This picture shows myself with a young African man, Shafique, in the bush outside of Kampala. He was willing to show me his mud/stick house, his wife, and their young baby. It is my favorite picture of the trip, since he is Islamic, and not real outgoing with our Team. However, he was thankful when we prayed for him and his family.
I was able to visit God Cares Primary and High Schools, and to serve with Pastor Dongo and his wife, Florence,-who are the directors of the schools and orphanages. What a thrill to deliver letters, Christian t-shirts, 'Live for Him' bracelets, and Christian bookmarks to the over 700 kids. Two American manufacturers donated these items to give to the kids. (They are Kerusso, Inc., and Universal Designs, Inc.,-whom I had worked for earlier in my sales career). Also, our Team from CA did painting on the new girl's dorm, provided by my church in Texas, Cross Timbers Community Church. Another part of our Team provided school supplies from the Met Church, also in Texas.
Later, we spent a day visiting people in the huge slums of Kampala, getting to know them, and praying with them as well. The trip into the slums was nothing short of amazing. No sewage lines,..just wide open pits and ditches. No running water, nor electricity,..no natural gas,..just shacks with only a curtain for a door covering. What a thrill to feel like we were making a difference, one child at a time.
Still later, our Team visited Jinja, Uganda, on the shores of Lake Victoria,....the biggest fresh water lake in the world. Jinja is also right on the Equator. In Jinja we met over 200 ladies who make beautiful beads from discarded/used paper,-like magazines, newspapers, and such. These ladies are "outcasts in their own land", due to the scourge of HIV and AIDS. They are THRILLED to have what I call a 'thimble full of HOPE', simply by having a job and their ensuing feelings of self worth. Because of the goodness of a major CA shoe manufacturer,.these beads are then shipped to China-where they are attached to shoes. The shoes are then shipped to the USA and other markets. The 'Buyamba Soles' were then made available through all Target stores in the US, on their website and in their stores. Proceeds of all those sales went to the Clinic for the women in Uganda. What a blessing to see the ladies hard at work making the beads, for the shoes. (To this day, you may view and purchase Buyamba Soles Shoes online, to help with this ministry in Uganda).
At the end of the February trip, I had made up my mind to return to Uganda for the Summer 2012 Mission Youth Camp and Retreat. In addition, I made the decision to contact old friends Tom and Kathy Lindquist, who still do Mission work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In fact, I had grown up with Tom and Kathy in the '50's and '60's in Congo, and wanted to revisit those places I had left as a teenager,..some 52+ years ago! Thankfully, throughout the Summer of 2012, plans came together for me to leave Uganda alone, at the end of the Summer Camp. I then would travel through Uganda and Rwanda, to meet Tom at the Congo border town of Bukavu.
It is very necessary to have what they call a 'protocol', ie: local person, to assist with EVERYTHING in Congo! This is to help with Immigration, passports, Permits, Visas, something called a Go Pass, and, to accompany me on my travels for personal and safety reasons. Congo is on the US State Dept. "watch list", which means that things are amazingly unpredictable. In fact, fighting broke out just 80 miles from my destination, only a week before my arrival! With the full blessing and prayers of my kids, friends, and families, - the trip was made anyway.
I'd come to call my trip(s) Journey of a Lifetime: Africa Revisited. The Summer 2012 trip back to Africa began from Dallas, Texas, with 18 members of a short term Mission Team to Uganda on August 9, 2012.
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