankfully it held off for us.

The houses were extra packed today as all of the children were home from school. (Teachers are currently on strike over wages.) But, it allowed us to meet entire families instead of just the parents.

There was one man that stood out to me today. He asked us to pray for him to help him with his addiction to alcohol. This was the first time anyone here has ever asked me for help with this problem. So, we certainly prayed that God would set him free from this addiction. This is one of the challenges here. Alcoholism is very prevalent, but it is not addressed. And, rarely does anyone admit to it. I would ask you to pray that God will bring help to these people.

Otherwise, today was a great success. We had a volunteer from Scotland, Sarah, who has been teaching at a local school for a year, helping us today. It was her first time visiting villages and hanging mosquito nets. She is heading home in a couple of weeks and wanted to get in on the fun before it was too late.

Kolby was trying to entertain himself while he waited for us to go today.

It's play time!

2011-07-25T11:27:00.000+03:00

Last week Katie was able to assist a fellow volunteer, Becca, with creating a play room in Home Again orphanage. They painted the room, hung shelves on the walls and purchased plastic bins to hold toys. They had a large table built and bought plastic chairs. Also, the last time Katie and I were in Kampala we were able to load up on educational toys for the kids.

The children and the house mom's are very excited about the room and the toys. We want to thank Becca for funding this project and for all of her hard work while she was here with us.

Net adventures

2011-07-21T12:00:00.000+03:00

Today we went out to an area we had never been to before to hang mosquito in the homes of a few families that Bringing Hope to the Family is now assisting. We were accompanied today with 3 volunteers from North Carolina and a couple of staff members from Bringing Hope.

The ride out there was quite an adventure. The roads were very bumpy, steep and extremely dusty. We went to a few area's that would have been beyond the reach of our vehicle. Thankfully we chose to ride motorcycles for this outreach.

We were able to visit and assist 5 families today and hung 15 mosquito nets. The people we met today were very excited to welcome us into their homes. In one of the homes we met a blind man who was very friendly and appreciative. He greeted all of us several times and prayed for us as well. We also prayed for him and his family.

The area we visited today, like the area in Katooke, is very poor. Now, I realize that most people here are quite poor compared to our standards, but there are definitely levels of poverty here. And, these people are in really bad shape. Every home we visited today asked for prayer for peace in their home, education for their children and financial help.

We prayed for them and let them know that God loves them, cares about them and he knows what they need. Please feel free to pray for these people as well and ask God to provide for them.

A healthy dose of reality

2011-07-19T10:46:00.003+03:00

Yesterday our lighter that we use to light our stove with stop working. (And, yes stoves here have to be lit every time. We don't have pilot lights.) So, Katie and I decided to take it apart and see what the problem was. At the very end of it, a small cockroach decided to climb in and die. After removing the roach the lighter was as good as new.

Roaches. They're everywhere. I know this might seem like a weird post topic, but we couldn't help but laugh. I would wager that half the things in Uganda that are broken probably just need a few dead roaches to be removed from them.

Good times.

I hope you have a roach free day.

P.S. This is Katie here. I am sure after reading this you must think we have a real problem with roaches and they are just everywhere. I will not lie, when we had just moved here there was a really bad problem. I was scared for my life, lol. But be encouraged, we have battled them and pretty much won. Regular spraying has helped keep them down. So after reading this maybe we should catch the hint that it might be about that time to spray again =).

The year of the well

2011-07-18T10:38:00.001+03:00

Moses, our coworker, and I are calling 2011 the year of the well since we are hoping to have completed 7 wells by the year's end. Last week the repair of a broken box well in the village of Nyabirongo (Katooke) was completed. Moses took the lead on this project and he did a great job. As I had mentioned in an earlier post we had planned to construct a new shallow well in this community, but having seen this box well and finding that it was repairable we decided to do this instead.

It only took Moses, George (the water engineer) and the community 4 days to have this well back up and running and looking new again. This well will provide clean water to nearly 140 people in this community. We want to thank the Lord and those who were kind enough to donate the funds for this project.

Since the repair of the box well was less costly than the price of a new shallow well the remainder of the money is going to purchase a new hose for Bringing Hope's water pump. This will allow us to continue digging more wells. God has a way of providing!

School Day

2011-07-08T17:37:00.000+03:00

This past Saturday was visitation day for many of the secondary boarding schools in our area. Since Bringing Hope now has about 15 students in boarding school we took the opportunity to visit them at their schools. The students were overjoyed to see visitors.

For the most part the students are really enjoying boarding school. The only downside is that several of them are missing everyone back at Home Again. But, these schools provide the students with a much better level of academics and less things to distract them from their studies.

By the time we arrived at the second school the students were worried we weren't coming. The girls at this school were jumping up and down with excitement to see us and receive some goodies that Bringing Hope to the Family had sent for them.

I am still always amazed out how much of an impact just being somewhere can make on someone else. Sometimes the seemingly insignificant things can make a lasting impression. I praise God for the opportunity.

We Are The Repair Men!

2011-07-08T17:06:00.002+03:00

Last week we began with the idea that we were going to be constructing a new well, but that quickly changed. We found out that this community had two broken wells nearby, so we quickly changed our plans to repairing the 2 wells instead of constructing one new one.

After two days of attempting to disassemble a broken borehole well we concluded that it was beyond our repair. This well was originally built in 1957 and was repaired in 2004. Apparently the repair job in 2004 didn't last more than a year and left the well ruined, which is the way we found it last week.

Having washed our hands of that well we are turning to the repair of the spring box well nearby. This one appears to be an easy fix. And work will begin on it next week.

