Go To www.vargamission.com

As One Door Closes Another Opens!

This will be our last blog posted to this site. If you want to continue this amazing journey with us we invite you to go to our new website: vargamission.com
We have tickets to move to Uganda on November 7, 2009 and we would love to have you join us on the road in Uganda.
The journey thus far has been challenging yet exciting all at the same time. We have sold our home of 19 years, along with many of our things as we downsized from a 4200 sq ft house to another house that is only 900 sq ft. We are selling our cars, much of our furniture is either sold or in the hands of our friends and family and the little that is left will be stored. Soon we will move out of our small house and live with some friends for a few days until we leave. Once we are in Uganda our plan is to stay at a small hotel near the orphanage we will be working at until a rental house is found and furnished.
Reflecting back it seems to us that this process has taken a very long time...much longer than we thought it would take. But the truth is, we are just at the beginning of a new life together following our Lord to a place he has called us all to go. At vargamission.com we will keep you posted and share our adventure with you.
Thanks for following us so far,
Randy and Alisa Varga

And the Journey goes on….

Here we are back in Portland, Oregon, trying to sell our house, property and business. We are tempted beyond reason to be frustrated at the slow nature of all of this, but then we remember that this has to be a critical component of our journey. We had hoped to be living in Uganda, taking care of those beautiful children by now. But we know that none of our circumstances escape God’s watchful eye. If it was in His timing for us to be back there it would be so. Yet here we are waiting on the Lord…

The words song I learned when I first believed in Jesus keeps coming to mind:

I will wait, wait, wait upon Lord.

I will wait, wait, wait upon the Lord.

I’ll learn my lessons well,

In His timing He will tell me what to do, where to go, what to say.

Up until now we have been very busy. After living in our home for 19 years there was so much to sort through, give away, sell, clean, and fix up. But since our house went on the market we find ourselves having a hard time getting back to normal life, whatever that is. I had great dreams that the house would have three offers on it the moment it went on the market. “God can do anything”, I reasoned. While I still believe whole heartedly that He is powerful and powerfully shows up in the lives of every day people, all the time, I have recognized that for today He thinks it is best that I wait.

How much of this lesson will we need when we finally pack up our belongings and go to this new land He has called us to? Waiting… Waiting… If He is to be in control we must be willing to hold still. He says in His Word, “Be still and know that I am God.” We American Christians think we have so many solutions to the problems of the poor in third world countries…but do we really?

I know of some very precious missionaries who when called into service in a far away land, spent the first year of life there just adapting to the ways of the people, learning from them, living like them and with them, forming relationships and being a godly example in their own family. It was only after that year when the people accepted and embraced them as family that they began very slowly to encourage their friends to step out in ministry. They humbly know they don’t have all the answers and are learning from these people every day. But most of all they are completely dependent upon God to show up for all of them every day. That is the way it must be for God’s children who want His very best in their lives and the lives of those they are called to love.

So here we sit in Portland, Oregon, waiting, for the God of the Universe to open a window for us to walk through at a moments notice.

EMI… How to describe them?

Last night was the final presentation from Engineering Ministries International (EMI). With over 1000 hours for work over the last 10 day, I am overwhelmed. With many more hours of work back at home, planning what to bring, packing for a strange land in Africa, thinking the project through… giving up two weeks of earned vacation time. These 8 team members truly gave of themselves. To top it off as we thanked them from the bottom of our hearts and tried to explain what a blessing they were to Show Mercy, they said “stop, it was a blessing to be privileged to be part of something so wonderful”. They were thanking us! This is how God works for the better good in those who love Him and are willing to trust Him and follow Him.

The ideas this team came up with, the drawings, the systems for the water, the waste water, the electrical options, placement of the buildings, what each building would look like, the shape of and the ventilation of each building, the use of the unbuildable acreage, how would it feel as you approach the front “village” area, the view from an observation deck at the top of the water tower, how the children would be living in a family environment, where they would eat, play, pray, where and how the long and short term missionaries would live, the list can go on and on. This team had a calling to serve and serve they did.

The best part of this experience was seeing these people work on this project like I have never seen people work before. They all work in the private sector of business, but this was different. It was service; the fire I saw is not the common but the exceptional. I was blessed to be part of something great.

Michael, Martin, Sam, David, Megan, Sarah, Robert, and Mariette job well done!

