Sunday, 23 July 2017

First weeks








It has been so wonderful be back and see my friends. I have returned home 🙂. When I first arrived at the airport, it felt so surreal. I couldn't quite believe that I was actually in Uganda! The best way I can describe it is that my heart sang for joy. That sounds really cheesy but I think it encapsulates how I felt. I can't wait for the next 2 months!

I arrived safely on the Monday and was greeted at the airport by Silver, Gabit and Reagan. It was lovely to come back to a house full of the Smile team before I had some much needed sleep after the long journey.

Lois, one of the girls on my gap year team, also arrived on the Wednesday and I've really loved having her here too. We've really missed the third member of our trio, Kate!!




Tuesday 11th - I went with the SCU field team to help run the children's catch up class. Most of the children who attended year are no longer part of the class. That is a really great thing, because it means that they have returned to school or started going for the first time a few years after usual school enrolment age. I missed them but I am so pleased they have the chance to get an education and I hope that







what they learnt in the class has been useful for them starting or resuming school. Some of their younger brothers or sisters are now part of the class and it was lovely to spend time getting to know the children.

Wednesday  12th and Thursday 13th- Ruth Mother Care School- it was so amazing to have a chance to go back to RMC. RMC school is a school for disadvantaged children that I worked at during my gap year. Many of the children come from families who can't afford to pay school fees, so Ruth set the school up so that these children could still have access to education.

It was such a joy to be reunited with the headmistress Ruth and the other teachers that were here before. There was much hugging and smiling! Teacher Stephan Teacher Stephan (I get called Stephan here) There have been a lot of changes to the school in the last year as there are new teachers and some of the children we got to know and love have loved on to other schools or moved away to families in the village. I had the opportunity to have a good chat with Ruth about how the school is doing. It now has a piece of land some distance away where Ruth is growing maize to help their meals become more financially sustainable. The maize will be ground into posho flour. Posho looks a bit like mashed potato but whiter. I am so happy to see the school continuing to go from strength to strength.


Crafts at RMC






Sorting maize to make posho





 Family Believers Church children's club- On Friday we got to see many of the children who were previously in our catch up class come to the Bible and fun club after school. I love them so much! I led a session on the parable of the Good Shepherd with the older children and we made sheep masks out of card and string.





Kampala Baptist Church- I have loved catching up with friends at KBC. KBC is such a supportive and friendly church family and I feel so lucky to be part of it.


Gabit
 




Prayer requests:

-For general health- I was ill in the first week.
-For safety on the roads, especially when travelling on boda boda motorcycles.
-For starting work next week at Wakisa Ministries (see previous post)
-For my family and I as my maternal grandfather Bryan passed away this week.








Tuesday, 11 July 2017

Back in Kampala!


 
This summer I have the privilege of being back in Uganda for two months. I have missed it so very much this year since I returned from my gap year with Smile Charity Uganda. I am so blessed that God has provided for me to return just over a year after I left.

In addition to wanting to visit the projects I have worked on before and see all of my friends in Kampala, I want to use this time to consider God's calling on my life and work in different areas of ministry. My work with SCU was mainly focused on children's ministry and whilst I love working with children, I also have a heart for addressing the challenges that face women in Uganda. Therefore I decided to apply to work with Wakisa Ministries and the women's outreach groups that YWAM Jinja organise.

I am so excited for the next two months!

What I will be doing in order:

2 weeks work with Smile Charity Uganda working on the projects I worked on previously (see last year's blog posts)
2 weeks with Wakisa Ministries- a pregnancy crisis centre for teenage girls
2 weeks with Youth With a Mission based in Hopeland, Jinja
1 week with Wakisa
1 week with Smile Charity Uganda



What is Wakisa Ministries?




Wakisa Ministries is a crisis pregnancy centre for young women who have unwanted pregnancies, often as a result of abuse, who have been abandoned and rejected by their communities and families due to this. Wakisa provides accommodation, counselling and vocational training during the girls' pregnancy to help them recover from trauma, gain skills they can use to earn a living after leaving Wakisa and learn about Jesus.

I will helping in different classes, for example in English and life skills. I am excited to spend time getting to know the girls and showing them Jesus' love.





What is Youth With A Mission Jinja?






YWAM is an international missions agency with many bases around the world. The base is in Kakira Jinja is called YWAM Hopeland and overlooks Lake Victoria. They have a number of different ministries, including a school, prison work and evangelism. I will be helping at support groups for HIV positive women in Bible studies at the base and the surrounding villages and with children with disabilities at Home of Hope. I worked with children with disabilities at a holiday play scheme as a summer job for the last two years, so I hope to use the skills I have learnt through that work at Home of Hope.

I decided to spend this time in Jinja because I want to see and serve in a new part of Uganda and see how different ministries are run.



I have worked with YWAM in England before when I went on a two week mission trip with them to Romania four years ago . I am looking forward to visiting another YWAM base and serving in a new part of Uganda. I visited Jinja on a day trip last year, but I am looking forward to spending more time there and making new friends there.

Please pray for:

- Safety, especially on the roads as I travel using taxis and motorcycles.
- That plans will go smoothly.
- My health.
- To settle in quickly to my work at Wakisa and YWAM
-To build good relationships with the girls at Wakisa.
- To make time to spend with God even in busy periods