Ironside Tribe Chronicles

2008-04-15T06:10:00.001-07:00

A few pictures from Addison's school play for chapel and of a recent fun day for the women from church that was held at our house. See pictures of Collin and Blake below.

2008-04-15T06:06:00.003-07:00

Pictures from Collin's birthday party last weekend. His birthday is on Friday this week.

2008-04-15T05:19:00.000-07:00

A few pictures of the boys from recent events. I can only post 5 pix per blog so I will add a few more each day. The gross picture is Blake's leg from a spider bite.

2008-04-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Day After April 1st

What is that old saying…fool me once, then shame on you. Fool me twice, then shame on me. Well, most of you were not fooled this time. All of the blog was true except for the pregnancy part. I thought that by posting on April 1st, it would be a clue as to the validity of it. So, I will provide you with another true tale. I promise to refrain from foolery for at least 364 more days.

A True Story
We have rats, rats, and more rats. We have battled these pests before, and I thought that we were rid of them. But alas, they have returned. I have been able to kill two, and one of them was huge. He had been living in my gas grill and storing up dog food. I opened the grill one night, and there he was. He met his end when he was met in the head with a 32-inch, 20 oz, aluminum bat that happened to be handy. I would get a cat to keep away the rats, but our dogs would kill the cat (it has happened already once). I set several traps before bedtime tonight so we can hope for success.

The biggest problem right now is that the rats appear to be nesting. When they get in this phase, they start looking for paper and/or fabric to make their nests. Somehow, they manage to get in our cars and chew up papers, socks, or anything that they can find. Twice now they have built nests inside the air condition vents of my Prado. The worst part is that I think one died in the ductwork. My car smells horrible. When I turned on the fan yesterday I heard a lot of noise, and now today it smells. It is growing worse, too.

The rats are about 6 inches long, minus the tail, so they are not so easy to catch. I am using that glue stuff that just catches them in the glue. The problem is that I have to put my traps in a place that the dogs cannot reach because I don’t want them to eat glue-covered rats. The glue is supposedly non-toxic, but it terribly messy and sticky. I really don’t need dogs with half eaten rats stuck in their mouths. Yuck!

Until next time....

Kevin

2008-04-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

March Madness
Just some random events from the past month to give you a taste of the cultural experience in Kampala….with a surprise ending!

Night on the Town
When we are meeting new people in Uganda, they will often ask, “how do you like Uganda?” We often tell them that we love the Ugandan people because they are so friendly, but that we do not like the city because of the horrific driving conditions. Tony Gibson, the ministry director of Heart of the Bride, just finished a visit with us, and our last night out was one of those nights when the traffic was crazy. It was Thursday night, which ordinarily would have been a fairly calm time to drive. However, it was the night before Good Friday and in Uganda Easter is a 4-day holiday beginning on Friday. Thus, the traffic was very heavy as people prepared for the holiday and were moving about. We went out for dinner at a restaurant about 6 miles from our house and traffic was fine getting there…getting home was another story. When we left the restaurant traffic was bumper-to-bumper and barely moving. We had not gone but about 0.5 km when my car was rammed in the rear twice. I was able to pull to the curb and immediately got out of the car to assess the damage and find out what happened. I was confused because we were moving so slowly that it did not seem likely that someone would hit us from behind. The driver of the car behind me also exited his vehicle and began explaining to me that the taxi, or matatu as they are called here, had pushed him out of the way in order to get through a roundabout. The taxi, which is a minivan, had placed his bull bar on the rear bumper of the car behind me, and then pushed him out of the way. When he did this, the car behind me rammed by car. The damage was restricted to the rear bumper and is only cosmetic, fortunately.

Well, that was just the start of a wild adventure home. It took us two hours to drive the 6 miles to our house, and almost that entire time was spent just navigating the first three miles. There was so much traffic that much of the city center was in gridlock, with traffic unable to move in either direction and preventing either from being able to move. It is not uncommon when traffic gets heavy for people to create their own lane by pulling out into oncoming traffic. This is an extremely annoying habit that I have yet to have patience with. On this particular night, it was occurring in both directions and two-lane roads could not support the newly established four lanes of traffic, which resulted in gridlock. At one particularly bad intersection, civilians had gotten out of their cars and were directing cars one-by-one through the intersection. They even had whistles! If not for them, then we would probably still be sitting there. There was a car full of Dutch people directly in front of us for most of the drive home, and one lady passenger was furious with the events. She got out of her car on multiple occasions and yelled at the oncoming cars blocking the way. It was great entertainment. At one point when we had totally stopped, she got out of the car and bolted for a small grocery store. Tony joked that she was going to get some beer to calm her nerves. He was close…she was getting cigarettes. Once we finally got through the jam we stopped at another small store to get some groceries, and we saw her buying wine. Hopefully, she has calmed down now because she was close to a nervous breakdown or heart attack.