After the presentation the two local gals who took care of the EMI team needs, like all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping; prepared a very traditional African feast. When there is a wedding, graduation, big holiday, they make this dinner. They worked all day and were so proud as they served it. One more demonstration of how these people served us, to serve God. Thank you Sheila and Betty. By the way, they were so cute doing this, I will never forget it.

What a day and what a finish to our trip.

See you all soon, and thanks for reading my blogs.

May God bless each and every one of you who prayed us through this journey.

Feed the Children

It was Palm Sunday, we had been to church, and it had been a great service. During the time of the service several of the women were cooking, cooking up a storm. They were on a mission to feed some 80 children from the village. These are the kids that don’t get three meals a day, maybe not even one meal each day. I am sure that some don’t eat anything some days. When I think of that, it breaks my heart. I know I don’t like to miss a meal.

Today was a day that these kids would eat, and eat, and eat. Drink a soda, and not even care what flavor they got.

When the children had been gathered in the yard of a neighbor’s house, they waited… patiently. Quietly they sat, with a look on their faces not knowing what to expect, oh they knew they were going to eat, but when, and how long were they going to wait.

You could smell the rice, the beans, the cabbage, the chicken… but there they sat. As the women finished preparing the food, three of the older children from Hope Children’s Home were ready to share God’s word. One by one they gave a lesson from the Bible. The Ten Commandments, Jonah and the Whale, and the Good New of Jesus Christ. They all did very well presenting the Word of God. I was glad to see them teach.

In this little court yard filled with kids, the word was given to get in line to be fed. Controlled mayhem would be a good description. They were hunger, but trying to be polite, and with a rush, they were in a line, chest to back and not an inch in between. It was fun to see; they were going to be fed. The older Hope children jumped in and started to serve, I liked to see them learning to help other in need.

As they started to eat you could see the tension unwind, their bellies were filling up. They were starting to be satisfied. They were getting full. Some laid down as they finished. Some brought their bowls back to be washed and used again for the ones at the end of the line. There was a calm that came over all the children.

When they were all done, the children went home and others helped clean up, put the borrowed benches away, haul the biggest pots you have ever seen back the Hope’s Kitchen and sweep up the yard. I was blessed to watch children helping children, Show Mercy supply the food and drink, and know they receive the Word of God.

Hello from Uganda... again

Hello from Uganda, once again.

For those of you who might not know, I am here without my wonderful wife Alisa. So that means you will have to put up with my writing.

Did you know, I love being here. It is warm yet cool, not too hot; the people are friendly, they love seeing you and meeting you. Everyone I have met has been warm and welcoming. As I said, I love being here.
We are here to work with a design team from the US and the UK. The team members include architects, engineers both civil, structural, water, and a survey team. They are all wonderful people who are willing to take their 2 week vacation and spend it here working long 14 hr day. God has blessed Show Mercy with a gracious gift of these people.
The first day was to see the land we call the “Field of Dreams”, to hear the vision of our Dreams, what God has asked us to do.

The next day was to see the largest children’s facility called Watoto. Wow is it big. Currently there are over 10,000 kids have been rescued and are off the streets and are living there.
The Third day was to meet with the Architects and designers to begin hone in on actual design of each building. Mike and Doug were at that meeting. The other part of the team was the survey guys. I went with them. We stopped at Hope Children’s home to drop off the Marietta, the team leader’s wife.
NOW the FUN started. As we drove up, the kids had just started their break in school, they were in the yard playing, as we got out of the van, they realized it was us… and we were mobbed by the most wonderful welcome I have ever received. 200 children (and the adults) all wanted to hug us and say Welcome, thank you for coming to see us. I truly had not seen such a welcoming and such love for us. They were disappointed that Alisa was not there with me, but I told them we were planning a return with her. We were only there to drop off Marietta, but I know that it was going to be impossible not to stay for less than an hour. Well, we left to go the Field of Dreams to start the survey. We took two of the older boys Bosco and Vincent, and one of the girls Ruth with us to help. Their job was to gather ripened sugarcane to bring back to all the other kids. We got the majority of the building site survey done. Hiking up and down that hill all day, we were all beat, dirty, and tired. On the way home we stopped for a soda, and the location we stopped at was near a high school that one of our older kid attends. This is Peter Painter’s school and he was outside and saw us. We were blessed to have a minute to visit him! It was a simply gift from God. The day ended with a simple dinner at our hotel. As I think back on the day, I know that God as called us to this beautiful and simple land. I love being here.

