Project Uganda
August 16–24, 2007
We returned from Uganda after building an orphanage for Watoto, a ministry that focuses on children. Over 1.7 million young people have died from AIDS, war, and other atrocities. It is important that we take part in saving Uganda's future. We celebrate God's provision through a successful 30,000 Steps for $30,000 campaign.
Latest From the Journal
Gulu
Joel Schmidgall · August 23, 2007 · 4:01 PM
Pastor Joe just started KPC (the church that runs Watoto) in Gulu (see next post to read more about Gulu).
Pastor Joe’s wife, Jackie.
This land was formerly used by President Amin to torture POW’s. The church is trying to buy it and redeem it to be used for the Kingdom of God.
The vision for Watoto.
This is the 2nd largest IDP (Internally Displaced Persons Camp) in Gulu.
Many of the children inside the displacement camp have lost parents and are forced to raise each other.
Acholi child.
Acholi child displays his flower.
The IDP camp. There are 10 people per hut, with a total of approximately 24,000 people in very tight quarters.
Amy Langdon with many of the kids.
Through the eyes of a team member: Pam Elliott
Joel Schmidgall · August 23, 2007 · 3:54 PM
Wow!! What an incredible day and amazing experience – overwhelming really! We had the amazing opportunity today to travel to Northern Uganda to the city of Gulu to visit KPC – Gulu that has just been launched. We met with Pastor Joe and his wife Jackie who showed us the incredible rehabilitation that has been done on the church there. I was so moved when we prayed in the church and just blessed what God is doing with Watoto and KPC in Northern Uganda. I personally did not know exactly what has been going on in Northern Uganda for the last 20 years - I’ve heard about it, but never really stopped to think or reflect on what exactly was going on. The LRA and the government of Uganda have been at war for the last 20 years, the local government thought it would be safer for the citizens to be moved temporarily into camps where they would be protected from the rebels. Twenty years on, those citizens are still in the camps. Over 12,000 of the children of Northern Uganda have been captured and used as citizen soldiers – some have escaped but many have never been found. Many young girls have children by the rebels, 12% of the population has AIDS. We had an opportunity to visit the second largest camp that houses 20,421 people. We met the Camp Chief and walked through the huts and so many children came to see us. It was so overwhelming to actually experience seeing these children and knowing that there is such a need here for them to be healed and that KPC and Watoto will be a part of making that happen. I can’t even describe the feeling I felt when we left Gulu. I was extremely sad after visiting the camp, yet very encouraged to meet the amazing people of KPC and know that they have such a passion for God and a passion for the people of Gulu. All of us wanted to do anything to help them with the church and the ministry they are growing, but all they asked for now is our prayers. So I will pray!
We also had a dedication ceremony for the orphanage we built in Kampala. All the workers were there and we worshiped together and placed our hands on the structure that we had built together, so that the 8 children and 1 den mother soon to live there would be blessed. We built the house in 2 a quarter days, but it will be there for many years to come. An awesome day!!!
It is finished!
Joel Schmidgall · August 22, 2007 · 3:08 PM
The is right after we finished the outside walls of the orphanage.
Here’s the entire team right after we finished.
This is the final brick!!!
After we finished, we had a big soccer match with the workers. We had a lot of fun, but they definetly had the upper hand on us!
Here’s a few of the Watoto kids that we met. We had the chance to eat a traditional meal in some of the Watoto homes with the orphans and house Mom. What a priceless experience!
Through the eyes of a team member: David Cho
Joel Schmidgall · August 22, 2007 · 3:04 PM
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18
From this day forward, I will never be able to read this particular verse the same way again. This charge from the apostle John was inscribed on a plaque that was located above the entrance to House 74 of Suubi Village, and seeing these words immediately before stepping foot into a beautiful, loving home for eight Ugandan orphans is just one of the many powerfully indelible images that have been forever etched into my brain. Presumably, the people of Watoto selected this verse as a reminder to the children of how we, as Christians, should live our lives: loving one another and following the example set for us by Christ. However, after everything that we have been blessed to experience over the past six days, these words seem to fully encapsulate not only the awe-inspiring events of this amazing day, but also the purpose of our entire time here in Uganda.