Throughout this process we have had a good time with the locals and our volunteers. And there are more good times ahead I'm sure.

A child in need...

2011-07-05T17:04:00.002+03:00

In early April, while we were still in the US, I received a photo and information on a young girl named Katie. Katie's family had brought her to Bringing Hope to the Family for medical treatment. Katie is 9 years old and came to the clinic with swelling on her face and an infection under her right eye. Bringing Hope sent Katie to Mulago Hospital in Kampala for testing. The testing confirmed that she has some form of cancer. Her family was told to take Katie to get any and all necessary treatment the doctors at Mulago required and one way or another Bringing Hope to the Family would cover the medical bills.

After receiving this information from Faith, I posted Katie's need on KTA. Thankfully we have raised a portion of the funding needed for her medical bills. Last week Bringing Hope discovered that Katie's family had never taken her for any follow up appointments. And, the swelling on Katie's face has more than doubled. Upon this discovery Bringing Hope to the Family has taken custody of Katie. She is now in Home Again orphanage and scheduled for her next medical appointment. We are currently trying to raise $1000 to cover her medical needs, of which we have already raised $250. At this point the $1000 is only an estimate as to how much money will be needed for her medical bills. Bringing Hope to the Family's medical staff believes this should be enough to cover her expenses, but again at this point they are not certain.

As you know, we usually do not use our blog for asking for donations, but if you or someone you know would be interested in helping Katie please follow the link below to her need on Know.Think.Act. http://www.knowthinkact.com/need.php?nid=218

We would also greatly appreciate any and all prayers for Katie's recovery.

Thank you.

Praise the Lord!

2011-06-29T09:51:00.001+03:00

I want to fill everyone in on the status of Robert, the boy at Home Again who was hit by a truck last year. We are all amazed at how well and how quickly he has recovered. Robert is up and about and back to school already. About a week ago I saw him working in the garden with a hoe. I had to take a second look. I was amazed that he was not only walking, but also able to do chores.

A couple of days ago I taught the boys at Home Again to play darts. The boys had a great time and, as you can see in the photo, Robert got in on the action as well.

I want to thank everyone who gave towards Robert's medical bills. Your support was truly a matter of life and death. And, he is alive today thanks to your help.

Hang a net. Save a life.

2011-06-27T17:00:00.001+03:00

I want to share a little more from our time with our last team before we move on to new a topic. So, today I will highlight our mosquito net distribution. Katie and Moses took a group of our volunteers to the village of Ruhooko to visit families and provide them with mosquito nets one day and I took a few others later in the week. Bringing Hope to the Family provides education assistance (tuition/scholastic materials) to several children in this village. This was our first time, personally, to work in Ruhooko. We visited several of the families that Bringing Hope assists and hung nets for them and prayed with them as well.

The volunteers had a great time visiting with the families and getting involved with them. It is one thing to see how people live, but to step into to their world and to talk and share with them is another thing all together. This is where the ministry truly comes to life.

Hop To It Construction Co.

2011-06-20T17:10:00.001+03:00

Our team's big project for this trip, besides the conferences the have been holding, has been to transform the courtyard behind Village Art craft shop into a beautiful oasis. Bringing Hope's plan to is open a salon, or as the Ugandan's say a "saloon," in the room behind the craft shop.

The team has also funded the renovation of that room in preparations for the salon. This process has involved installing a door and windows, wiring it for electricity and installing indoor plumbing. The local contractors have been great. They have jumped right in and made quick work of the process.

Our team has been quite motivated as well. The entire courtyard was completely transformed within 48 hours. We have all been amazed at how quickly it came about, and also how nice it has turned out. Village Art's goal is to sell hot tea and soda's to clients that come to get their hair done. Currently there isn't any big salons nearby for ladies to get their hair done for weddings and other special occasions nearby. Up until now ladies have had to travel to Fort Portal, which is about 45 minutes away, to visit a salon.

The new courtyard is already gaining the attention of many people around town. There has never been a shop like this around here before. Now, obviously a good bit of money has been put into this project, but everything done has been done with local materials. We hope that this will inspire others the try new things and take pride in what they have and try to present it in the best way they can.

I want to thank our team and many of Bringing Hope's staff for their hard work making this project come to pass so quickly.

Spotlight on: The Marriage Conference

2011-06-16T11:55:00.001+03:00

As day 2 of the marriage conference in Katooke gets under way I thought I would share a little about it. In the past our friends Paul and Teri have hosted these conferences in Kaihura, but this time Bringing Hope to the Family decided to share this much needed information with the people of Katooke. Because of the distance, most people in Katooke have not been able to attend the conferences in Kaihura.

In these marriage conferences Paul and Teri discuss many topics that are vitally needed here. Topics can vary from why a couple should get legally married to how to properly love your spouse. But, they also have to deal with things like polygamy in this area. Technically polygamy is no longer legal in Uganda, but in village settings it is still practiced by many people. Also, Uganda, especially in rural areas, is a very male dominated society. Thus, the topic of being unselfish and putting your spouses needs first always needs to be addressed.

The conference began yesterday in normal Ugandan fashion with about ten people, but by lunch there were over 70 and by the end of the day there were over 90 people in attendance. This morning we already have a large crowd. Having enjoyed yesterday's message and a nice lunch the people that attended yesterday quickly returned for more. The second day usually draws in more people due to word of mouth. We are expecting well over 100 people to attend today.

This is Paul and Teri's third trip in as many years to Uganda. They have a true heart for the people of Uganda and a desire to help them with their marriages.

Let the projects begin.