Hello one more time from Uganda.

We have been so blessed to have been able to share our experience, as we have been in Uganda. As you have read over the last three weeks, God showed up in a big way. We have seen His love, His grace, and best of all His Mercy. I have seen miracles, seen the unsaved saved, the sick healed, and hearts filled with love. God has given us the opportunity to show His love to many. I will finish this blog after I am back State side.

Thanks for being part of our journey.

In God’s Hands.
Randy and Alisa

Building Your House on the ROCK!

The Dance Choir


Our friend Pamela, Leads the Team.

We arrived at Hope around 10:30 am this morning, ready to celebrate the Lord’s Day with our Uganda family. Pastor Prossy had asked Randy to preach and the Lord had given him a word for these precious people we have come to love. In fact, the Lord had given him several things to share. The first service was just finishing up when we entered the church. The speaker was encouraging the people not the cry about all their problems but to have faith in God and not lose hope. The speaker continued to say that when you are crying, you are lifting up your problems to overcome you. They have overcome so many problems by looking to God rather than their circumstances. They have seen miracles, signs and wonders because they believe in the power of prayer. This word was such an encouragement to us.

The second service started with personal testimonies of God’s goodness, special music people had prepared, introduction of visitors and the choir. This took well over an hour. Soon it was time for Randy to preach. The Pastor introduced him and shared how he is a man who married a woman with six children and loved his step children. In Uganda even among Christians it has been an acceptable practice to get rid of or abuse children of a spouse that are not yours. The stories of many of the children at Hope include this tragic occurrence. When Randy began his sermon He talked about the difficulty and more importantly the blessing of raising 6 children that were not his biological children. He then encouraged them to do the same. After that he shared about a dream God gave him where there was a huge earthquake and his whole city was destroyed; nothing was left standing except one house that was built on a rock. The man who owned the house was seen outside just sweeping his sidewalk like nothing had happened. He told them Jesus is the rock and that building our lives on Him is the way we can experience abundant life. First we must accept Him, then trust Him, follow Him, and share Him with others. After the service many people confirmed that this was a word for them from the Lord.

The afternoon held two delights for us. First, Miriam the cook at Hope had prepared a special lunch for us of beef, onions, and peppers, seasoned with curry and cumin as well as chips (French fries) mango and bananas. I think it was the best meal we have had since arriving in Uganda. Then, we had the opportunity to walk to Pamela’s house. Pamela is a young woman we met last year. She is a single mom who is a teacher and she is on the worship team at church. So we walked quite a ways with her, Angel (her daughter) and our friend Lia. Her house is quite humble, one room with a curtain hung to make a bedroom, a mattress on the floor, no running water and no electricity. It is part of the same building the school is in where she teaches. While there she pulled out a mat to lie over the concrete floor for us to sit on and disappeared for a few minutes to buy sodas for us and juice for Angel (water for herself). Our hearts ache as we experience her circumstances and we wonder at the smile she always has on her face.

What you see is more than half of the room Pamela and Angel call Home.

Finally when we arrived back at Hope, and then enjoyed our first ride in a taxi. Prossy and Ezra went with us in a 15 seater taxi back to the road where we could walk back to our hotel. It was a great experience, crammed into this vehicle which stops regularly to let people off and on. What a day!! Praise the Lord for His goodness and love.

Here is a 15 Pass. Taxi. At one point there were 18, yes 18 inside.

1-30 Manna From Above

Today I (Alisa) want to share something the Lord brought me in my quiet time this morning. It is from a daily reading by C.H. Spurgeon:

Genesis 28:15 – “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest’

Do we need journeying mercies? Here are choice ones – God’s presence and preservation. In all places we need both of these and in all places we shall have them if we go at the call of duty, and not merely according to our own fancy. Why should we look upon removal to another country as a sorrowful necessity when it is laid upon us by the divine will? In all lands the believer is equally a pilgrim and a stranger; and yet in every region the Lord is his dwelling place, even as he has been to his saints in all generations. We may miss the protection of an earthly monarch, but when God says, “I will keep thee”, we are in no real danger. This is a blessed passport for a traveler, and a heavenly escort for an emigrant.

Jacob had never left his father’s room before: he had been a mother’s boy, and not an adventurer like his brother. Yet he went abroad, and God went with him. He had little luggage, and no attendants; yet no prince ever journeyed with nobler bodyguard. Even while he slept in the open field, angels watched over him, and the Lord God spoke to him. If the Lord bids us go, let us say with our Lord Jesus, “Arise, let us go hence.”

