Uganda - Why do we go on mission trips?

Why do we go on mission trips?  Well, there are many different reasons people would tell you.  However, hopefully, the reason we go is to make HIS name known.  This trip we did just that.  We shared the Gospel at all home visitations and also daily at church.  

Our team has been overwhelmed with how the Holy Spirit has moved.  There were many times our lesson plans weren't completely planned out, but then the Lord moved and spoke through us.  Afterwards, we couldn't even remember all that we said, because it was God speaking through us.  So, we have been convicted to continue being the LIGHT at home.  We don’t want to return and be cold or lukewarm Christians.  God wants us to be HOT.  He wants us to tell EVERYONE the good news! 

Wednesday and Thursday we had Guardian seminars at the church.  We were told to prepare for 130-160 adults.  However, we had between 180-200 adults each day.  Wednesday we did two sessions on first aid and then basic nutrition.  We had some fun during the sessions... During the first aid training, the guardians practiced the Heimlich Maneuver.  During the nutrition seminar when they were told to use a bottle cap of oil instead of 1 cup to cook with, the guardians looked from one to another and you could tell they weren't too sure about the wisdom of this advice!  

Both sessions were turned back to God.  The reason we need first aid is because sin entered the world and bad things happen.  We need to eat well because our bodies are the temple of God, and again sin is the cause of disease.  Three ladies gave their lives to Christ!  It was such a celebration and humbling experience.

Thursday we did a parenting seminar.  We weren't sure how it would go, but it was awesome!  After touching on what guardians should be responsible for physically and emotionally, we had a panel discussion.  The presenters took questions from the audience, and they were good questions.  The guardians were very interested in the topic.  The Gospel was again presented and two more came to know Christ.  Wow, what an amazing God we serve!

Friday we wrapped up with a home Bible study where the team was given a chicken as a sign of thanks.  How do you show your thankfulness?  It should always be pointed to God.  Without Him we are nothing.

for our team as we are leaving Kamonkoli now, heading to Jinja, then home to FL, AZ, NE, TN.

TANZANIA - Friday, July 19

Our last day started where we left off in the dark last night. Another cool, misty morning, perfect for our work. The footers from yesterday looked great, and the crew cranked up the mixer and got right to work, and soon had the first barrowful going into the trench.

Almost done with the interior footers!

Then they moved the planks around so the barrows would have a shorter path to the cross footer.

 

 

And started pouring from there.

 

Finally,  the last footer done!

We again had help from some of the ladies in the community, this time shoveling buckets of sand and cement for the mixer.

This has been an amazing two weeks. The Lord has blessed us with perfect weather, health and safety, and a great team of Tanzanian workers. They will start laying blocks tomorrow. With the Lord's help we have made a great start, and we know this first house will be a great success.

Tanzania is a beautiful country with wonderful people, and you, too, can join Orphan's Heart and Small Steps for Compassion in this incredibly fulfilling ministry!

TANZANIA - Thursday, July 18

Tunamamina zege leo!

(Today we are pouring concrete!)

Today dawned cool, overcast and misty, a perfect day for poring concrete. The Lord has even arranged the weather for us! When we arrived at the site, the last of the rebar columns were being wired in.

And preparations were already underway for the pour. The cement mixer was rolled out and a mixing site prepared between the huge piles of sand and gravel, a water tank filled right next to it, bags of cement brought out from the storeroom and stacked, wheelbarrows and buckets at the ready.

When everything was ready, Bwana Lyimo (the contractor) gave the word, and they cranked up the mixer.

Soon the first wheelbarrow was underway.

And the pouring started at the corner.

Not only did we have wheelbarrows for carrying the concrete, but some of the ladies from the community came to help and carried it in buckets.

Turning the first corner.

One side done!

And then the bottom side.

Last corner!

The perimeter is all done, now to the inside trenches. 

Well, we almost finished! But even the headlights of Juma's car couldn't hold off the darkness, and we had to stop.

 

 

We will finish tomorrow morning, and turn our attention to the foundation wall. It's unbelievable how hard this team has worked and how hard it was to get them to stop.

Join us tomorrow and see how it turns out!

TANZANIA - Wed. July 17

We're almost there! Today we finally finished with the digging of the footer trenches (see last post) and started putting the rebar assemblies in them.

The first column went in one corner. 

And the rows started to fill up quickly.

Tomorrow we will pour the footer at last. Work has been slow up to this point because of the rocky ground, but after the footer is poured the foundation walls will be built and the foundation filled in with dirt and packed down, the plumbing lines laid and then we're ready for the slab.

 

The Tanzanian crew is very hard working, and we feed them well. Here Mama Angel is serving up "ugali," kind of like grits but thicker. With it they get meat and veggies for lunch. Yum!

Please continue to pray for this project, that the Lord will continue to bless us with good weather, health, safety and everything else we need. And please give prayerful consideration to joining us!

TANZANIA CONSTRUCTION

WE ARE SO BLESSED AND GRATEFUL TO HAVE LOU DAVIS (WHO HAS BEEN HEADING UP THE ORPHANAGE CONSTRUCTION IN HAITI) WITH US IN TANZANIA TO SHARE HIS EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE TO HELP GET THE ORPHANAGE CONSTRUCTION HERE UNDERWAY!  READ HIS FIRST BLOG POST:

Our first week in Tanzania has been an interesting one, to say the least! Many things are the same here, but many are different, too. The crew of Tanzanians work very hard, and some even sleep in a shelter they built here on the grounds so they can start early and work late. The contractor is very good, and has accepted most of our methods even though they do things differently here. We also have been adaptable to their methods, using post and beam and doing the footers their way.

The first thing was to position and lay out the house, and start digging the footer trench.

After this was well started, it was off to the hardware store in Arusha for the PVC pipe we needed for the septic plumbing.

Meanwhile, we got a huge delivery of rebar, and started cutting and bending it for the footer assemblies and the columns ("posts"). Even Juma got into the act cutting rebar!

Two teams wired the footers and columns, and soon we had our first column!

Meanwhile there was trouble in the footer trenches. The land the first house is laid out on has a significant slope to it. In order to get the footer below ground on the low end, and level, we had to dig much deeper than originally planned on the high end. This was made much more difficult after the first foot or so when we ran into solid volcanic rock, which had to be chiseled out by hand (no pneumatic jackhammers to be found here!).

But the Tanzanian crew did the hard work (kazi ngumu) with good will and got it done. Last thing on the list is the foundation for the fireplace. Good work (kazi nzuri)!

The cement mixer arrived (thank goodness- the original plan was to mix on the ground!).

The work is going well and we are almost ready to pour the footers. We even had time to do a belated ground-breaking ceremony.

The Lord has blessed us with great weather, and everyone has been safe and healthy. Please pray for His continued provision for us, and consider coming on one of these trips with us! Tanzania is a beautiful country and a mission trip here will change your life!