2011-06-15T12:23:00.000+03:00

Our latest volunteer team arrived here in Kaihura on Monday evening. Most of the team are returning members from past teams with a couple of new faces added in. It is great to see volunteers come and be so impacted that they continue to come back year after year to serve and be a part of this community.

We waisted no time getting to work Tuesday morning as we tackled the project of painting the inside of the local church. We had one day to get it done before the pastor's conference began. Thankfully, the team came ready to work and, with the help of a few guys in the community, we knocked it by lunch.

After lunch we headed out to see Bringing Hope's farm and new dormitory construction for the vocational school. Many of the volunteers here now are the ones responsible for making this dormitory project happen. Thus, they were delighted to see the construction under way. The contractor said that he hopes to have the dormitory completed by the end of next month.

Please keep checking back as we will be adding more updates throughout the week. Also, we would greatly appreciate your prayers for this team and the community as the pastor's conference and marriage conference both begin today.

Construction and Growth

2011-06-10T16:11:00.002+03:00

As we are preparing for our next volunteer team that will arrive here on Monday I wanted to take a moment and share a few photos with you showcasing the progress within the Bringing Hope organization. First off, work has begun on the new male dormitory for the vocational school in Kyongera. The workers are preparing to lay the foundation.

Also, progress on the new medical center is continuing on. The roof is just about finished. This phase should be done by the weekend.

Have a great weekend.

Chris

Welcome Home, Edison!

2011-06-07T15:28:00.001+03:00

Last week, while our GSM team was here, we all went to Fort Portal to enjoy a nice lunch and fast internet. While we were there a friend of ours told us about a young boy named Edison that was all alone and would probably need to enter an orphanage. While Moses and I were dealing with an overheated van, Katie went to see the boy. Thankfully that same day Faith, from Bringing Hope, was in Fort Portal as well. After we got the van fixed we picked up Faith and went to see Edison.

After hearing his story, Faith decided that he needed to enter Home Again. So, after we went to the market and bought him some clothes, we went to his village to get a letter from the Local Chairman to allow him to come with us. Then we brought him back to Kaihura for the night. The next day a couple of Bringing Hope staff members took Edison back to his village to get all of the paperwork in order.

Now, Edison's original story was that he was a complete orphan living in a banana plantation eating whatever he could find. The next day the story changed quite a bit, but it is still a very sad story none the less. Edison is an only child. His father had died a few years back and his mother has since remarried. His step dad wants nothing to do with him. Edison's mother and step dad have 3 or 4 kids together, which appear to be well taken care of. The man does not want to spend his money on Edison. So, Edison over the last year has run away from home several times, but has never been missed. Edison, not having a home and looking for acceptance had been welcomed in by a rough crowd of street boys. Edison was quickly getting himself into trouble.

The police were able to get his mother to come to the police station in order to confirm Edison's story, which she did. She also, knowing that he will never be welcomed into their home signed him over to Bringing Hope to the Family.

Now, I realize this sounds like a very sad story and it truly is as is every child's story that comes to Home Again. But, the beauty of this story is that God intervened. One day Edison was living on the streets and stealing to survive. Then the next day he was rescued and brought into a family that loves and accepts him and only wants the best for him.

We serve serve a great and loving God. This is also a perfect example of the work that Bringing Hope to the Family is doing. I feel privileged to work along side them.

Welcome home, Edison.

Team update

2011-06-01T15:57:00.001+03:00

Our Stateside GSM folks arrived here in Kaihura on Sunday. On Monday we toured Bringing Hope's farm and vocational school in Kyongera and Village Art's freshly painted craft shop. We also spent some time playing with the kids at Home Again. On Tuesday we headed out to Fort Portal on an adventure that we didn't see coming. To begin with we had van troubles, but we also met a boy which we, with Faith, brought back to Kaihura to be welcomed into Home Again. We will share more about Edison soon.

Bringing Hope to the Family and Home Again are both aptly named. We saw both of these in action providing Edison with hope and a new home.

Also, our team, along Katie, take off for Kampala on Thursday to visit several jewelry/craft artisans and vendors.

More to come soon.

Painting a Wall is Like Painting the Mind

2011-05-27T13:56:00.001+03:00

So to catch people up, last year I helped Bringing Hope start an income generation project. That project is called Village Art and is a craft shop. They had a good beginning last year and it is continuing on this year. The girls that work in this shop come from nothing. They did not even get a chance to finish school due to things that might come up, like needing to take care of their family because a parent died. Another reason would be they did not have the money to pay for secondary school. Thus they were eligible to go to Bringing Hope's Dorcas vocational school. These girls did very well in school and were selected to be able to work in the shop. Most of these girls have never been anywhere other than the village. Most of them have never been to Kampala, which is the capital. Most of them have not been beyond a 15 mile radius of the village. So their world view is very small. And I would say that is the case for most of the village.
It is hard to imagine anything different if you have never seen anything different. I wanted to help out the girls fix up the place that they were working in. I wanted to expand their mind and show them something that is nice. I wanted to add color to help them create something new. So on www.knowthinkact.com we raised money to do the repairs and fix ups that I had in mind. We raised money for paint, some shelves, a table, and to put a light and outlet in the new retail store they are going to open. I had no idea paint can make such a difference. We had so many people come by to see what was happening. People were amazed to see that a place in the village could look so nice and that they can dare to do something different. That is why I said that paint on the wall can also paint the mind. And I have to admit, I did not come up with that saying. An Ugandan friend said that to me. I hope to see other store owners in Kaihura follow this example.

Before...

During...

After!!

Me working hard in my lovely painting clothes

Everyone is working hard and having fun!

Chris helping out and hanging shelves in the retail store

I helped too

The shelves are installed at the shop! Now they need to fill them!