In order to get through the heaviest part of the jam, we had to drive on the sidewalk and squeeze through spots that could not have had more than 2 or 3 inches of clearance on each side of the car. It was definitely our craziest driving experience yet, and one that I hope is never repeated nor topped.

Pests at School
We recently had our class schedules interrupted for some unplanned inspections. Each class, in turn, was told to report to the school nurses station to have their heads checked…for lice. There have been three outbreaks of lice since Christmas and several boys have had to shave their heads. On this particular day, one girl in my class had them, as did girls in Christian’s and Blake’s classes. Fortunately, none of our boys had lice, (nor me!) and we all kept our hair. They said this is not uncommon, but that this was the worst year in recent memory.

Witchdoctors
We are always hearing witchdoctor stories and you never know what is true and what is just legend. They definitely exist here, and some of them have real spiritual power. During the recent violence in Kenya, we heard multiple reports of weird events. During the violence, looting was rampant and the witchdoctors in the coastal city of Mombasa decided to take action. We are told that many of the witchdoctors gathered and put curses on anyone who stole things so that they could not steal or would return items. The following events are accounts that we heard from many Kenyans. Some of them said that they even saw some of the events on TV.
• There were stories of people who stole bikes who could not get off of the bikes and had to keep pedaling until they collapsed.
• People that stole TVs and carried them on their backs could not remove the TVs from their backs until they returned them.
• People who stole cell phones would hear the ringing of the phone coming from their stomach.
• People who stole timber could not release the timber until it was returned to the place it was stolen from. They even said that the timber was speaking to the people and would tell them to put it back in its original place in the warehouse.
• And some tales that are not related to the post-election violence…some Tanzanian men were speaking to the students recently about marriage and were warning them of the dangers of impotence from being “bewitched”. They said it was very common in their village.

Too Much of a Good Thing
Some recent activities reminded me of an event several months ago that I don’t think I ever related. We often go swimming at a local resort that hosts large conferences. Just over a week ago, Anwar Gaddafi, political leader of Libya, was attending the conference and so security was very tight and included metal detectors. Several months ago, security was high, and we also had to pass through metal detectors and be inspected. During one those inspections some police officers asked me if I was married. When I told them yes, they then asked me if I would like to have another wife. I explained to them that I was happy with one wife, and that my current wife would not approve of another wife. They explained to me how sweet Ugandan women are and how all men need more than one wife. They told me that my wife did not need to know about another wife because I could keep her in another town and visit her while on “business trips”. They were half kidding and half serious. They told me that if I got them 10 cows that they would arrange the whole thing. After about 5 minutes of trying to convince me that this was a good thing, I noticed a female officer off to the side listening to the whole exchange. So, I asked her, as a woman, what she thought about what they were trying to talk me into, thinking that she would take the side of my wife and say it was a bad thing. However, she caught me totally by surprise when she responded, “yes, you should take a second wife and it should be me!” They all got a good laugh at my expense and I have since avoided being baited into such conversations.

Could It Finally Be a Girl?
We have been pursuing adoption for several months now and it has gone much slower than we anticipated and is much more complicated than we would have thought. We have often wondered why it is taking so long. Well, maybe we have our answer. As part of our adoption process, we have had to undergo medical testing for various diseases, including HIV (we were both negative), which involves a fairly comprehensive blood screening. I guess they just want to make sure that adoptive parents are not going to die soon. Anyway, they called us back in last week to get our test results and Pamela had tested positive on one of her screenings….yep, the one for pregnancy. This was quite the shock for us! So, now we wonder if we should continue to pursue adoption or not. I have heard many stories about people getting pregnant right after adopting, but I did not know that just pursuing adoption could cause such things.

Blessings from the Tribe,

Kevin

2008-02-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

February 6, 2008

Scooby Doo – Where are you?

We got our second dog on January 10th. Scooby, a 16-month old female German shepherd, is now part of the family. Our other dog, Paska, has not been too happy about it, which has resulted in some skirmishes and one pretty nasty fight. If you look at the pictures you can still see the cut on Paska’s left eye. Scooby is much bigger than Paska and beats her up badly, but Paska keeps picking fights (and keeps losing). Scooby still has a lot of puppy in her and always wants to play with Paska; however, Paska is rarely in the mood. It has been good for Paska because she will soon be 8-yrs old and she was starting to get too lazy and inactive. Scooby keeps her up and about much more. Speaking of keeping someone up…Scooby has been doing that to us as well. We noticed that the first two weeks that she was here that she never barked. We were concerned that something was wrong. Well, I wish she still didn’t bark because now she does it all night long. I don’t think she knew how to bark and has just learned. Sometimes she just barks at nothing while she is lying down. It reminds me of a young puppy when they are first learning to bark. I hope she gets over this soon because she is greatly disturbing our sleep.