As I sit here this morning, mosquito bitten, bathed with a bucket of water, fed beans and rice for several weeks, watching out my window as the rain pours and turns the ground to cement like mud, I am yet so grateful to Him for all He has done for us. Jesus has been with us every step of the way. When things have been hard we have asked for help and He has blessed us, when there looked like no way could be found He led us on. In truth here in Uganda, Africa we have found a new freedom. Jesus has freed us of the need to take care of ourselves and instead do His will in loving others. In that love we have found Joy and Peace like we have never known before.

I wonder today if that is not available to all of us wherever we are if we are in His will. All we need to do is forget about ourselves, our needs and serve Him faithfully in love reaching out to those before us and asking Him to show us their need.

Here are some of the pictures of children He let us love today:

Boys Will Be Boys

Today at Hope we got to see the children in everyday action; with no big teams on the compound life gets back to normal. There were children doing their laundry, helping with kitchen duty, watching a movie (We brought a few “G” rated videos from the states), and even more children just running and playing outside.

It reminded us of our own home and bringing up eight children, seven boys and one girl. They all had their chores and their free time. Even though we have many boys, we felt it was very important to train them up to know how to take care of themselves. This means cooking, cleaning, laundry and dishes. That way when they were grown they could either do things for themselves or appreciate their wives’ care of them from a first hand knowledge. We see this at work at Hope as well and we approve of all the children pitching in to help so no one person has to bear the burden of all the hard work.

That said we want to relay two incidents that happened today that show children are not so different across the world. In the morning I (Alisa) was working with Lia (another team member on an extended stay) to interview all the children to add information to their files when some noise and then crying broke out in the front yard. Knowing that sound quite well, I went out to see what was going on. As it turns out, two little boys had been playing and had collided with each other. They were both hurting, crying and a little mad at each other. Pulling them both up on my lap, I just held them and cleaned their faces and dusted their clothes. It brought back the memory of my own little ones who would get into altercations. As soon as they knew they were loved and cared for the tears dried up, smiles came back to their faces and off they went back to play again.

Later in the afternoon all the adults were sitting in Pastor Prossy’s office once again when BANG went a very loud noise! We all sprang into action to see what had happened. As it turns out the sound was glass breaking as a ball sailed into one of the front windows. The big boys had been playing soccer and lost control of the ball. That really took us back in time to our house. How many times have we had to replace windows because of our boys? As Randy cleaned up the mess, making sure all the glass was cleaned up; Alisa relayed a similar incident to Pastor Prossy. After the second time one of our boys (who will remain nameless) broke a window, Randy told him he would need to pay for it himself. Prossy then asked if our son had a job earning money at the time. I replied that he did not, but Dad gave him one and he earned the money for the broken window.

A little while later after the clean up, Prossy called the big boys into her office. As is their custom they came in on bended knee to face their punishment. She then told them that she would be arranging for them to do some work in the neighborhood to earn the money to pay for the window. She said she would not buy the window until the work was done. It was so sweet to see them smile and clap their hands after they heard their fait. You could see they were relieved that they could do something to make up for the loss of a window to their home.

So boys will be boys all over the world and parents can be parents if they have the love in their hearts to raise them well.

Lets Talk Shower.

Most of you know what an electric water heater is. We know where they belong in a house and the job they do. As you look at the photo, you may notice an electric wire going to the showerhead. That’s the waterheater. As a contractor of 30 years, I have become knowledgeable of some of the wiring codes. Here is one I remember… NO LIVE WIRES IN THE SHOWER! NEVER, EVER, GOT IT. Well as you might remember from other blogs, This is Africa (TIA). Here they put live wires in the shower and with in reach of the person showering. So this is how they work. When you are ready to get hot water, you turn on a switch, which they have located outside of the showering stall (not sure why, it must be for some safety reason, like “Honey, I’m being electrocute!!! Hit the safety switch… HURRY). You wait for a few minutes and you either get water from the roof’s holding tank at its current temperature which is almost cool enough to drink but not warm enough to call it shower water, or you get scalding hot water that actually burns you. There is no way to adjust the temperature. We let it collect in the laundry tub they supply you with, then dilute it with water (from the roof again) from the sink, and with a liter water bottle cut in half, you dump it over your head and body. The next thing you know… you’re clean and ready for the rest of the day. I love it here. Who ever thought I could blog about a shower?