So Village Art is a craft work shop and a craft store. And coming really soon they will also have a salon(or what they call a saloon). The new manager for VA just graduated from beauty school and will be teaching at the vocational school and will also be doing hair in the Salon. So we are hoping that this will bring in even more money for the shop and for Bringing Hope. There is not a good place to get hair done around here for women so we hope to be the place to go! If you want to get involved with this we will be posting more needs on KTA soon for the salon. Also, if you own a business or know someone who does and would like to order crafts to sell just let us know and we can figure that out!

As Always!

stay adventurous

Katie

One happening town

2011-05-23T21:57:00.001+03:00

Hello all. I just want to get everyone up to speed on what's been happening around here lately. Katie has been helping the ladies at the craft shop paint their store and work room, but I will leave that for another blog. There has been two soccer tournaments over the last two weekends here in Kaihura. This past Sunday the boys from Home Again placed second in the youth tournament.

The rafters have been set in place for Hope Again Medical Center's new clinic over the last week. The roof should be completed over the next couple of weeks. We want to thank our friends at Embrace Uganda for their efforts to complete this new clinic.

Also, schools started back today. The secondary students from Home Again were transported back to boarding school today. The nursery and primary students resumed classes locally as well.

Also, our stateside GSM team will be here with us next week.

More info coming soon.

Be blessed.

Checkers anyone?

2011-05-13T20:30:00.000+03:00

While I was visiting Bringing Hope's farm in Kyongera last week I stopped and watched two of the vocational school students play chess on their homemade board for a few minutes. I have to say I was impressed with their ingenuity. Bottle caps and plastic roofing nail washers for their pieces. Brilliant.

Just thought I would share.

Mowing it down.

2011-05-09T15:02:00.001+03:00

While we were home we were blessed with many wonderful gifts that we are very grateful for. One item that we were given I recently got to "try out" and I have to tell you it made me happy. Our new lawn mower is a beautiful thing. I was nervous about getting it on the plane and then actually having it arrive, but praise God it made it.

Our first year here I was paying a few boys next door to "slash" our yard with metal slashers (basically a long machete with a bend at the end of it.) Then, last year we brought back a weed eater with us. That was a huge step up, but it still took me about 4 hours to cut the entire yard. But, now, oh my! I'm down to about 2 hours of work and it cuts like a dream. I know. It's just a lawnmower, but it's something special to me.

I would like to thank all of our friends at D'Iberville Wal-Mart who pitched in for this blessing. Thank you!

Until next time...

Stay adventurous

It's ceremony time!

2011-05-05T14:22:00.001+03:00

The shallow pump well that GSM and Bringing Hope to the Family constructed in Kariruga was completed in mid-March, but they decided to wait for us to return before they held their official handover ceremony. So, yesterday we made the 45 minute trek out to the Katooke District to the village of Kariruga. We had a great turnout. Almost all of the 29 families had representatives in attendance.

As I have mentioned before, the people there are just wonderful. They are very appreciative, cooperative and hard working. They are a pleasure to serve.

It is customary that when a well is dedicated the community gives the donors a goat in appreciation. Sadly, this community bought a goat, but it was stolen a couple of days before the ceremony. The community leaders felt so bad that they scrounged up $15 worth of Ugandan Shillings to present to me. Now, honestly, I felt bad for them. I would have liked to have said, "No, please keep your money," but that would of been too offensive to them. Thus, I graciously accepted.

All in all we rejoiced together, praised God for his blessings together, and had a wonderful time together (minus the intense heat and lack of breeze.) I am encouraged and amazed every time I visit with the people of Katooke.

Until next time,

stay adventurous

Everything's Gearing up!

2011-05-02T20:49:00.000+03:00

So, it's May now and the rains are upon us. It's actually raining right now as I type. Last week we, with Bringing Hope's management staff, sat down with a calendar and planned out the year and what we hope to get accomplished while individual volunteers and teams are with us.

I am still amazed at how many people come through this tiny little village in western Uganda. God is definitely up to something!

Katie is quickly getting to work on organizing Bringing Hope's craft shop (Village Art). Thanks to some great support from our Know.Think.Act allies Bringing Hope has money for a table, wall shelving, 2 book case sized shelves, paint and electricity for the shop. Over the next couple of weeks Village Art is going to transform into a great place to work and shop.

I'll save the rest for a later blog in which I will attach photos to. I apologize for the lack of photos this time.

Until next time,

stay adventurous

Kaihura Again

2011-04-23T16:33:00.001+03:00

We were welcomed back to Kaihura with smiles and a sky full of stars. We never seem to make it back during the daylight, but it was a great welcome none the less. After a nice long sleep we were able to see all of the progress that has transpired since we left in January.

The stone walkways look great and grass is slowly beginning to fill in the yard. Also, the new stove for Home Again has been installed and is working perfectly. All of the students that are now attending boarding school are home for Easter. It is great to see them all again.

On our first day back Bringing Hope was holding a funeral for a baby girl. An infant girl was brought to Bringing Hope about a month ago. She was in terrible shape. After a month of care she did not improve and passed away earlier this week. She was buried near the church just down from Home Again.

It is a sad reality that life is fragile and not every child that comes to the home will pull through. But, we know that God is sovereign and we can only do our best and trust him in all things.

Where will this year take us? Only God knows. And, so the journey begins.

The last minute dash

2011-04-13T20:44:00.000+03:00

We are down to less than a week now before we head back to Uganda. The goodbye's are always bitter sweet. We had a great time seeing friends and family. But, we are excited about this next year on the field. We will be updating our blog regularly starting next week when we get back to Uganda.

