Uganda - Hard to Leave

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Short Little Update

The team is in good spirits and God is moving in great ways. Part of the team is still in Bombo teaching and loving on the boys. The other part of the team is in Kampala helping Abby and David out in the office to scan, copy and run errands for items on the checklist required in two weeks. God is doing some amazing things and opening tons of doors to help keep this ministry going. From getting in touch with the right people to help formulate the modified schooling program in bombo to getting fabric purchased to hang up in the homes. All are safe and there is no threat to anyone here in Uganda except for possibly eating one too many Rolexes(which are a delicious egg-cellent wrap type of food item that will soon be at a food cart in Springfield called "Chipati WEH" Look for it early fall.)

Love you all.

Headed to Bombo

Hi all! We have had an incredible four days here in Kampala. Tomorrow we head back to Bombo for the next ten days. That means no computer access. Your continued prayers are appreciated as we launch into the next ten days at full force!!

Bombo Boys • Video

Bombo Boys from Locke&StacheProductions on Vimeo.

Back in Kampala

We have been back in Kampala for four days this week. We have spent a lot of time in the street program. We arrived in Kampala on Monday evening and started program on Tuesday morning with bible study. Morgan taught about love that morning. Many boys show up, and there are many regulars. We were able to spend some time with them that morning. Uncle Abbey told us they had been missing us.

Tuesday afternoon the boys and girls split up and went into downtown. All of the shops were closed on strike, so we weren’t able to do much shopping. The girls got their hair done outside though. It took five hours from start to finish for all the girls to get their hair done. On Tuesday night we went on a night outreach. We went into the city and found the boys where they sleep at night. They walked us through the streets, and then we gathered for a quick bible study, and feeding the boys supper. Many of the street boys curled up around us and fell asleep. At first, it was easy to be offended that they would sleep during bible study, but we soon realized that it was probably the only peaceful and worriless sleep the boys would have.  Seeing the boys in that light was really eye-opening for many of us. 

On Wednesday, we headed to the clinic that API runs to repaint. The clinic was a bright blue color, and the goal is a cream color. We had to start with an undercoat. The paint was really harsh; we found ourselves needing to take frequent breaks for fresh air. Afterwards, we went back to Kivulu (Chi-va-loo), the slum we are working in, for street program. We played a game with the boys that they really enjoyed. Brittany taught the lesson about the Whole Armor of God.  After program we headed back to the VH for the rest of the night. Austin and Luis went on a chicken coop project, building a sustaining coop for a boy that had recently been resettled. They missed the taxi service that night, and had to hitch a ride in the back of a petroleum truck WEH.

Thursday was a full day for us. We woke up early and headed back to Kivulu for breakfast class bible study. Emily taught the lesson that morning. Afterwards, we headed to the clinic once again to put on the main color. The boys all followed us from program; we had lots of little hands helping us paint. After painting, we headed to the VH for a quick lunch, and then back to the clinic for the final coat of paint.

Austin and Luis were gone all day working on a rabbit project, and Leah and Alison were on a resettlement. Resettlements are a little different from home visits in that resettlements take boys from the streets and bring them back to their families to stay. Often times it is successful, but sometimes there are cases in which they run away again.

We have one day left in Kampala, and then we head back to Bombo for the next ten days.

Two of the street boys

One of the boys with his scrap collecting sack

Two boys during program

Hanging out with the boys after program

Several of the street boys getting free buzzes from Abdul

Making bracelets with the boys

The boys lining up for supper

Two of the boys from program

Week One In Bombo

It's been a while since we have had the chance to update. We spent the last 10 days in Bombo, Uganda. This is where API has their boy's homes. There are three homes, Discipleship House-which is the oldest boy's home, Stephen's House- the middle boys house, and Daniel's House- the youngest boys house. 

 We started the home school program on Monday. We also split into subject groups for that, Math, English, and Reading. Then we have a large group time of critical/creative thinking at the end. We have really enjoyed our time teaching with the boys. There are three levels, primary one, two and three. These boys are extremely bright. Most of them are homeschooled because they have had traumatic experiences, or are far behind in school. For some of the boys there are much older than the majority of people in the grade they are in, such as a 14 year old being in primary two with 9 year olds. They are often made fun of. That is why we are doing homeschooling. 

 We have had some wild experiences in the last 10 days. All of us have gotten the chance to go on home visits. We take the boys back to their families to reunite. It is just a visit though. It is an opportunity for closure for both the boys and the families. For many of the boys, they have been missing from their homes for many years. Most of that time was spent on the streets, before they joined the API homes. Most families are in shock when they see their boy arrive after so long. It was a very emotional experience for many. 

 We have also had the chance to do some crazy things while we’re here. The best part of being here for so long is getting the opportunity to live life with these boys. We are not just visiting for a short time and leaving, we are living with them. We stayed in the guest homes in Bombo. We fetched water from the well for our showers everyday. Our bathrooms consist of three stalls containing a hole in the ground. We eat a lot of rice, beans, and matooke (mashed plantain). The boys got to roast a goat WEH. From live goat to roasted goat. We dug honey out of an anthill (delicious); some of us even ate a queen ant (tasted like an egg). We have done a lot of work while we’re here. We cleared land for planting-by slashing. We had this tool that has a sharp end, and we just swung it back and forth to cut the grass. We also began building a fence. We used machetes to dig holes in the ground for the fence poles. At night we had devotion time with the boys. 

