waiting

I'm waiting today. A simple drive from Jinja to Soroti. 3.5hrs normally. well we made it about 40 minutes to a town called Iganga. Then the brakes started giving me trouble. They would only begin engaging at the end of the depression of the pedal. So we stopped. In my opinion you need reliable, responsive brakes when it comes to driving in Uganda. Let's see, we stopped around 8:45am, it is now 2:14pm and we're still in the same place. First they had to diagnose the problem, then they had to look for the part. No, the part is not in Iganga. It's the "servo" that needs to be replaced, apparently...After searching Iganga for the part, they searched their own "yard" they found a dilapidated truck that they thought might work, but alas, it was just a bit too big. Now we've called our mechanic in Jinja and he is searching all of Jinja for the part. If it's not there, they will try Kampala. I've already gone to the bathroom a couple of times, gone to eat lunch, finished one book and started another, i've watered the plants that we're carrying with us, looked for hidden treasures amidst the junk that lies scattered over the yard, i've watched many people (the way I love being watched), and I've called many people trying to figure out the car situation and the situation with Jennifer. Jennifer is with me and not feeling well. She's gone up and down since Monday, feeling somehow better, but not quite there yet. She just wants to sleep and the back of the car is not the most comfortable, and the car that was once parked in the shade has sat long enough that it is now in the sun to add to the discomfort,...but she's trying. What should we do with her? More tests or does she just need more rest? We've been out of Soroti since tuesday morning in one clinic and then another. We're both tired of running around and the guessing game. The Dr.'s number won't go through b/c her network is down..."temporarily." The clouds appear to be building now, if we're lucky it will begin raining, but if at least the clouds brought some much needed relief from the sun we'd take that too. Well, I just continue to write because I don't know what else to do. I think I'll go pray. My friend's house help told me to start praying double b/c of the times we're in...maybe I'll take her advice now. Why do I want to fill my mind with information? why not just close my eyes and fix them on Jesus for a while??? Hmmm...seems like a good idea. Still waiting, but I think i'm going to use my time more wisely now...peace out...

Just another day in Kamuda

I traveled out to Kamuda for bible study on saturday. I left around 2:30pm for our 2pm bible study and it takes about 15-20minutes to get there, so just before 3pm I reached the location and found no one else had arrived. I feared the worst. That they had stopped meeting while I was gone. I called one of the young men I expected to find there and he informed me he was at home, but he was coming. And sure enough slowly by slowly, one by one they came. We finally started around 4pm. One of the youth (she's the oldest, somewhere around 30something) had been put in charge of leading the bible study portion. She arrived just before 4pm. We were just about to start (there were about 8 of us) when a drunk man came over and shook my hand and held on for about the next 5 minutes or so, telling me thanks for reaching up to their village there and could we get a couple pictures together and could I tell america that, "the complaining dirty man in kamuda greets them." So consider yourself greeted. By the time I could pry my hand loose and re-engage in the group one of the other members had left. So now we were waiting while others looked for him. Alas, he was not to be found, so we decided to just start. We sat on two benches facing each other, just outside a clinic. But because Mary wanted to share the word with those waiting around the clinic she turned her back to us and began preaching. (My best chance at a translator was the one who had mysteriously left during the conversation with the drunk man.) It's hard to tell if any one of the clinic people were listening, but the group seemed to be paying attention, I was praying that people would hear only truth. After some time most of the people from the clinic left and a couple more had arrived from the group and mary turned and faced us and continued. When she was about finished, she still had about 4 verses to go through from Romans 1 (so i had gathered) the group leader, Paul, came and then Francis came back from where ever he had gone and he brought with him dina. As Mary finished and Paul and I added to it, a few more joined and we ended up being somewhere around 15 I think. I was so encouraged that they had not given up meeting together. I also saw that they had taken attendance at least three times while I was gone and an average of 8 young adults were showing up every week. Praise the Lord! After we finished the bible study portion it was around 6pm and I was ready to go home. However, Paul and Mary requested that we pray for the sick that were in the clinic. We've done it a couple times now and it's been quite a good time of reaching out. I said ok and we all entered into the first room. I walk in to see to men both sleeping, and appearing to be quite sick, they say with malaria, but it's aways malaria. there were three beds in this approximate 10' by 10' room and now we just added about 20 people. So needless to say the room was a little crowded. Then Paul tells me we will not talk to the patients since we shouldn't wake them because they probably need the rest. So we'll just pray for them while they sleep. Well, what better way to start prayer time then to sing a worship song. And 19 ugandans and 1 mzungu (me) aren't the quietest singers, for we love worshipping our God. Therefore, by the time we finished singing, the patients were mostly awake and probably wondering what the heck all of these people were doing in their room, and why wouldn't they just keep quiet or perhaps wondering if they were in heaven.... but i don't know that for sure. Because the patients had "conveniently" woken up, we were able to ask them if they knew Jesus and then pray with them to accept Him. One man I was told was too tired to speak, but I was assured that in his heart he accepted Jesus. (Don't know how this was known exactly, but the man was saying ebo (yes) and some other grunts and groans to certain questions...) And the other one prayed out loud to receive Christ. I pray that the Lord protects these seeds that were planted and these men come to know God in a real and intimate way. We concluded with more singing and then headed out the door. It was now about 6:20pm and I was again ready to go, but was informed there were more patients in the building behind. Yes, of course we could go and pray for them also. So we went behind and I was asked to pray for a lady who had a baby earlier that day while paul prayed for a sick young woman and everyone else would join us with their own prayers. While praying I heard another baby crying who sounded quite young, but I couldn't see him. Just after we finished praying a lady walked out holding a baby and Paul asked me to bless this one also. I walked over to the baby, pulled back the blanket and saw the hair was still matted with "stuff", I asked when was this baby born, they said, now-now, which would explain the other cry I had heard...don't worry this wasn't the mother holding the baby, but in about 5 minutes the mother did walk by and lay down by the baby. These women are tough. So everyone had been prayed for and we all walked out. While walking out Mary (in her very broken english) asked me if I could stop by her home on my way home to pick up some white ants (the termites that they love to fry and eat). She wanted to give them to me as a welcome back present. How could I say no? So I brought her and Dina and francis with me in the car. First we drove deeper into the bush to drop off dina, then swung by mary's to pick up the white ants and then i dropped off francis and then headed for home. I think I reached about 8pm with ants and mangos in tow. Now that's a long bible study. Though it was long, it was good. Please keep praying for this group called Alive With Purpose in Kamuda. They are hungry for the word. Pray that God would raise up leaders among them and that their community would be transformed by the Word of God.