Scooby is a sweet dog and the boys really like her. We are being careful not to ignore Paska and pay extra attention to her too. It is interesting how much Scooby likes Christian and how she immediately took to him. I think it is because her previous owner had a teenage son and she relates to older boys.

Kenya Crisis
I hope that you are keeping up with the crisis in Kenya so that you will know how to pray. I have not written about this for a while, but it is still very serious and could easily grow worse. The news media is reporting over 1,000 dead and 350,000 displaced. Our Kenyan friends, who witnessed much of this first-hand, believe that the number of dead is probably 2,000 to 3,000 and possibly more. One man told us that he was in Eldoret the first day of the violence and saw at least 300 people that were killed. He said that the bodies were stacked in the back of a large truck like firewood, with one layer of bodies stacked in one direction, and the next layer turned 90 degrees and stacked in that direction. He saw two trucks of this nature. One was filled with women and children and a second truck was filled with bodies of men. He also saw many bodies still in the streets. On this particular day the news media reported that less than 250 people were killed in all of Kenya. There were also three churches burned in Eldoret that day, yet only one was reported in the news. The Kenyan government is controlling what the media see and report. It is a horrible tragedy and tensions do not seem to be easing even with all of the recent attempts at mediation. The 350,000 people who are displaced likely do not own anything now except the clothes that they are wearing.

One friend of ours knows a very rich Kenyan man. Because this man is from the Kikuyu tribe but was in a non-Kikuyu area, they burnt his home and his business. He lost everything, which was worth over a million dollars. He now owns one shirt and one pair of trousers. This is happening all over Kenya. Another friend of ours has a father who is an attorney. They burnt the home, the law office, and even all of the law books. They also lost everything but the clothes they were wearing. It is tragic and sad. The people in the refugee camps don’t have enough clothes, food, or blankets. There have even been reports of killings within the refugee camps between tribes. There is some deep-seeded animosity between the tribes and especially against the Kikuyus because the Kikuyu tribe has been very influential in government and business. Kikuyus are known for being hard working and good businessmen. Most of what the have was not just given to them. However, the animosity is still there and the election results have spawned all of the violence. Most people believe that the election was not the cause of the violence but rather the spark that ignited fuel that had been built up for years. Tribalism, or ethnic violence, has long been a problem in Kenya, which almost any Kenyan can explain to you. None of them seem surprised by what is happening in their country, though very saddened.

At our campus church, it is about 80% Kenyan and many tribes are represented. Please pray that there will be unity in the Body and that their love for one another will be an example to the rest of the campus. They are trying to help refugees who have come to Uganda and made a mission trip last weekend to the Kenya-Uganda border town of Tororo.

Blessings from the Tribe,
Kevin

2008-01-15T05:51:00.001-08:00

MTN Marathon

A few blogs back Kevin mentioned that I ran in the MTN marathon held in Kampala. Thanks to all of you who congratulated me on finishing the marathon; however, I am ashamed to admit that I was only running the 10K portion of the marathon not the full 42K. I am also ashamed to admit that the winner of the 42K finished only a little over an hour of my 10K finish. The winner was a Kenyan who finished in 2hours and 17 minutes. Unbelievable, except that I saw him cross the finish line. The second man to finish was from Uganda. He was being greatly criticized for even entering this race as he had just competed in another marathon only four weeks earlier. Two months time is recommended for full recovery of a marathon. The MTN Marathon is a huge event drawing many participants, including international runners, and huge crowds of spectators. There is an amazing amount of publicity all over the city and the race itself brought out over 6,400 runners. Being an international race and having so many participants made for a very exciting morning. I met up with my friend, Alice, who had signed me up to race and off we went. I have participated in many running events but never one of this magnitude. It was absolutely amazing.

Christmas Day

Our last two Christmases in Uganda have been great opportunities to teach our boys that it is truly better to give than receive. Last Christmas, we shared with the Uganda Jesus Village by taking gifts and cookies. This year we decided to share with our neighbors whom we have grown to know and love so much. Amongst four homes very near to our compound, there are twelve children. We invited them to come to our home on Christmas day for a movie, snacks, fun and gifts. They all arrived 1-½ hours late- not unusual, just wished I had remembered when I set the time- in their nice Christmas clothes. They all seemed so happy to be invited somewhere to share in this special day. For many, it is just another day for work because there may not be any money to do anything special. Christmas in Uganda focuses on being together as a family and eating special foods you might not eat at other times of the year – like chicken for example rather than gift giving. The gift is being together. We had a great time sharing the truth of Christmas, snacks, a movie, some gifts and candy but most of all the love of Jesus that beats in our hearts for these little ones. It is truly better to give than receive. The joy and blessings of that day are ours. If you would like to see a four minute video clip of this day, go our friends the Rineheimer’s blog at ugandarinehimer.blogspot.com and follow the link on the left hand side to Christmas 2007. John and Erica are excellent at adding these special touches to their blog. The Ironsides do not know how to do this, so enjoy theirs I don’t think they will mind. You would probably enjoy reading about what is going on up country Uganda in Arua town. Thanks Rinehimers!