One thing we have truly enjoyed while being back is watching Kolby play t-ball for the first time. I'm a proud Daddy, so I thought I'd share a photo or two.

Bibles. Bibles. Bibles.

2011-04-01T16:50:00.000+03:00

Earlier this week Bringing Hope to the Family purchased 50 Bibles that were donated through Know Think Act.

On Thursday of this week Moses and Paul, Bringing Hope's Child Welfare Officer, went to the local secondary school and distributed one Bible to every student. Nearly 50 students received the word of God for the first time this week!

For almost all of these students this Bible is the only non textbook they own. Thus, these Bibles will be read and read. God's word is being spread!

Thanks to all who donated towards these Bibles.

Clean water coming to Kariruga!

2011-03-13T06:16:00.001+03:00

Thanks to a great community turnout each day the digging for the latest well has been completed. Tomorrow they will begin constructing the platform for the pump. The well should be completed in about 3-4 days depending on the weather.

This well will service 40 families, which equates to 160 people!

Praise God for his provision! Thank you to all who made this possible.

Chris

Walk this way...

2011-02-27T23:54:00.000+03:00

There is a lot of progress in and around Kaihura here of late. Work is continuing at Home Again on the stone walkways and drainage runoffs. Screen windows are being built and installed in the dining room at Home Again. The materials for the new well in Kariruga (Katooke District) were delivered this past week. Construction should begin shortly. Thank God for his provision!

The latest on Uganda's election

2011-02-23T09:28:00.000+03:00

Uganda's election was held last week. The official report is that Yoweri Museveni has won again by collecting 68% of the total votes. The other candidates are rejecting the results claiming that this election was rigged.

The other opposition candidates have been meeting together to decide a way forward. Below is a quote from one of the candidates.

Mr Mao said civil disobedience is the only way to bring an end to what he called President Museveni’s despotic rule. “Change will not come on a silver platter. Let us not have any illusions. Change will come out of sweat or blood or both. Therefore those resisting change must be resisted until they succumb to the power of the people. We will confront the menace of an illegitimate government with our bare hands. We declare a campaign of defiance to say no! Enough is enough.”

These are strong words, but if they will rally a nation to protest is yet to be seen. As of now there hasn't been any scheduled protests, rioting or violence. I am not sure if this is the end of it yet. Over the next few weeks we will see if the losing candidates concede or if they will decide to make a stand.

This is a tough one. Most African presidents came to power by force, as did Museveni, and will only leave by force. We will continue to pray and watch to see what Uganda decides to do. Will Uganda follow suit with other nations and demand change or will decide things are fine as is.

Please continue to pray for the people of Uganda.

It's Uganda's election day. Please pray!

2011-02-18T10:05:00.000+03:00

As I right this it is already Thursday morning in Uganda, which means that their presidential election is under way.

Please pray that the Lord's will will be accomplished.

Please pray that there will be no rioting or uprising.

Please pray that the results of the election will be respected and honored.

Uganda's current president, Museveni, has been in office for 24 years. The older generation, having been through dictatorship as children, do not want change. They are very pleased with their current state of peace.

Much of the younger generation, having never experienced anything but Museveni, desire change.

We would greatly appreciate any and all prayers. Thank you!

Construction is under way, again.

2011-02-11T03:54:00.000+03:00

I received word from Moses today that construction on the stone walkways and drainage at Home Again has begun. The materials have been delivered and the trenches for the drainage have been dug.

Also, construction on a new well in the village of Kariruga will begin in the next couple of weeks. We will keep you posted as progress continues.

The construction of the medical clinic is going strong. I have added a couple of photos of the progess as well.

Praise God for his blessings!

Materials for the walkways/Drainage

Drainage trenches

Clinic progress

We made it!

2011-01-25T18:42:00.000+03:00

We made it safely down to the coast and are trying to stay warm! We are just about over the jetlag now and are ready to get to work on this side of the pond.

I received pictures from Moses a couple of days ago from the well handover ceremony in Busanza. So, I have posted them below. Thankfully there were two eyes of water that they could tap into so they were able to have two separate collection ponts. This will allow them to collect water much quicker. During the handover the community blessed us with another goat. Due to all the wells we have been constructing Moses is getting to have a nice little herd of goats.

Moses also informed me that the chain link fence has been completed except for the gates. And, the gates will be coming soon.

One more update from this side of the pond

2011-01-18T08:50:00.000+03:00

We will be beginning our journey to the States today, but I wanted to send out another update before we go.

First off, the well in Busanza was completed this past Saturday. They had to deal with heavy rains on Friday and Saturday, but they persisted and got the job done. The handover ceremony will be on Wednesday. Moses will go as our representative along with members of the Bringing Hope staff. I will add photos later this week once I receive them.

Also, the work on the chain link fence at Home Again is continuing on. They have now completed about half the fence. They should be finished by next week.

Please pray that things will run smoothly here in Uganda while we are in the US and also that we will have a safe trip.

We will see many of you very soon!

An attempt to keep the rain off the cement

Backfilling over the pipes

Nothing says security like barbed wire

Kaihura Youth Conference

2011-01-15T13:09:00.000+03:00

Last week Bringing Hope to the Family hosted their annual youth conference. Bringing Hope has been hosting these conferences for several years now. The conference usually brings in youth from all over the area. This year was no exception.

Over the week long conference there was about 450 youth that attended. The conference was held at the local primary school. The attendees spent the week at the school so that they would be there for the entirety of each days lessons.

This year's theme was basic Christian life skills. They also broke into smaller groups by age and sex several times throughout the week. In these groups they discussed several struggles and challenges that each of them were dealing with. The speakers consisted of Faith, local church leaders and volunteers.