We split up into houses for bible devotions. Shane and Luis are in the Discipleship home. JT, Austin and Chris are in Stephen's, and the girls are all in Daniel's home. They sing songs, and they are extremely passionate in worship. It is incredible to see these boys be completely genuine while praising the Lord. Overall, we have had an incredible two weeks, and an exciting three more to come. 

 Update video coming soon.

Arriving in Bombo

Greeting the boys upon arrival

Going to fetch water from the well

Enoch pumping water for us

Bob, Juma, and Junior flying paper airplanes during homeschool

Austin and Frank wrestling

The queen ant

Our friend the chameleon

Our daily walk between homes

The goat: pre-roast

Church on Sunday morning

Ibra playing the drum

Regan preparing for tribal dance

Hakim and Ibra performing dance for us

Juma during the dance

Juma, Solomon, Ibra, and Latiffe dancing and singing

Flights & Sights • Video

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Day One

Lugandan Word: Oli Otia (O-li O-tea-ah): How are you?

This morning we had some time to meet with Uncle Abby, who explained how the street program words. We set off for “Breakfast Club”. We walked from our house through town into the slums. It was a very close community. Children were running around everywhere, people were milling about. Many of the women were outside washing dishes or doing laundry. The children often tagged along behind us. We finally arrived at the place where class was held. There was probably close to 20 boys there. JT told the story of Jesus calming the sea, with Chris, Austin and Luis acting it out. The boys really got a kick out of it. We got to spend some time just hanging out with the bys. Austin drew quite a crowd with an arm-wrestling tournament. All of our guys got nicknames. JT: Uncle Chuck Norris. Chris: Uncle Bob Marley. Austin: Uncle Jesus. Shane: Uncle Hulk. After class we headed back to our van. The boys followed us, and walked with us most of the way. Uncle Abby had told us that most people view the street boys as dangerous, but that really, they are very protective. This was evident when we were walking through the slums. They walked with us, often next to the girls. We always felt safe. We went out for an authentic Ugandan lunch. Some of us were feeling adventurous, and we got to try goat’s meat (which was delicious). We also had chapatti (Cha-pa-tea), which is like a fried tortilla. We had matooke (ma-took-ay), which is mashed plantains. After lunch we went to the Owino market. We were shopping for clothes and food for the boys. The marked was very big, and extremely crowded. We walked shoulder to shoulder, and had to squeeze through people to get anywhere. It was like a giant maze, with little shops everywhere. In total we got 70 pairs of jeans, and about 100 shirts. Several of us got the chance to ride on the back of bota-botas, which is essentially a motorcycle taxi service. JT even got the chance to drive one, in African traffic (which is way scarier than American traffic-sorry Cheryl). We headed back to the house after shopping. Morgan, Brittany, Alison, and Shane went back out into the city afterwards. Uncle Abby and Uncle Eddy bought us sugar cane. We got to chomp on chunks of it, sucking all the juice out. We drew quite a crowd of people watching and laughing with us while we munched on the cane. This evening, we spent some time planning tomorrows activity-another day in the street program.

Prayer List:

· The ability to start relationships with the street boys, to build trust and love.

· Being able to die to ourselves, and take on the full character of Jesus- we don’t want people to see us walking down the street, we want them to see Jesus in us.

-video coming soon weh

Ugandan worker

A vegetable booth

Children posing for the Muzungus

Eating sugar cane

Water running through town

Arrival Day

Lugundan Word: Webale (WEH-ba-lay): Thank you

We arrived safely in Entebbe. It was a quick flight to Uganda. Abbey and David met us at the airport. We went out for a beautiful lunch at a local café. Abbey, David, and a few other API staff members gave us a “culture orientation” The differences between the Ugandan culture and ours is incredible. Ugandans are a very humble and gentle people. We are so stoked to learn from them. After lunch we headed to Kampala. We are staying in a beautiful guest house. We got the chance to apply what we learned in our orientation by spending a couple of hours walking around the city. We often found ourselves being trailed by children. As you can imagine, we draw a lot of attention walking down the street. The most common word we hear, anywhere we go, is “Muzungu” which means “white person.” Many people will point and shout at us. The children turn it into a song, jumping up and down, chanting muzungu. We definitely have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We begin our first day of the street program.

Prayer List

· Energy throughout the day

· Complete faith for God to work through us.

We made it!

Culture Orientation

Walking down the street in town

Bota-Botas. (motorcycle taxi service)

Street of Kampala

Safe Travels

We have arrived safely in London. The trip from Springfield to Dallas was short, 55 minutes and 7 seconds to be exact (weh). JT had the chance to share what we were doing with his seatmate. Navigation through the Dallas airport was quick. We boarded the plane headed to London at 9:00pm Dallas time. It was a nine-hour flight. We all got to sit by each other, except for Chris. Leah and Morgan did not sleep. JT and Austin slept the entire 9 hours. Allison made it through an entire movie. Lewis bit his tongue. Shane attempted to sleep, but was mostly unsuccessful. Brittany learned some Chinese. Emily just want’s to know are we there yet. Overall, it was a successful flight. We board the plane to Kenya at 7pm. We’re halfway there. #ugandaweh13

Prayer Send-Off

Dallas to London

Boarding the plane