More of TIA. It is now 1:30 and I have been waiting since 10:00am for my ride. I have call my friend who are to pick me up, but they can’t get something printed because there is no electricity where they are, and I don’t have a printer to help them out. I have had a wonderful morning and now a wonderful mid-day. I have hope they will arrive soon as we are running out of daylight in just 5 hours and that is about what it will take to accomplish today’s task.

See the electrical tape!

To the left of the door is the "safety?" switch.

Randy's first time behind the wheel. Note the right hand steering wheel. This is not easy over here.

My friend Patrick is in the passenger's seat.

A New Uganda

Our Children of Hope,

We love them dearly.

Isa 1:17 – Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.

These are the things God calls His people to do; these are things that are good in His sight. As we are here in Uganda we see the need so clearly. There is much injustice. There are many who are oppressed. There are more orphaned children than adults and many of the adults have been abused so much in their lives, they don’t know any other way. So, the cycle of abuse continues on. Then there are the widows…too numerous to number, who have been left alone from the ravages of war, aids, malaria, and other harsh realities of life in Africa. Their lives are a struggle, they need help.

Driving through the streets you see so much need. The need is greater than we can comprehend. We ask ourselves “Where do we begin?”

Then, we drive into “Hope Children’s Home.” Things are not perfect here either; at first glance you see 94 children, orphans, living in one large home and one smaller one. But they are children who after being rescued from horrible circumstances are now being fed, clothed, cared for, schooled, bathed and loved. Children who once had no hope of a future are now filled with hope. The Lord has looked down upon this small corner of the world and reached clear across to the other side of the world to touch the hearts of men and women who are willing to answer the call of injustice, respond to the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widows. This is the work I have seen here; the work Show Mercy is doing in Uganda. But Show Mercy is not just a humanitarian organization started by two well meaning people. It is a movement of a God who says “The plight of my people in Africa is not OK with me”, it is the obedience of His children to hear the call and lay down their lives to follow Him faithfully. Show Mercy is all of the people who give to sponsor children, build buildings, feed hungry people, help those in need or join a team to serve as missionaries, short-term and long-term here in Uganda. We together are Show Mercy; a family of partners working to raise a family of children who will one day be the new face of Uganda, end the cycle of poverty and abuse, and usher in a new day in Uganda.

We can see in our minds eye a day when all the good seed that has been sown into these children will come to a day of a fruitful harvest. We see a day when they are grown, schooled, working and returning to their community the goodness that they have enjoyed. These are the faces of the new Uganda. Your sacrifice is making a big difference. Thank you.

Together with Him,
Randy and Alisa Varga

As For Me and My House We Will Serve the Lord!

Today we got a taste of what life in Uganda will look like. Having much to accomplish, we separated today and went to work. Alisa went to Hope for the day while Randy hit the road with Patrick the builder to get some errands done.

At the home I (Alisa) found a more peaceful version of the children. With only Lia and I there as visitors we found the children more into their daily routines. It was nice and a lot quieter. We started off the day by continuing the interviews we had started when the team was here. We are attempting to talk to each of the 94 children and ask them questions to update their files. This worked great until the battery ran out on Lia’s computer (Hope had no electricity today). So then we went to plan B, “Sock Day”.

All the Kids with socks.

A portion of the socks that our children raised were handed out to the children of Hope. They were so cute coming in one by one choosing a pair they liked and fit them. They smiled from ear to ear with excitement. When the children all had their socks, the staff each selected a pair themselves as well. Then, came some of the people who live in the village, pleased that they were invited to share some of the blessing; choosing a pair for themselves. Finally we commemorated the event with a picture. Later in the day we had lunch, walked to the boy’s home, visited with friends and read stories to the children. I brought a book out and just sat on the front steps. Soon I had a crowd around me and began to read. But before I could read, two of the boys began to take turns reading to the rest of the children. When the book was over they said “we want to read it again!” So of course we did. Life is slow here. We can take time to visit, to walk, to read a story once again. I noted that this is the life the Lord is calling me to and I think it suits me well.