Godfrey

Godfrey is one of the twelve children who came to our home for Christmas. Godfrey lives with his Auntie because his mother died of HIV/AIDS and the father is now sick. Godfrey is ten years old and the oldest child living in his home. Because of his circumstances of being the oldest, a boy and a rejected child, he is often the source of much abuse. He walks long distances to purchase food for the family. He goes to school early in the morning, returns around 6, washes his clothes, and begins fetching water for cooking and more. Godfrey does not look at you when you speak to him and he mumbles his words looking down--- signs of emotional and physical abuse. While at our Christmas celebration, I reached under Godfrey’s chin to lift his face up to look at me while I spoke to him and let him know that this was ok. Kevin said that after I touched his face Godfrey reached up and touched his face in the same place that I had touched him and continued to hold his face. It was as if this was the first time his sweet little face and been touched with love and affection. Also, while he was at on our home on Christmas day, I noticed that he had a very deep wound on his knee. I asked the Auntie if I could clean and bandage the wound. The wound was so bad and needed daily cleansing and bandaging. I asked the Auntie if she would allow Godfrey to come for several days for treatment. She allowed him to come and today marks day 18 of his visits to our home. When he would come, I would doctor the knee, pray with him, sometimes offer food and drink and most of all share the love of Jesus while I pushed him on the swing for a while. These visits to our home in the afternoon have become a highlight in Godfrey’s day. Before leaving each day, he would always say “tomorrow at four?” The knee has almost completely healed and I pray that in someway so has Godfrey’s little heart. I realize that the healing of heart that Godfrey needs is far beyond a few days of bandages and affection but it is our pray that in some small way he has indeed felt the love of Jesus for him. We are so thankful for these opportunities to be the hands, feet and heart of Jesus to those around us. It is truly a privilege that blesses our hearts continually.

Addison’s 8th Birthday

Addison turned 8 on January 7th. He choose to the spend the day celebrating with his brothers and a few friends at Didi’s World Amusement Park – the self-proclaimed “Disney World of Uganda”. Their favorite activities at the park are the water slide and the bumper cars. Unfortunately, on this particular day, the bumper cars were broken and the pool water looked like pea soup. Now, for some of his brothers, this would have meant for a very cruddy day, but for Addison his joy is people and in spite of the circumstances he had a fabulous day. We are so thankful for Addison and his love for life. He continues to have such a joyful spirit and is a blessing to our home. He is most loved by our African friends and often they refer to our family as the “Addisons”. May God continue to grow and nurture his heart with a strong love for people and use him for HIS kingdom purposes.

Unrest in Kenya

Thank you for all who have been faithfully lifting up our brothers and sisters in Kenya. It has been two weeks following presidential elections that went awry. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced living in IDP camps with very little food and water if any. The news reports 700 hundred who have lost their lives; however, those returning to Uganda from Kenya are reporting that that number is very low. Please pray for our brothers and sisters who suffer unjustly, who have lost everything they have worked for, and who are being killed innocently. Our hearts are so heavy for this land. Will you carry the burden with us in prayer?

Demonstrations are planned for Wednesday through Friday of this week, and it could create some horrible violence. The stories that we are hearing from our Kenyan friends that have returned to Uganda are horrific. The killings and lootings are rampant in Western Kenya, and through they have calmed in the past week, the new demonstrations this week could easily rekindle the flames of hatred and violence that have subsided.

Pamela

2008-01-02T06:29:00.000-08:00

Kenya Unrest

The international news channels are just beginning to report on the unrest in Kenya following the elections from December 27th. It is a tragic situation and could easily grow worse. I will not provide all of the details, as those are more easily understood by reading the reports on CNN or other news channels. However, I will tell you that many people are being killed, houses are being burned, stores looted, and there is general chaos throughout the country. Most of the students that we work with are from Kenya and are very concerned. Pastor Kennedy lives in Eldoret, which is where most of the killing is taking place and is where the church was set on fire while people were inside. Because it was the Christmas holidays, the students are still in Kenya and are being directly affected by this. Please pray for their safety and for peace to return to Kenya. Also pray for missionaries in Kenya and for wisdom in what to do. We have some missionary friends from Uganda who are stuck in Kenya after going there for Christmas vacation.