We are excited to share that 25 youth gave their hearts to the Lord for the first time and many others rededicated their lives to Christ.

The conference was a huge success. We thank the Lord for the young people who accepted his gift of salvation. We also want to thank those that gave financially towards this conference.

Please pray for those who gave their lives to Jesus that they will not get distracted or discouraged, but will continue to grow in him. Also, pray for those that did not accept Christ that the word planted in them will continue to work on their hearts.

Busy. Busy. Busy.

2011-01-13T23:04:00.000+03:00

Our flight is quickly drawing near. The past 2 weeks have been quite busy, but we are getting close to having everything in place for our trip home next week.

Progress on the well in Busanza is slowly moving forward. We have had a few setbacks due to a death in our engineers family, market days and a presidential rally. But, we hope it will be completed before we leave. We shall see.

Work on the chain link fence around Home Again is underway. There was a shortage of angle iron in our side of the country which slowed us down. But, thankfully more of it has finally arrived and worked began again today.

Kolby and I did find time over the last two weeks to attend karate lessons. The lessons are held basically in the middle of nowhere. Paul, our instructor is a really nice guy. Kolby is thoroughly enjoying it. He wants to be like Jackie Chan. We recently got a copy of The Karate Kid and that sealed the deal for him.

Also, here is a bit of exciting news. Embrace Uganda has started building again on the clinic. The walls are now going up. They hope to have the roof on by late March. Praise the Lord!

Until next time...

Spring box well in Busanza

The posts have been set for the fence.

Kung Fu Kolby

The clinic!

Busanza, Jesus cares about your needs!

2011-01-07T09:38:00.000+03:00

This week we have a lot going on. We have 2 volunteers with us that have been helping us with our various projects. We are currently working on a well in Busanza. Bringing Hope is also holding their annual youth conference this week. But, we will post about this later.

We began our well project on Tuesday in Fort Portal. We had to order all the needed materials and have them delivered. On Wednesday we began the day by hauling large stones to the site. Then we took to digging. It turned out to be a lot more work than we expected due to the amount of rocks in the ground. But, we made a great first effort. On Thursday we continued with the digging. After a long day we were able to complete the digging.

Due to a funeral today our work was limited. Work will begin again tomorrow. We hope to have this well completed by early next week. We will keep you posted.

This first photo is of the communities current water source. The underground stream flows out about a foot off the ground onto a large rock. The water is too low to the ground to fill their jerrycans so they have to fill a small container first and then fill their larger container. This makes the process of collecting water far more time consuming than it normally would be.

Lunch!

Not lunch!

Dinner?

And our adventures continue

2011-01-06T22:27:00.000+03:00

Our adventures with Logan seem to just keep going and going. We had hoped that his desire to stick things in his body would have ended with the dinosaur up his nose, but he hadn't quite learned his lesson yet. On Sunday morning Logan told Katie that he had stuck a bead in his ear. We looked and sure enough one of my air soft pellets was lodged nicely in his hear. So, after returning from church we loaded up the car and headed to Kampala.

On Monday morning we were back at the doctor's office for yet another removal. The doctor said he had never seen something stuck this bad. He had to sedate Logan again. Then, after a few minutes he had retrieved the pellet.

What I learned from this was I must always clean up after myself because Logan just might want to stick anything anywhere. We hope that Logan has learned that everything he sticks in his body results in him crying at the doctors office. That will hopefully deter him from doing it again. Right?

And just to keep things exciting Logan learned a new lesson tonight at dinner. Katie ordered a meal that came on a sizzling plate. We said, "Logan, do not touch this plate. It is very hot." About a minute later Logan sticks out his pointer finger and as if he's pushing a button he presses his finger in the center of the plate. This obviously led to much screaming and flailing of limbs.

What we hope he learned from this is..... when we say something is hot we're not lying.

And, because we have to see the humor in these scenario's, we took some photos. So, feel free to enjoy them with us.

Yes, that is nasty.

Welcome back, Buddy.

We have so much to be thankful for.

2010-12-31T23:56:00.001+03:00

As I was down in the "town" today I stopped and had a cold soda at Olive's. Now Olive is a sweet older lady in town that is a midwife and sells sodas. She started selling sodas a few years ago because she wasn't making enough money as a midwife. We chatted a while about the new year. She said we have so much to be thankful for. She said that so many people (in Uganda) had died this year and many would die today without seeing tomorrow. She said everyone who gets to see the new year has so much to be thankful for. This coming from a lady who has so little and lives with leg pains and barely gets around says a lot.

As you celebrate the coming of this new year please be sure to thank the Lord for all of His blessing in your life.

Happy New Year!

The Big 30

2010-12-28T13:21:00.000+03:00

So yesterday was my 30th Birthday. It was a good day. We planned on going to Mountains of the Moon which is a nice hotel/resort in Fort Portal. We were going to relax by the pool and swim. I was going to read some of my book. Then have dinner with friends.

Well it happened a little like that. On our way to Fort Portal it started raining. So when we got there trying to wait out the rain and I had some tea to try to warm up because it was really cold. But the rain stopped and then sun came out so we decided to attempt the pool. It was fun but it was really cold. Needless to say, swimming did not last long. So we dried off and headed back to the hotel and we hung out and played cards with AJ and Ana and had dinner. It was a good time with good conversation. After dinner I thought I would get some desert since I did not get a birthday cake. But I did not know I had a surprise cake coming soon. So Chris trying to keep from ordering pie decided to tell me "that I should not get pie because I am 30 now and it will just start sticking to me." I could not believe he said that to me!!! I told him that has to be the worse thing you have ever said to me in the 9 years that we have been married! Luckily for him a cake came out just after that. It was a nice surprise. Then on the way home I had turned my neck and attempted to grab something from Kolby and I hurt my neck. 30 is looking good so far!

stay adventurous>
katie

Holly Jolly Kaihura Style!