I (Randy) on the other hand went to run a series of errands; we went looking for a mobile modem for our computers and found the only office in Uganda that sells them! Next we were off to look for a medical clinic to see what they have to offer. Yes Randy went to look at a medical clinic. It not what you would expect to see in the States, but more of a rundown country business run out of a side room of your house. When you get inside, you see they were rather adequately supplied. There are 6 British and/or Ugandan trained MD’s along with a few specialists, two ambulances (I have only seen one on the roads in the past two weeks), and I was rather impressed. After a lunch of a packet of Costco peanut butter crackers and some bottled water, we were off to look for a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The story is the Ugandans bring in Japanese cars and trucks and sell them by the 1000’s. The newest one I saw was a 1999; the good ones were 1995 to 1997. They are in great shape and only have between 60K to 110K miles! I can only figure they drive about 2000 to 3000 miles a year in Japan. The fun part of all of this is the used car salesmen over here could have come from the “schlocky” dealers on 82nd Drive in Portland! They used the same lingo, the same pressure, the same everything. I had to laugh at this. We did find a great 96 FourRunner, if I was ready to buy for around $11,000. Then it was time to try to cross town to get back to Hope and pick up the gals. An hour later we arrived tired and worn out, but with more knowledge of what we are getting ourselves into. After spending the day with Patrick, I know that God has brought both Show Mercy and myself a great Friend. I feel our lives here are beginning to gel.

Thanks for following along with us on our journey of life in Uganda.

Laundry Day.

1-26-09 This is Africa…

Hudson's Church.

Stephen, the oldest boy. He takes care of the little ones.

One cute little girl who loved the camera!

As we sit here in our new hotel room (but really old),very loud thunder and heavy rain outside, tiny little mosquitoes and the first cold water shower inside; we are faced with the reality that “This is Africa!”

Yesterday was our last day with the team so we have checked in to a more “economical” hotel. Yes, we have moved to “Hotel Ivory”. Located in the town of Nansana, very near Ganda Village, where Hope Children’s Home resides, Hotel Ivory is not exactly a five star hotel, but it is a reasonably priced place that is clean.

Today was a very full day. Our plan was to go to the city of Lugazi to visit Pastor Hudson, the Pastor who has stayed in our home twice over the past two years. It is about a 2 hour trip, and Patrick, a friend we have made here offered to take us there and back. Patrick is a builder here in Uganda, who recently built the two new classrooms for Hope. He is also helping with the constructions plans for the “Field of Dreams”, which is the name given to the property where Show Mercy (God willing) will build a mission base, children’s homes, a school, clinic and more. As for our trip, let’s just say it took well over 3 hours (for a 45 miles drive) due to numerous traffic jams to get there. But as we are learning “This is Africa” and the unusual always is the usual. When we reached Pastor Hudson’s home we had a treat in store for us.

Hudson, His wife Mercy, and their 4 Kids.

Hudson and Mercy.

His wife Mercy had prepared a wonderful lunch for us and we had a long leisurely visit. While there we spent time at their home, their children’s home with about 50 orphans living there, and their church. Hudson and Mercy are warm gracious people who have the gift of hospitality and blessed us with a wonderful day. Mammas and some of the Girls at Hudson's Children's Home.Mercy in one of the rooms.

The way home was much faster than the way going and we arrived back at our new “home” weary but satisfied. We had dinner with another team member Lia, who is also staying at Hotel Ivory and will be here a week after we go home.

I can see that God is bringing very special people into our lives, as He is preparing a place for us here. God is good!

1-25 Sunday: Saying Goodbye…

We spent the day at Hope today. As we arrived, we were ushered into the church were Pastor Simon was teaching. At Bethel church, the service starts early and continues throughout the day. We were honored today to have Dr. Nsaba Buturo, Minister of Ethics & Integrity (One of the President cabinet’s members), his wife Edith and children join us today as they were invited to preside over a dedication service for the two new classrooms Show Mercy and their partners have built for Alpha Omega School. The service was beautiful, lively, and inspiring. Our Hope children had prepared a dance (to worship music) that was dedicated as a thank you to our team. Tears ran down my face as I watched them dressed in white shirts, with ribbons tied to their hands and around their heads praising the Lord with their African dance moves so gentle and sweet. As I watched, I heard the Lord whisper to me, “This is what it’s all about. They are why you are here. I love them so much and want them protected and brought up in my ways.” These children have lived such hard lives for their years, but now they know they have been saved by a God who knows them and loves them. Their souls are at peace, they are in a family, their needs are being met and they give all the glory to God.

