i'm down in Mbale - had to rush to kampala for some bureaucratic stuff
with leaving the pearl of africa - taxes stuff.
pray for me as my left eye has been bothering me - got some dust in it
and my ride up to Nabilatuk on Saturday. got the solar panels up and
mounted for KACHEP new office and then left sunday morning for Kampala
was sweet to have some campfire time with Summer, Simon and Carina. they
had a good week in language while i was down with the KACHEP staff in
Mbale for strategic planning. it was so encouraging to realise all the
strengths that KACHEP has and how their work fits in with the vision,
mission and core values that we the founders laid out almost 10years ago.
just when the devil plays with my mind, God rushes in and uplifts me
-praise Him
it was exciting to see the non management staff get a handle on all the
Mukisa does in planning -fun to see them grasping it and acknowledging
their work fits in with the grand plan.
it was discouraging to see some of their strengths underutilized -like
all the work that we've done over the years, not being systematically
utilized and developed - we hope that strategic volunteer partners can
help fill these gaps -that means Summer and Simon with evangelism,
Carina with vet, me with ethnovet followup - and maybe you! consider it
pray that visitors do not just visit - but partner in such a way that
tangible outcomes/outputs are in place before they leave.
for example, we, as KACHEP have been doing evangelism, medicine making,
agroforestry -but we haven't produced training materials. i have yet to
make a 'pre-literate' book on local medicines -a promise that 'has
become a chorus' as they say
pray for the Uttermost Ministries team -Paul & Mary, Preston & Dawn -
they start their journey today from Chicago. pray against jet lag and
getting stuck on the karamoja roads. pray that they would be an
encouragement to KACHEP and vice versa.
pray that we can finish up the solar setup -seems preston can help -yeah!
ok -i gotta go to bed - need to hop on my piki at dawn, and cross thru 6
districts. hope to meet both bishops tomoro and even get to the village
where where were married 9years ago.
pray for board member, pray for fellow board member, Professor Francis
Lomongin, he is in the hospital in Matany. we shall visit him on Wed.
pray also for Bob Wright who had an accident yesterday
on the road.
jean
ps -thanks for all the support following my brothers burial -i think
most of you have seen the obit -really grasped who tom was
JT Grade DVM, PhD
Uganda: +256-758 899777
USA: +1-415 858 4262
Belgium: +32-488 94449
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
the second 'Dr Grade'
what a brother.... lots of crazy memories.
the second Dr Grade
on the plane back from his funeral, i got the idea that i'd like KACHEP to set up a memorial medicinal garden for Tom. He was an inspiration for me - he was the one who encouraged me to first practice and develop my skills, habits and techniques before moving off to Africa - something i was ready to do immediately after vet school.
i had the chance to live with him this last December and January, much if it was difficult -but i found sweetness in us both sharing our emotional pain that we were collectively going thru, he had become a good listener those days, what a bittersweet blessing
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Travels
i'm down in Mbale, we are here gathering for a 4 day workshop with
KACHEP for planning and visioning. pray that it would go smoothly and
that i would be of good cheer and an encourager - yet at the same time
to step back, to feel His presence and experience rest.
i should have internet and phone contact this week to give some updates (+256 7588 99777)
the team from Uttermost Ministries is arriving next week to Uganda -pray for their journey and last minute stuff. pray that folks would transfer their support of KACHEP from CVM to Uttermost Ministries.... to learn more for you yourself to do this - contact uttermost cc'd above - or peek at their evolving web page -http://ourfathershousewi.com/uttermost.htm
the roads are getting pretty bad -my piki got me down to mbale - but had to carry it thru one overflowing river, passed more than a dozen stuck trucks, lots of mud and rain.
all in all -downright exhilarating! saw baboons and crested cranes, wow
had a chance to greet Nabilatuk from the pulpit on Sunday -sweet to have so many friends and fond memories flooding around.
went out to climb some rocky hills with Summer and Grubers after church - not another person in sight, so quiet, so amazing. lots of rock hyrax, eagles, antelope, turtles - good to have a day of rest
pray that i would keep focus, but that i would also embrace and sing
time is rushing by so fast, but i struggle sometimes to finish the task at hand -pushing off finishing somethings, perhaps, cause i do not want 'it' to end
in His hands
j
i should have internet and phone contact this week to give some updates (+256 7588 99777)
the team from Uttermost Ministries is arriving next week to Uganda -pray for their journey and last minute stuff. pray that folks would transfer their support of KACHEP from CVM to Uttermost Ministries.... to learn more for you yourself to do this - contact uttermost cc'd above - or peek at their evolving web page -http://ourfathershousewi.com/uttermost.htm
the roads are getting pretty bad -my piki got me down to mbale - but had to carry it thru one overflowing river, passed more than a dozen stuck trucks, lots of mud and rain.
all in all -downright exhilarating! saw baboons and crested cranes, wow
had a chance to greet Nabilatuk from the pulpit on Sunday -sweet to have so many friends and fond memories flooding around.
went out to climb some rocky hills with Summer and Grubers after church - not another person in sight, so quiet, so amazing. lots of rock hyrax, eagles, antelope, turtles - good to have a day of rest
pray that i would keep focus, but that i would also embrace and sing
time is rushing by so fast, but i struggle sometimes to finish the task at hand -pushing off finishing somethings, perhaps, cause i do not want 'it' to end
in His hands
j
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Update Summer - Snakes
Snakes are an unavoidable reality of life in Africa. And where there are
snakes, it is the inevitable reality that you will one day encounter
them. Thus I recount to you the unavoidable and inevitable realities of
life here.