2010-12-28T12:40:00.001+03:00

It has been an eventful week around here. So many things going on. Bringing Hope has been busy going back and forth to Fort Portal hauling kids back and forth taking them christmas shopping. We have ben busy here doing fun things with the kids. I was busy also preparing a good christmas here for Chris and the boys. It was a lot of work but it was also fun too. This was our first Christmas away from family so I wanted to be sure and make it really fun and special for the kids so it would not bother them so much. I think we accomplished it. We of course missed all our family and would have loved to be with them, but life does not always work out that way. So we have to make the best with what we got.
On the 24th I slaved in the kitchen all day(along with many other people in the world). Our friend Ana cam over and helped also. This was my first time ever to cook a big and important meal like this. I was really nervous! I was making things I had never made before and trying to time everything to be sure things were done and warm in time to eat. What an ordeal! But we accomplished it and I have to say it all tasted amazing!! God is good. If you have seen my kitchen, you would think it was a Christmas Miracle to pull something like that off. Our friends AJ and Ana, Faith and Moses joined us for dinner and we all ate ourselves to an oblivion.

On christmas eve the kids at Home Again also received their christmas presents. They all got new clothes and shoes and soaps and lotions and things to fix their hair. All of the kids were so excited and we want to thank all the people who gave toward those items. They all wore their new clothes for Christmas.

Our Dog Buff also got into the Christmas Spirit. Christmas Morning he watched us open up presents. Then he walked outside and went to Home Again where they were slaughtering chickens and goats for their meal. Buff grabs a chicken foot and drops it under our Christmas tree. I quickly grabbed it and through it outside not realizing what he was doing. Then Buff went back out feeling bad that I did not like his present went to find something better. I was sitting on the floor bending over playing with Kolby and Buff walks in a drops something behind me in my pants. Buff just laid there looking at me with a face that said "Merry Christmas". I turned around and found a chicken head in the fold of my pants. I did not freak out. I petted Buff and said thank you for the presents and calmly picked up the head and tossed it. Luckily the presents stopped coming after that.

Christmas day was a lot of fun. Chris and I organized some games to play at Home Again. The kids really enjoyed them as did we. We have so many pictures so I will stop typing and you can see for yourself.

stay adventurous>
katie

adventure kolby

Yummy!!!!

The Christmas Meal

Chowing Down

Little Donnas enjoying her food

The good ole sack race

Sarah having a good time

the little kids getting in on the fun

The three legged race

Tug of War

Wheel Barrel Race

Water ballon toss

It's getting exciting around here!

2010-12-22T15:49:00.000+03:00

With Christmas just days away we decided to get the kids at Home Again into the Christmas mood. Yesterday and today Katie helped bake cookies and cakes at Home Again. Those who participated had a great time.

Today we spent the morning having the kids decorate their own ornaments for their tree. We just finished setting up and decorating the tree now. The children are very excited.

Also, over the last few days Bringing Hope has been taking the children to the local markets to purchase their Christmas outfits and shoes. They have been thrilled at this opportunity to select their their new clothes.

I want to thank everyone who gave towards the children's Christmas again. Just watching them making crafts, setting up the tree and baking has been amazing. What would seem to be an ordinary thing to us is a great day for the kids here. So, thank you.

We also have a fun filled day planned for Christmas so be on the look out for more posts.

Sorry, the lighting was so bad in this room. It's the best I could do.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-12-19T16:43:00.000+03:00

It's still hard to get in the Christmas spirit when it's 80 degrees outside. January is the hottest month of the year and it appears the heat is coming a little early. But, our boys are excited none the less.

This morning at church the children sang a few Christmas carols. Kolby had been practicing and had a great time. Logan, on the other hand, participated in another way. You might notice him in the photo. The green item he is fixated on is a clothes pin. We don't know where he got it.

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas season.

Retreat!!!

2010-12-18T13:23:00.000+03:00

Bringing Hope just completed their annual staff retreat on Thursday. The retreat was held at the Dorcas Vocational School. It was a great time for the staff to reflect and evaluate their performance over 2010. On the first day of the retreat each department head had to give a presentation covering which of their 2010 goals they accomplished and which they did not. On day two they had several meetings including integrity in the work place and donor relations. On Wednesday each department had to set their goals and objectives for the 2011 work year. The retreat wrapped up on Thursday with employee awards and a Christmas gift exchange.

This was our first time to attend one of these retreats. Overall, it was very encouraging to see their honesty and desire to accomplish more in this next year. It was also a great time to interact and fellowship with the staff outside of the office.

This coming week we have several Christmas activities planned for the kids at Home Again. It's going to be fun! Stay tuned. Photos will be coming. Also, thank you to all who gave towards Home Again's Christmas. Your giving is appreciated!

Katie and the ladies from Village Art plan out their 2011 goals

And the award goes to....

So where are the Sasser's?

2010-12-13T13:20:00.000+03:00

Sorry for the two week gap in posts. But, rest assured we have not been eaten by a pride of lions or trampled by any herds of elephants on the run.

Before I share with you what is presently happening I will fill you in on the last 2 weeks. On the 4th of December we headed to Kampala so that I could participate in Kampala's annual marathon. I started the year out with hopes of running the full marathon, but life has a way of getting in the way. So, I had to settle for the half marathon. It was a painfully good time. I will definitely try to make it an annual event for me as well.