When it was time to pray for the people in need of healing, salvation and deliverance it was not our team who was called to come up to pray for the people. Instead we called the children of Hope to come up and step into their destiny of service to their people. One by one they stepped forward and so did many people in the church that were in need of prayer. Our team surrounded the people in support of our children, praying the Lord would hear their prayers and do a work of His Spirit. The Lord honored all of our prayers this day and it felt to me like a beginning. For many Ugandans the white man has been seen as an answer to their problems. But I see the Lord is doing a new work. It will be a work started in the hearts of these children; children who have seen the power of His name, children who love Him and have experienced His love, children who desire to be all they can be for Him.

After church came the dedication service, lunch, then some visiting and goodbyes. As the team headed back to the hotel, someone asked “What one word sums up this visit to Uganda?” One said “Wow’, another “Missionary”, my answer was “Fellowship”. The fellowship of believers has been so sweet. The team, the children, the Ugandan church, the house mamas, cooks, teachers and staff have all worked together and sacrificed to produce a beautiful perfume for the Lord’s enjoyment.

It was sad to say goodbye to our team as there are many from other states that we may not see again. But we are glad to have shared this time and experience together.

Goodbyes are Hard to Do

The morning meeting was a bit rough as the team realized this would be the last full day as a team at Hope. As a team we have done very well together. Everyone has enjoyed each other’s company and we all have functioned as a team. It’s hard to believe our time together is drawing to an end. Randy and I of course will remain for 10 more days, others will stay longer. But most of our team will leave tomorrow night. It is sad to say goodbye to those who have been our fellow workers in the Lord.

As we headed out to Hope today, it sounded so easy; we planned to stop, pick up some water jugs to set up a hand washing station for the children, a few gifts and 20 pineapples for the lovely people who serve the children at Hope. But then I guess we forgot where we were. This is Africa…. And after boarding the bus which was over an hour late due to a flat tire, we were on our way. How do I describe our stop to shop? Let’s just say we Mazungus were the morning entertainment! The first store was like an old five and dime store of the past and luckily we found most of what we wanted. We soon were on our way only to turn back because we had not realized the area was the only place we could stop for pineapple as well. Only problem was there was nowhere to park and a traffic jam so we parked the bus at a gas station and some of us got out, walked along the street and waited while on one side of the street while our Ugandan friends bargained for the best price on the other side. This is where the entertainment for the street people came in. I guess we were quite and unusual sight. While waiting we ran in to two girls from Hope, Ruth and Virginia who were shopping for groceries. Unfortunately, Ruth gave some groceries to a boda boda (motorcycle) driver telling him to take them to our bus, only to have a lot of confusion thinking he had not delivered them. Not only that, but standing across the street we lost sight of Simon and Edward (our friends) and headed back to the bus empty handed while Randy went to find them. All in all our stop was about 2 hours but the good news is we all made it to Hope and one of our team members, Danny even led one of the street vendors to the Lord in the process!! God is so good!

Once at Hope the children were so excited and we spent some time enjoying the day with them. Another thing we did was call in all the teachers and moms to give them the “hand washing lesson” and pass out small gift bags we had prepared for them. It was a wonderful time of blessing and we even game Miriam, our cook a baby shower “American Style”. After all that we had more time just to spend with these people we have come to know and love. Each one is such a treasure.

Randy and I are glad we have more time here. There is much we want to do for ourselves in our remaining time here but we are also grateful for some more time to spend with the children and helping Show Mercy in their mission of love in Uganda.

Our Trip to Jinja

There comes a time for all missionaries to take a day of rest. On Thursday morning we packed up and headed to Jinja to see the head waters of the Nile and Bujagali Falls. It was a long ride (about 2 1/2 hrs) to reach our destination, but along the way there were lots of sights to see, lunch to take in (Alisa had a hamburger and French fries!) and shopping to do. As you can see by the pictures the head waters of the Nile and the Falls are well worth the drive and it was a relaxing day. After our sight seeing spent the night at the “Paradise on the Nile” hotel. That is where we took the picture of the bats, see the posting below.

In the morning after breakfast we headed back to Kampala. We had plans to make stop at a hospital in Lugazi’s local hospital, but we received a phone call saying that they already had too many visitors. So, this gave us some free time. Some went to the Equator, Alisa stayed to go shopping and Randy went to Uganda Immigration Office to find out what it will take to move here and get a work Visa.