This is having an indirect impact on Uganda, though nothing like what is happening in Kenya. Currently, the Uganda/Kenya border is closed and is anticipated to stay closed for the near future. Because Uganda is a land-locked country, almost all of the goods and supplies come from Kenya, including most groceries and all fuel. Currently, fuel supplies are extremely low and will probably be totally depleted within 48 hours. Gasoline (petrol here) has gone from $6/gallon to $12/gallon and appears to be totally gone. Diesel was $8/gallon this morning, if you could find it. I went to three stations before I found a place willing to sell me 5 gallons. If this lasts much longer, the food supplies will also start to run low. This creates a tension of it’s own and people were driving more aggressively than normal today. I narrowly avoided a bad accident when I fortunately noticed that someone was trying to pass me on the right while I was turning right. Since we drive on the left hand side of the road, this would be like someone passing you on the left while you were turning left in America. This has happened to me twice in the past week. I always try to check my side mirror to ensure that no one is doing this, but it is hard to always remember. Driving is so crazy here!

Happy New Year!

We rang in the New Year with our friends from World Gospel Mission. We had a good time and enjoyed the fellowship. We are looking forward to 2008 and seeking God on how best to order our lives for this year.

One of the reasons that we came to Africa was I felt like I needed to be more involved in our sons’ lives. We felt like being on the mission field together would allow us time together in ministry and that I would also have more time at home with them than I had in America. Well, I allowed my schedule to get way too full the past 8 months or so and realize that I need to be more purposed with my time. Because we are in student ministry, our weekends and evenings get quite busy since that is the time that students are available. Unfortunately, it is also the main time that I can see my sons. I was gone at least four nights a week and usually totally occupied on teaching and preaching over the weekend. We are trying to guard against such a hectic schedule this year.

We are diligently planning to be together more as a family. We have set aside Friday nights as family fun night and a time that we will spend together having fun as a family. This was when I had discipleship group the past year, but I will have to move it to a different night. Sunday nights and Wednesday nights are going to be times set apart for family spiritual nights where we will pray, sing, and study God’s Word. Since our boys are going to Heritage International School beginning tomorrow, they will now be at the same school where I teach each morning. This will also give us more time together.

We know that whenever we return to America that my work schedule will be demanding and that our boys will get involved in sports again. Though we do our best to keep these things in balance, we know that we will never have as much time together as a family as we do now. We need to make the most of it.

Please don’t think that we are pulling out of ministry to be a family. I will still be doing most of the things that we did last semester. It is just that I will try to be home at the same time that my sons are home, and will not take on so much preaching at other churches.

Wishing you God’s best in 2008! I will write another blog as soon as I can about how we spent Christmas. Some of the pictures that I posted are from then.

Kevin for the Tribe

2007-12-22T05:15:00.000-08:00

December 22, 2007

Christmas Greetings from Uganda! I have not updated the blog as frequently as I had hoped to in recent weeks due to an extremely busy schedule. I am happy to report that our internet has performed flawlessly since we had it installed about a month ago. We have been skyping our family and a few friends. We have been using the webcam and have even been able to see Pamela’s dad and my parents. We would love to Skype with others, so please let us know (by email) if you also have Skype and we will make a connection.

I have a few random stories to share with you and promise to update more regularly in the future.

Uganda Marathon
Pamela ran the 10K portion of the Uganda marathon on December 9th. She keeps promising to write a blog about her experience so I will not say too much other than she was one of 6,500 runners. She had a great time. Check out the Ugandan version of "where's Waldo" in the second photo and try to find Pamela. Picture number one was taken by Pamela before the race at 5:30 am. I was still asleep.

What Corruption Looks Like
A good Ugandan friend of ours had a terribly disappointing experience last week. He lives in a nice house with a wall surrounding it. Almost all nice homes have a walled compound for security purposes. A car was driving by his house and lost control and crashed into and through his compound wall. They must have been driving extremely fast through this residential area to crash through a block and concrete wall. Five people were in the car and two died instantly, and another was badly injured and screaming for help. The other two passengers jumped from the car and ran for fear of “mob justice”. Mob justice is a common experience here. If someone is injured and the people determine (rightly or wrongly) that it was your fault, then they will beat or kill you on the spot. They sometimes douse people in gasoline and light them on fire. Other times, they put car tires around them and light the tire. They may beat with sticks or stone someone to death. It is a very common thing. They caught a thief in our neighborhood recently and the community beat him to death. Therefore, the two passengers feared that they would be killed because of the injuries to the other passengers, and they fled even though they had a friend dying in the car and screaming for help.

Our friend was at home and went outside immediately after the crash and found the injured woman. One of her legs was almost severed and the other leg badly injured. He was trying to help her and at the same time people in the community were coming to rob the dead victims (another common phenomenon). They stole items from the car and even took the stereo system from the car just minutes after the crash. Because the wall was smashed in close proximity to his gate, he could not drive his car out without first removing some broken concrete blocks. However, people were busy looting instead of helping make a way. He finally was able to get her in his car to drive her to the hospital. When he arrived at the hospital, the people saw him with this badly injured lady and thought that he was responsible. A crowd gathered and they were ready to execute mob justice on him. Fortunately, he was only badly scared and not beaten. They did steal his watch and wallet. Later, the police came and tried to charge him with a crime. This also is not unusual. All of these reasons are why people constantly tell us to NEVER help an accident victim, because it could cost you your life.