This past week we finished putting up our fence. I can't help but think that if we were in the States our neighbors would have called the city on us and had us remove this lovely fence. But, hey, this is Africa! Instead people have complemented us on our work. Many of the boys from Home Again helped us out. They were a huge assistance in this endeavor. We payed them all in sodas, and they were pleased. I think I was on the winning end of this deal, but the boys love to help. That is a great attribute that many people here have.

Bringing Hope started there annual Staff Retreat today. Katie is presently at the retreat. She led the devotion this morning. We will be rotating our time at this retreat. Once the retreat ends on Thursday the staff, minus the medical staff, will beging there holiday break.

Starting this weekend we will be doing Christmas crafts and other projects with the children at Home Again. We want to make this a great Christmas for the kids next door.

I promise that more posts will be coming soon and that we will post several photos.

Until then,

Chris

So long Joyce and hello Christmas!

2010-11-29T13:12:00.000+03:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be thankful for. Just being born in a developed country is enough to be thankful for let alone everything else we are blessed with. It has been over a week since our last update so I want to take a moment and get everyone back up to speed.

After six enjoyable months Joyce has gone back to the States. While she was here she was of great assistance to us and Bringing Hope to the Family. Along with teaching at Dorcas she helped us with mosquito net distributions and she wrote job profiles for Bringing Hope's staff as well as numerous other things. Joyce has definitely left a positive impact on Bringing Hope to the Family.

Her cousin, Melissa, had a great week of teaching physical therapy exercises to the medical staff at the clinic. The staff were excited to learn new ways to assist their patients.

At the end of the week we traveled to the east side of the country to Jinja. Joyce and Melissa wanted to attempt rafting on the Nile River. They survived and had a great time. This allowed us the opportunity to take the boys swimming (not in the Nile). Our little waterbugs had a great time as usual.

Since then we enjoyed our first Thanksgiving meal in Uganda. Last year we were traveling to Kampala on Thanksgiving and didn't get the opportunity to enjoy the day. We met with 3 other missionary families and had a great day. We even caught the 12:30 NFL game at 8:30 that night. That helped it feel like Thanksgiving. We hadn't watched a live game in a while.

We also put up our first Christmas tree in Uganda. The boys are so excited. They couldn't wait so we put it up 3 days before Thanksgiving.

Finally, I would like to add one last thought. If there is anyone who is still looking for a way to make a difference in someone else's life this Christmas season feel free to check out
http://www.knowthinkact.com/needs.php.

Be blessed,

Chris

Green Eggs and Ham

2010-11-16T15:24:00.000+03:00

Yes, you read the title correctly. As Joyce and I headed off to pick up her cousin from the airport Katie made the boys some green eggs and ham. Katie had been promising Kolby that she would make it. And the verdict is, just as in the book, Kolby and Logan loved green eggs and ham. They would eat them in a box and with a fox and..... you get the picture.

Joyce's cousin is here for the week. Next week after 6 months Joyce will be heading home with her cousin Melissa, but not before we cram in an exciting week. This week Melissa will spend 3 days training Bringing Hope's medical staff on basic physical therapy exercises. She will also be helping to train the house moms on working with the babies and toddlers. Then we are off to Jinja and back to the airport on Sunday.

Student Tested. Teacher Approved.

2010-11-12T10:39:00.000+03:00

Yesterday Joyce held her final day of testing and class at Dorcas. Last week the students had their written tests and each day this week they had to bake an item that they had been taught throughout the course. On Monday the girls baked banana bread. Tuesday it was chocolate chip cookies. They were tasty. I had to try them. Wednesday they baked yellow cake with chocolate icing. And, finally on Thursday they baked pineapple pie.

Overall the girls did very well. They had a few challenges, but when you figure that none of them had every used or been near a gas oven before, they did great.

Over the course Joyce taught them how to follow instructions and to use measurements. With traditional cooking there are no measurements or instructions to follow.

One of the things that they were taught to bake that most impressed them was bread. They were shocked that bread could be baked in the village. They didn't think it was possible.

The students had a great time, and as with the tailoring course their possibilities were expanded again. The people here are very bright. They just need to be shown new options. Often times we can take for granted our schooling, parents, mentors, internet, television and books. We have such an endless supply of knowledge available to us. So much of these things the people here will never have the chance to learn from. That is why volunteers, like Joyce, who are willing to come and teach what they know to others is so valuable. The body of Christ in action. I love it.

Hard Work Tastes Good

2010-11-05T21:17:00.000+03:00

We have had a few people wanting to know the outcome of the outdoor Earthen Oven we made. Sorry for the delay. Word to the Wise, if you ever plan on building one, do not do it in the rainy season. It tends to be a problem when you are needing it to dry. But after a a fews of making sure all is well we have cooked our first meal in it and I am glad to say that it works great. The first thing we cooked in it was pizza and it was good! We just need to get one of those wood spatula things made and we will be set. But the pizza had such a great flavor. So here are a few pictures of the finish product. As always.

stay adventurous>
katie

PS-It was a first attempt, but it turned out really good. Even though the crust was burned on the edge, it had a great flavor.

The latest news on Robert

2010-10-27T12:58:00.001+03:00

I want to update everyone on Robert's condition. He recently had his cast removed from his leg. He is still not able to put much weight on his leg and has a long road of rehabilitation ahead of him. But, he is very positive about his condition. He is such a happy young man and is excited about his future.

Our friends, AJ and Ana, picked up Robert's school books for us on Monday. Robert started his classes yesterday. Up until now Monica, his tutor, had been going over the basics with him.

I would like to thank everyone who gave towards his medical bills, school needs and prayed for him.

Robert with his tutor Monica.