high winds take KACHEP's roof

The KACHEP office recently lost part of its roof in Karamoja’s high winds.

The story and foundation go back several years, 2009– I was back visiting Uganda while doing a post-doc at Ghent University, Belgium. The trip was funded by the Pan-African Organic Conference where I presented a paper; I took advantage of the moment to visit the KACHEP team. As I was awaiting disc replacement surgery on my bike-accidented neck back in Belgium I was unable to travel up the rough roads to Karamoja. I put a plea out to the Jinja missionary community that Tom and I had been a part of since our marriage in 2004 up to when (08) we had to leave Uganda: no work permit (because the Baptists dumped us), no team mates to join in Kaabong (Reeds, Jr elected to leave ministry) and our giving had plummeted. 

Kingfisher stepped forward and invited KACHEP and me to meet there, cost-free as long as we bought meals. It was wonderful and beautiful to be back in Uganda, on the banks of Lake Victoria just where the Nile begins and the site of our Christian garden wedding where half of each our families gathered, as well as my friends from Karamoja and Tom’s from Jinja.

One Sunday, I attended prayers at Calvary Chapel Jinja and God opened the doors wide open for us to return to Uganda. There I re-met their worship leader, Ryan McCabe who had recently visited Karamoja and fell in love with the place and people – he asked if he could join our team. With him, we would have a team and be able to start CPM in Karamoja, with our eyes and hearts on Kaabong. Moments later, Pastor Jesse and Bev Rich told me that their approach to missions had recently been expanded to CPM and they were interested to expand into Karamoja (Noah, one of KACHEP’s early evangelist just finished their bible school).  When we had approached them and others following the surprise of the Baptist’s ‘policy change’, no organization was willing to partner with us as CVM missionaries in Karamoja. Now another door opened, we could get a work permit thru Calvary Chapel and legally return to Uganda! All we needed was to have prayer and financial partnerss –with a clear plan, that made sharing our vision easy. Which we did, at our church, Vineyard Ganda in Belgium and then through out 20 states in America where we reconnected with long term friends, family, schools and churches.

Our plan was for KKAB (Karamoja, Kaabong and Beyond) to start in southern Karamoja under KACHEP where we would learn language, test out community development and evangelism techniques and learn how to build –a year of  ‘ropes course’ with to grow as a team with Tom at the helm. After a year, or so, we had hoped to be done with phase one and then move up to more remote Kaboong.

KACHEP has deep relationships throughout Pian, Bokora and Matheniko tribal areas of Karamoja –a notoriously distrusting and violent area of East Africa, home of the last nomadic peoples in Uganda, largely unreached area composed of 11 different tribes.  The center of their life is their cattle, they believe that God gave them all the cattle in the world and they will do anything to get more. Having amassed AK-47s from Idi Amin’s retreating army in 1979, made these common forays increasingly bloody. As one of the founding KACHEP board member, they welcomed with open arms and helped us (especially Tom and Ryan who, although both had lived long in East Africa, had always been in cities on Mazungu compounds). Our American approaches are very different than those of Karamoja, where the elder system is quite strong and is juxtaposed with a government that is based more closely to the pomp and circumstance of yesteryear Britain.

All KACHEP board members are not only Christians, but well connected, Karamojong leaders, ranging from district officials, community members, 2 pastors, and a lawyer. KACHEP’s manager has bachelors and masters degrees and is from the Jinja area –where most people both disdain and fear the Karamojong. Making much less than he could elsewhere – and where lives are taken everyday, Mukisa is the rare Ugandan missionary to Karamoja. He helped us sift thru the delicate balance of one our key concerns  -‘when helping hurts’, and how to interact appropriately with the marginalized people struggling in the communities; the politics of the two existing churches and the out –of-touch government officials in the towns, all while striving to honor God, His creation and the common person. It wasn’t easy, and we tried to make less mistakes than others, and at least not the mistakes that we ourselves had done, or that we had seen or read other missionaries do over the years before.