After two intense days of building and hard work, the final brick of our house was laid this morning around 11:00 AM local time. Through your prayers and, of course, the providence of God, we successfully completed the task that we had been called to do here in Uganda (and unofficially, according to the people of Watoto, we even managed to accomplish this feat in record time). Following a rousing game of soccer with a number of our fellow Ugandan workers, we were given the privilege to visit Suubi Village – another Watoto site that is currently home to over 800 children. We were served a delicious home-cooked Ugandan lunch and had the opportunity to spend a few hours with some of the most incredible children I have ever met. Finally, we were blessed once more by being given a couple of hours to visit a local youth summer camp and interact with hundreds of additional children from Suubi Village. On behalf of the entire missions team, I can honestly say that today was the perfect culmination of everything that we had been striving for, and amazingly enough, we still have another two days to go!
To all those who have been following and praying with us during our time in Uganda: I hope that each and every one of our experiences has strengthened and encouraged you. We are inexpressibly grateful for your support, and ask that you continue to pray for us until we arrive safely home.
Through the eyes of a team member: Amy Langdon
Joel Schmidgall · August 21, 2007 · 3:11 PM
Amy Langdon - Parable of the Lazy Worker
I write now as the only non-lover of hard work in the group. If God humbles us in order to show his strength in weakness, he definitely has plenty of room to shine in my hard work department. I wouldn’t say I was lazy…but others might. In the days spent in Uganda before we started building, teammates would say to me “I can’t wait to start working” or “I wish we could spend more time building.” To which, my reaction is always the same. My eyes become wide with panic, I smile and say through gritted teeth, “Oh yeah, me too.”
So these last two days spent moving brick, smacking down mortar, painstakingly assembling row after row of wall after wall, should have been pure torture. But to my eternal surprise, it has been such a blessing. I saw God work through me long after I know my physical body would have given up. Trust me, (and people who know me or have worked with me for any amount of time can attest to this) I do not work this hard. I know we are encouraged to use our spiritual gift for God, but I had never felt the joy of God showing Himself to me through my lack of talent. I know he was at that building site these past few days. He was in me picking up a brick when my arms were jelly and in me scooping mortar when my back was on fire.
The whole experience has made me feel so lucky. I keep thinking back to the verse “Who are we, and who are my people that we can give as generously as this?” (1 Chronicles 29:14) I feel lucky to have been chosen to come to Uganda. I feel lucky to be here with a group that daily are a model of service and generosity to me. And most of all, I feel lucky to have a God that loves me more than I can ever know, a God who uses my strengths and my weaknesses to bring Him glory.
Quotable
You may never meet the kids that will live in this orphanage, but they’ll know you in heaven. -Pastor Joshua
One of my favorite moments today was when one of the Uganda workers handed me a piece of fruit and said, “This is for you, You are my friend Bob.” -Bob P
I was encouraged by a Ugandan woman I worked alongside, who sang her way through her work. It was absolutely beautiful. -Joanna C
Fav’ Five
Amy working the trowel.
Simon (from the Ugandan team helping us) cuts open the jack fruit during our break.
This is half way through our day. We had just finished our first wall (the back).
Peter, aka Bobby Wine, busted out in dance for our rowdy group.
Pastor Joshua gave a word of encouragement to the team at the evening meal, courtesy of Watoto.
Through the eyes of a team member: Lori Hollett
Joel Schmidgall · August 20, 2007 · 4:10 PM
WOW!!! How else can I describe the day?! By the grace of God, NCC Team Uganda was blessed by strength, perseverance, humility and commitment as we began our first day of constructing an orphanage for the children of Watoto. We built more in our first day than any other team that has come to Watoto! Go NCC!