On a particularly unassuming day, we went about the business of camp life: Collecting jerry cans of water from the borehole, making pocho and beans over a charcoal fire and attending classes under the grass roofed meeting house. The sun shone as it always shone. The wind blew as it always blew. The benches we sat on were as hard as they always were. And the classes captured my interest, stimulated my faith and equipped me as they always did. As the adults sat in the meeting room, the children were nearby in a small school hut (the school hut was built with half walls that gave view to the African plains below- beautiful). Miss Shelly and Mama Lane were entertaining the children and teaching them lessons as they always did. Mama Lane sat upon the mat with the younger children reading a story aloud to them, ignoring dust, bugs and ants that ran across their toes. It was a normal day at school… until that fateful moment when Mama Lane looked up. There, crawling through the grass thatched roof was a slimy beast of Eden!
Mama Lane acted calmly, as every mother, grandmother, teacher extraordinaire should. She whispered to Miss Shelly that she should get the children out of the school house and then she came to interrupt our classes. “Excuse me” she said politely, “I need Simon Gruber’s help.” Class stopped as we considered this request. Simon, having no children of his own was not usually the one called to the school house. Sensing that we were not grasping the urgency of the situation, she looked directly at him and implored, “Simon, there’s a snake in the school house, could you please come kill it.” Simon was on his feet in two seconds flat and ran to the school house drawing his knife from its sheath as he ran.
As Miss Shelly ushered the last of the confused, but oddly calm children out of the school house, Simon rushed in. With one swoop he flung the snake from the roof and chopped off his head. The rest of us watched in a dumb stupor as he proudly lifted the snake up and declared “meat for dinner!”
An ordinary day of teaching in Karamoja!
So happy that Simon Gruber is on my team to face the unavoidable, inevitable encounters with the lowest of God’s creation!
We ate snake for dinner.
Please read and pray through Psalm 91 for us.
PS- The locals killed four very large puff adders (third most dangerous snake in Uganda) in the field below our hill. This is the same field that I walked through every week on the way to the village… They are the ugliest snakes I’ve ever seen! Praise God I’ve never seen them alive!
On a particularly unassuming day, we went about the business of camp life: Collecting jerry cans of water from the borehole, making pocho and beans over a charcoal fire and attending classes under the grass roofed meeting house. The sun shone as it always shone. The wind blew as it always blew. The benches we sat on were as hard as they always were. And the classes captured my interest, stimulated my faith and equipped me as they always did. As the adults sat in the meeting room, the children were nearby in a small school hut (the school hut was built with half walls that gave view to the African plains below- beautiful). Miss Shelly and Mama Lane were entertaining the children and teaching them lessons as they always did. Mama Lane sat upon the mat with the younger children reading a story aloud to them, ignoring dust, bugs and ants that ran across their toes. It was a normal day at school… until that fateful moment when Mama Lane looked up. There, crawling through the grass thatched roof was a slimy beast of Eden!
Mama Lane acted calmly, as every mother, grandmother, teacher extraordinaire should. She whispered to Miss Shelly that she should get the children out of the school house and then she came to interrupt our classes. “Excuse me” she said politely, “I need Simon Gruber’s help.” Class stopped as we considered this request. Simon, having no children of his own was not usually the one called to the school house. Sensing that we were not grasping the urgency of the situation, she looked directly at him and implored, “Simon, there’s a snake in the school house, could you please come kill it.” Simon was on his feet in two seconds flat and ran to the school house drawing his knife from its sheath as he ran.
As Miss Shelly ushered the last of the confused, but oddly calm children out of the school house, Simon rushed in. With one swoop he flung the snake from the roof and chopped off his head. The rest of us watched in a dumb stupor as he proudly lifted the snake up and declared “meat for dinner!”
An ordinary day of teaching in Karamoja!
So happy that Simon Gruber is on my team to face the unavoidable, inevitable encounters with the lowest of God’s creation!
We ate snake for dinner.
Please read and pray through Psalm 91 for us.
PS- The locals killed four very large puff adders (third most dangerous snake in Uganda) in the field below our hill. This is the same field that I walked through every week on the way to the village… They are the ugliest snakes I’ve ever seen! Praise God I’ve never seen them alive!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)