My previous 10 years in Karamoja, living among the Pian, Bokora, Matheniko and Tepes, helped me transition rather easily back into what I consider home, but that was a bit more difficult for expatriates new to the area, culture and harsh surroundings. Being linked to KACHEP helped the neighboring community have an idea who we were and what we wanted to do –or at least it gave district officials, army, pastoralists, business people, pastoralists, shepherds, women, elders, rebels a ‘box’ to put us in –we were connected to KACHEP. The group that helps them when famine hits, when fires take their homes, when floods ruin their crops; the group that treats their animals and prevents debilitating disease, gives clothes, that helps their children go to school, teaches them how to approach government officials when insecurity and fear escalates. KACHEP, the local organization that first brought in solar to the area, that gathers healers and farmers to share their best practices so that all can have healthier livestock and families, the group that has planted thousands of trees and taught them about Creator God, the group that has given them a voice and honored their culture.

We planned to have a give and take relationship, of course with cultural differences there were struggles, but we felt, at least since we were practicing in the south with a group that we had mutual trust and respect with, we relied upon them to point out our mistakes –almost unheard of in cross cultural work.  Language and building were our 2 big activities, with this focus, we were blessed to be near the Wrights of OPC –Martha with a PhD in linguistics and Bob with vast knowledge of building and mechanics, as well as a muzungu fellowship portal – with the largest number of white people in one place in all of Karamoja –about 5 families, including a doctor.

Our plan was to learn how to build from Bob, while making it an exercise in team building, secondarily, it gave the locals a chance to see that white people can work, and sweat. We built all by hand and it took a long, long time. It tested our emotions, our team and our bodies. Others came to join in the labor, Miriam arrived, also from Jinja, for short term and soon joined KKAB fulltime. At the same time other Pioneers prospects arrived, to test themselves and the team to see if they might leave their homes and join us in Karamoja; this included Michelle, Esther Lu and Summer. During this time, Ryan left, but shortly after, Summer decided to join KKAB. Shortly after she arrived, Simon & Carina (vet) came for a short-term vision trip. This happened while I was in the midst of serious health issues, our marriage was on the rocks and Miriam was forced to transition off KKAB team, all while another short termer Melissa (vet-student) came for 8 months. Even through the chaos of Tom and I leaving for a month of medical and marriage treatment, the Simon & Carina decided to leave Germany and join KKAB full time. I praise Him for His provision, how the Holy Spirit works (even when “I’m” not there, even when Tom is not guiding) –God is and was in control –even when it doesn’t turn out like we’d like it. I digress –but, it has been so long since I’ve written, and now, as I break the silence –there is so much to share….

Back to the roof and the stone house –the first stones were laid by the initial KKAB team –Tom, Ryan and myself, Bob’s right hand man, Thomas guided us. Miraiam joined us as she was seeking change from Jinja and was there to its completion. Others laid stone during their visits –Michelle, Esther Lu and Summer, Summer returned in time to turn the stone houses and compound over to KACHEP, honoring the original plan an intentions of the team she joined, but seemingly had abandoned her to continue with KKAB’s long term vision. The stone structures had become home to her, and a symbol to all that KACHEP is strong, not even bullets can pierce the thick stone walls. Most community structures use mud, others may use local hand made bricks, but with KACHEP’s stone construction, but the wind could and did whip so hard to pull the grass back. Even fire and rain could disturb its construction. But we wanted to blend old and new, to use local materials and not use square mazungu construction or rectangular tin roofs. We wanted to honor our Maker and honor the culture. Various supporters visited and placed some stones, Paul and Ron (Paul later came to help me depart Karamoja last year –and he birthed Uttermost Ministries that has taken over CVM’s role to KACHEP). Dirk came from our church in Belgium to help Tom put up the gate. Bob joined us to dig a borehole for KACHEP a few meters from the first stones buildings –up til then we would walk a mile to carry jerry cans of water back to the compound for cooking and showering, waiting in lines with our neighbors –again giving local people an idea who we were –white people who work, walk and sweat, not like the NGO’s they see in their fancy Landcruisers with the windows rolled up wearing bullet proof vests, a flag flapping off the antenna. We were with KACHEP, we were different –somehow more like them and less like the UN.

Pray for KACHEP, that the Lord would continue to surround them, that He would equip them to continue with their vision.
Pray for Summer, Simon and Carina (known at PIKT) as they continue partnering with KACHEP

Pray for the board as they meet in a few hours in Moroto, Saturday 12 June.

Pray that my healing would continue, one step at a time…

Finally pray for provision for KACHEP to secure their roof, they will rebuild it with new grass this fall –if you are urged to donate, go to www.KACHEP.org or contact Uttermost Ministry if you’d like to join in the labor

Serving the God that controls the wind and the sea, He is our strong foundation!
Nakaala Jean