We befriended our brother Ugandan teammates as we worked side by side laying bricks, placing mortar, cutting trees in the African brush (to support our windows and doors), and catching glimpses into each others lives. Of the many amazing experiences I had today was the opportunity to meet one of the orphan mothers and listen to her sincere appreciation and thank you for what we were doing. Later, as I watched some children in the streets of Kampala devour a Power Bar I had given them, I realized how much we take for granted in our lives.
Today I felt like we were the hands and feet of God doing his work to help build a home for Ugandan children.
Quotable
One of my favoirte ways to serve is going all out. My body wants to die right now! -Adam T
If you lay seven rows of brick on each wall of the orphanage, it will be a good day.” -Our foreman at the work site before starting. We finished 15 rows high!
Today was one of the few times I’ve done work and given my all and had nothing personal to gain from it. David C
Fav’ Five
Lori lays bricks.
Brick laying.
Ugandan workers playing Matatu (speed UNO).
Jen C. builds the front of the orphanage.
Hard at work… OR not.
Sunday - Fav’ Five
Joel Schmidgall · August 19, 2007 · 2:31 PM
We were fully immersed in the KPC culture today. What a blessing to worship with Ugandans in song and dance!!! I’ll let the pictures speak for our day…
There were close to 1,000 people lined up to get into church when we showed up! And that happened for all five services!
We were deeply affected by the way people worshiped so genuinely with such joy. In the midst of poverty and trouble, they sang lyrics of deep thankfulness towards God for His blessings.
More Ugandan worship.
We met Genevieve and Viola here in Uganda. Today Viola gave a touching and tearful thank you to us for our blessing to her personally.
The tourist in us came out during our shopping trip to the market.
We start constructing the orphanage tomorrow! We’re all itching to get to work and we’re psyched about how God is going to use us in the coming days. So far we feel like we’ve received the blessing! Here we go…
Baby Beauty
Joel Schmidgall · August 18, 2007 · 1:16 PM
Favorite Lugandan phrases we learned:
*Gaggawala ne katonda - You are rich in God.
*Oliotia sabo - How are you man?
*Jaculaba Mbwa - Peace out dawg!
A few reflections:
I work with burn victims as a nurse at the hospital, but seeing a baby that had been intentionally burned really broke and captured my heart. -Lori
Today was my first time holding a baby. As I held some of the kids, I just kept praying that as they grow up, these orphans would know their heavenly father. -Michael
There is nothing better than a kid’s smile. Those kid’s smiles do some damage - good damage to the heart. No matter what is behind them (background) they’re still smiling. That’s Jesus’ love to me! -Adam
Today was a great orientation of all the Watoto does in this community. But the highlight was our afternoon spent at Baby Watoto - holding, playing with, praying for, and loving on the children. Our hearts are full today!
Here’s our Fav Five:
Ginny holds one of the Baby Watoto children at the Bulrushes.
Izzy is 3 days old and is HIV Positive. There is hope that the disease will pass through her system.
Adam throwing another kid in the air.
The poor kid on top had to wear PJ’s sunglasses to reflect his whiteness.
David the natural.
Arrived!
Joel Schmidgall · August 18, 2007 · 2:09 AM
We arrived late last night to Uganda, along with the President of Senegal! So the red carpet was pulled out for us (or maybe him :) We have a day of orientation and touring all of Watoto ministries ahead of us. A great start to the day with a Ugandan delecacy called Vegimite. Carmel modeled it for you.
We kicked things off in Proverbs 18 this morning. We would love to have you follow along with. Here’s our favorite verses:
It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the innocent of justice. Proverbs 18:5
The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10
Shot in the arm
Joel Schmidgall · August 17, 2007 · 2:18 AM
We’re currently on a layover in Amsterdam on our way to Uganda. We were sent off with a shot in the arm though - the update on our 30,000 steps project. We found out that our new total, as of this morning, is $34,125!!! WOW! What a sense of destiny - That the day of the trip, we passed the $30,000 mark! Feels like God has prepared our way. And that is done through so many of our friends sacrificial giving. Thank you all again for being a part of the orphanage team!!!
Only 10 hours away from Entebbe. Uganda, here we come!