The sad part in all of this is that this is a county that is supposedly in revival and where over 70% of the residents proclaim to be Christian. Yet, scenarios like this happen every day. It makes me think of Steven Curtis Chapman’s song where he asks “what about the change…what about the difference?”.

I have had two instances where I could easily have been a victim of mob justice. The first was when we had only been here about three months and I “struck” a child of about 18 months with my vehicle. I was on a very busy street and I still suspect that the mother of the child may have pushed the child into my vehicle. My car was very dirty at the time and it was evident that the contact occurred on the side of my car between the front and back doors. I was going straight, so I did not run into him; rather, he ran into me. I immediately stopped the car and got out to see if he was ok. A large crowd of at least 100 people encircled us within a minute demanding that I pay the lady. It was apparent that the child was not seriously injured and he had already stopped crying. I gave her some money to go to the clinic and I left. I was very fortunate to get away so easily.

Another time I was at a shop and a motorcycle that was traveling too fast struck two pedestrians. This all occurred less than 20 feet from where I stood. The pedestrians had obvious head injuries from striking the pavement and were lying in the street. I was going to help them and/or take them to the hospital. My Ugandan friend warned me not to go. After a few minutes passed and they were still in the street, while traffic just drove around them, I started once again to go help. This time my friend sternly warned me not to intervene. Now, I understand why he felt this way.

Driving is a crazy and scary thing here! We know of two missionaries who were killed in hit-and-run accidents. Three of our friends have been hit by trains while traveling in town. A family of seven was killed a few days ago by a train. There are seldom warning signals at train track crossings. Please continue to pray for our safety as we move about since it is a constantly treacherous thing.

Ebola
I don’t know if you have seen the international news about the Ebola hemorrhagic virus outbreak in Uganda. Thus far, about 40 people have died, which is about 20% of the people who have been diagnosed with Ebola. This is a less lethal strain and the most lethal strains have killed up to 90% of those infected. Ebola is a gruesome disease that seems straight from science fiction. There is no cure and you can only pray that you do not die if you contract it. It causes internal hemorrhaging and destruction of your organs. People bleed to death from the inside out in about 21 days from onset of symptoms. They believe that three men eating infected monkey meat in Western Uganda near the Congo border started this current outbreak.

Experiencing God
I have been taking a group of eight male university students through the study of “Experiencing God” this semester. We have seen God do wonderful things! The testimonies of the students have been amazing, and their increased understanding of the Bible has been encouraging. As a result of the study, one young man from Rwanda had been praying that God would reveal where He was at work on campus. After praying one morning, the young man met a classmate who was drunk from being out on the town all night. He felt led to help the young man back to his room, which caused him to miss class. He followed up with the student the following day after he was sober. He continued to meet with the other student and two weeks later led him to salvation.

We had a great time this semester. We meet on Friday nights at 6 pm, and we routinely met until 9 pm and sometimes 10 pm. They were so excited to share about what God was teaching them that they did not want to leave, even on a Friday night! We had very open and honest discussion and drew closer to God and each other. I am so appreciative of the Home Group in Knoxville for providing us the books for the study.

Earl
You have seen pictures and read about Earl in past blogs. In case you have forgotten, Earl is an African Grey Parrot. Earl got very sick recently and we took him to the veterinarian three times. He even had to get injections of antibiotics. Unfortunately, Earl did not recover and died. We were all really sad and miss him. We hope to find another parrot to replace him. It seems oddly quiet without his whistling and talking echoing through the house. The vet told us that it is very unusual for parrots to get sick but once they do, that they rarely live.

OUCH!!
Yesterday I was at the gym working out. They continue to remodel and work on the gym and things were a mess. While moving some weights around, I accidentally dropped a 22-pound steel plate on my big toe from about four feet up. It hurt like crazy but I didn’t realize how badly I injured it until I got home and removed my shoe. My sock was soaked in blood. It sort of ruptured the toenail at the base, which is separated from the toe. It struck my toe right at the base of the nail and that is where the main damage is. It still hurts and continues to bleed. I am sure that the nail will come off and I just hope that a new one grows back.

Merry Christmas!

Ok, I realize that this is an odd assortment of stories, but it is what is going on in our lives right now. We are preparing for Christmas, but it will be very simple this year. We did not buy any gifts for our boys, though Pamela did bring back some movies and video games when she went to America in October. We gave them those gifts when she arrived returned to Uganda. My parents also sent a Wii game with Pamela’s dad that they received in September. So they are not deprived by any means, though Christmas will be without gifts this year.