Tomorrow’s plan is to spend the day at Hope cleaning and getting ready for the dedication service on Sunday. We will be dedicating two new classrooms and Uganda’s Minister of state, Ethics & Integrity is planning to join us. Now this man is the 3rd highest political member of the Uganda government. He reports to the President of Uganda! Mike, Lori, Randy and Alisa went to dinner with him and his wife. During dinner Randy simply invited them to join us for this dedication, not ever imagining him accepting. Well he did. Now the panic is on to get the place ready!

Most of the team will leave to go home Sunday night, but Randy and I will be moving to a hotel located near Hope where we will spend more time with the kids, take care of some things for Show Mercy and try to make more connections for our up and coming move to Uganda as long-term missionaries.

We don’t know how many posts we will be able to make since there is no internet at this hotel but we will try, as there is an internet café near by.

God has been good and has shown up in many ways. It is good to know we serve a true, faithful, and wonderful God.

Oh My... There were Bats!

We were at Jinja, about 75 miles to the east of our usual location of Kampala. We had been at Head waters of The Nile river and were heading to our hotel, when some noticed bats... lots of bats. I took this photo from our hotel balcony. The black specks are huge bats the size of crows. The sky was filled for a mile wide and they flew past in this quantity for more than 30 minutes, until the sun went down and it was too dark to see them, but you could hear their wings and chirps. It was an amazing sight.

We Gave Your Socks Away Today…

The Church (yes it's a Church and not a barn).

My favorite thing to do... photograph my kids.

Playing ball on holiday.

The Village Watering Hole. A good one!

A New Beliver In Christ. Alisa prayed the Salvation Pray with.

A Child with Cancer.

Our son’s Elijah and Gabe with the help of their sister Leilani took up the challenge before our trip to gather socks for us to give out in Uganda. They called the drive “Socks of Love for Uganda.” Their efforts brought great success and the night before we left we counted 514 pairs of socks!! Since we had so many socks to hand out we have been able to spread a lot or love to the Ugandan people. It is amazing to me how the thoughtfulness of people clear across the world can lift the spirits of people who have so many struggles in life. Elijah packing the Socks!

We had an early morning wake up call today, so sleepy eyed we went to breakfast, had a short prayer meeting and headed to the bus. Our early morning destination was Mulago Hospital’s Cancer Unit. Last June the Show Mercy team began to forge a relationship with this hospital. Our hope is to help them in many positive ways, but first we must build a trusting relationship. Last June we brought little stuffed animals; today we brought blankets made especially for the children and socks and soap for the adults. The Hospital administrator led us through each ward one at a time. The plight of the people there seemed more than we could bear, yet as we spoke with them, prayed with them and handed out our gifts of love we saw a light come to there faces and hope spring up in their hearts. A happy patient with new socks.

While there I (Alisa) met Christopher, a man suffering from liver cancer. As I talked with him he shared that he is born again. Finding that we have Jesus in common was joyful for both of us. We talked about how we will dance together when we are in heaven!! I prayed for his healing and before we left he was up and walking around. Alisa and Christopher

Life in Africa is hard. When you are sick, you think a hospital is a good place to go but we were told that many people die in the hospital simply because they do not have anyone to take care of them. If a family member is not there, they do not get fed and if you don’t have the money to pay for the medicine you need, you will not get treatment until you are able to buy the medication and bring them over to the hospital.

In the children’s unit there were sometimes more than one in a bed and the tumors which would have been removed routinely in America were not dealt with. This leaves many little ones disfigured and in pain.

I (Randy) had a huge blessing from God today. I was walking through the ward (yes I was in a hospital) when I came upon one man. He was so weak he could barely hold up his head as he sat on the edge of his bed. I went over to him. I asked him if I could pray for him and if he was born-again. He nodded and then pointed to a bible written in the local language, and he replied he knew the Lord, “see my bible”? We prayed for a few minutes and you could see the peace in his eyes knowing there was someone who cared enough to share Christ’s love. I saw another and went to pray for him. He was too weak to even move. He was hurting; you could see the pain when he tried to move. I ask him if he was born again. He said he went to church but was not a “Born again” and there he was a few minutes later, a Brother in Christ. A new Christian, with Angles sing and dancing in heaven. We serve a great God, one who loves us and wants the best for us. I am so blessed to be part of His plan.

We are going to another hotel for a night in a town called Jinja. It is at the headwaters of the Nile River. If I can find an internet café, I will post another blog.

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