We are planning a party for our neighborhood kids on Christmas day. We are going to show a movie and give some small gifts, candy, and cookies. We spent last year at an orphanage, but decided it was better to be with kids that we see all the time. We have some very poor houses very near to our house. We can see them from our balconies. We know these kids and our boys play with them, so Christmas is a good opportunity to give something without creating expectations of us giving all the time. It is a difficult balance trying to help but not creating unrealistic expectations. Some people just stop giving all together because once you give many people will begin to come all the time asking for help. It becomes easier just to say “no” every time than trying to discern when to help or not.

As we enter into this Christmas season, we wonder where we will be for Christmas 2008. If America, where? Or will be still be in Uganda? We really don’t know at this point but we are seeking God as to His will for our lives. We would appreciate it if you prayed with us.

Christmas can be a sad time as we miss our families and our friends. We enjoy being away from the materialism but we miss the fellowship of those we love most. We hope that your Christmas is blessed and joyful and that even in the midst of the American chaos that has become Christmas, that you will worship our Savior in spirit and truth.

Merry Christmas from the Ironside Tribe!

2007-12-04T06:12:00.000-08:00

Random Musings

CHOGM
This acronym probably means nothing to you but to those of us in Uganda it has become a common term. They say it like a word with a long “o”. It stands for Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which was recently hosted by Uganda. It was quite an honor for them, and they took it very seriously. The Commonwealth is all of the countries that were once under British rule but now independent states. There are 53 countries in all and it includes much of Africa. Most Americans are familiar with the Commonwealth Games held each year, which is also based on the British Commonwealth. They hold this meeting once every two years and so for Uganda to host it was a really big deal. Each country sent their respective Head of State and many delegates. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles were also in attendance. Security was super tight for obvious reasons.

We were directly affected by CHOGM because the road that takes us to our neighborhood is the only route to the venue where the meetings were held. We were limited on our travel for several days due to road closures, brigades, and many practice runs. Some country (I think Britain) sent hundreds of new BMW motorcycles and cars for the police and dignitaries, respectively. I think that the officials were so excited about their new “toys” that they had extra practice runs, which involved driving up our main road at high rates of speed with sirens blaring. This is extra scary here because of the massive number of people on the road walking, riding bicycles, driving cars, and hauling goods with very slow trucks.

We were also affected by CHOGM because the resort where they held the meetings is also where we go swimming and I work out. We were entirely shut out for two weeks, and we also experienced limited access in the months leading up to the event. The whole place was under construction and a huge mess. I really doubted that they would be able to finish the work in time to properly host the event. They waited until the last possible moment to initiate much of the construction, which was really confusing since they had known that they would host the event for two years. Many hotels that were being built in anticipation of the event did not get completed while others were partially finished.

They did their best to clean up the city and improve the roads and did an admirable job, though much of it occurred at the expense of the public due to the many major inconveniences associated with construction and road detours. They removed garbage dumps and repaired roads. They installed streetlights and did landscaping. They completely renovated the airport and it looks amazingly different. The city looks much better. We are all just hoping that it will be maintained for the long term. It was a bit chaotic while the preparation was going on, but all is over now and we are glad to have it behind us. Now I have to get back to they gym and recover all that was lost during the layoff.

Thanksgiving
Well, we now have two African Thanksgivings under our belt. It is not a holiday that is celebrated by Ugandans, but we have American missionary friends here that we were able to feast with. In some ways Thanksgiving 2006 seems like it was last month, and it other ways it seems like it was years ago. During our missionary training, we were told that being a missionary was very paradoxical, and I think that how time passes is part of that paradox.

We had a very traditional meal with turkey, mashed potatoes (or smashed potatoes as they are called here), sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, dressing, and cranberry sauce. Most of those items are common here, though turkey is very expensive here and cranberry sauce imported only for the Americans. We had a very nice day and spent it with our friends at World Gospel Mission. They have taken very good care of us and allowed us to be part of their team and included in their events.

Christmas
Christmas in Africa is just plain weird to me. December is the hottest month of the year here, which is part of the oddness but only part of it. It is so strange to hear Christmas music in stores. They are songs that we know but sung by people that we have never heard of and they do not sound the same. The decorations are not as elaborate but they are there. It just does not feel right. Now, as a missionary, I am not supposed to be concerned with how it feels, and should be celebrating the Advent season. However, I have to be honest and admit that it just feels strange, and I don’t like the feeling. I really do not like hearing Christmas music, as it just reminds me of the weirdness. Last year Pamela was constantly playing Amy Grant’s Christmas album. So far, she has not yet played it this year and I hope that she can hold off for at least another week.

Last Christmas was pretty depressing. We were at the four-month point and had endured a lot of disappointment and frustration already. We had finally settled into our home and were in a lull in ministry because the students were on Christmas break. It was a very slow time, and there was too much time to think and analyze. We were homesick, lonely, and not feeling very effective in ministry at that point. A lot has changed in the past year. We are looking forward to a bit of a break after being VERY busy these recent months.

So, as we enter this Christmas season, I am hoping that it will be a time for family and reflection. We don’t have to worry about buying things because there really isn’t anything to buy, and if it is there, it is two or three times as expensive as it would be in the States. I am thankful to be away from all of the rampant materialism in America. I am thankful to be able to slow down for a couple of weeks. We are thankful for the many ministry opportunities that we had in the past year.

Scooby
Scooby is a 15-month old female German shepherd that will soon be ours. She currently belongs to a family from Sri Lanka that will be moving to Australia in January. We are buying her from them. She is a pretty dog and great with kids. We are all very excited about getting a second dog. It also really helps security to have more than one dog, which is the main reason that I am getting it. We have not had any problems while we have been here, but you just never know when it could happen.

Speaking of dogs…When we visited Kenya, I saw the biggest dog that I have ever seen. It was half Rottweiller and half Saint Bernard. Monstrous and scary looking dog and I would love to have one. We would never have to worry about robbers coming to our house with those dogs around.

Earl
Earl is our African Grey Parrot and he is very sick. I have taken him to two different vets and they are both very concerned about him. He had what appeared to be a sinus infection so we got him an antibiotic shot and he was getting better. However, yesterday he started acting really sick again. He is sleeping all the time and not eating well. We are hoping and praying that he will recover. The vet that I saw today said that it is very unusual for a parrot to get sick and that when they do they often die. We have no idea how he caught anything since he is not in contact with any other birds or animals.

Internet
Hopefully our internet problems are finally over. In July, we finally decided to pay for a good service. It was almost $100 per month, but we were so frustrated by everything else that we had tried (and those were around $50 a month) that we decided to bite the bullet and pay for the “good stuff”. You have to keep in mind that even the good stuff is very slow (about 16 kb/sec). We were having so many problems in communicating and especially sending or receiving attachments that we knew that we would have to pay for the more expensive service.

So, we paid over $300 to have it installed and signed up for the service. Two days later it quit working. I tried calling the company but no one would answer. I then found out that they went bankrupt and were being bought out. I could not believe our misfortune. Apparently, they went bankrupt the same day that we had it installed.

We recently found out who bought the bankrupt business and were able to reestablish internet in our home. So far, so good. It has worked every time we have tried it. It is reasonably fast for here and it is compatible with our Mac. All this for the low price of $90 per month.

If this keeps up, then I will begin regularly posting blogs again.

2007-10-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

I haven’t written in a while because I am not sure what is worth saying. I think that most of you know that Pamela is in America for a one-month visit. She departed on September 26th and returns on October 28th. We have survived her absence, but the last half of her trip has been more difficult for us than the first half. I kind of expected that it would be that way. My schedule has been quite busy with taking care of the boys, teaching school, and weekly ministry commitments. We are all looking forward to her return and having a full family again.

I continue to be amazed at what is going on in the world of sports. I don’t remember a college football season with so many upsets (probably because there hasn’t been one). I see that Tennessee got whipped by Bama yesterday. So, at least the Corders and Brian Rhodes are happy. I am surprised that Brian hasn’t emailed me already to tell me the score. Of course, Brenda did email already.

I didn’t get to the internet for about 10 days and could not believe it when I saw that the Rockies are in the World Series. I am very happy for Todd Helton and hope that they win.

Ministry is going very well right now and very busy as well. I have four commitments each week to either teach or preach and I spend lots of time in preparation. I am still teaching 6th grade math and science each day and still enjoying it. I wasn’t sure about accepting this commitment, but glad that I did and am finding it rewarding.

We are finally in a regular routine and not having to work on logistical stuff as much. We still have lots of logistics remaining on the children’s home, though, and I know that it will require lots of time.

Pamela has really enjoyed her time in the States and sounds like her old self again. For those of you who have been with her, thank you for your encouragement and love.

I think that I have been too busy to really think about writing anything of interest so sorry for such a boring blog. Maybe there will be more news next time.

Blessings,
Kevin

2007-10-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from our visit with Pamela's dad that I was unable to post last time. Hopefully it works today.

also, Pam's cell number in the states is 850-582-2143.

Kevin

2007-09-30T00:50:00.000-07:00

Go Gators!

After careful evaluation and contemplation, I have decided that I am a Florida Gator. Some might say that I am just jumping on the bandwagon since the Gators are currently the reigning national champs in football and twice in basketball. However, I have many reasons to be a Gator. I lived the last 10 years of my life in Florida before moving to Africa. My drivers license and voter registration are both in Florida. Three of our four sons were born in Florida. Our home church is in Florida as well as the vast majority of our friends. Pamela and I spent over 2/3 of our married life in Florida. Florida is really my home, and if Florida is my home then it only makes sense that the University of Florida should be my school…so, Go Gators!

I wish it were only that simple. If you aren’t a gator, then you are just gator bait, and I am still on the receiving end of the gator chomp. I could be a very happy fan right now if I could switch allegiances, instead of a downtrodden Vol. 59-20! How is that possible? That would be classified as a good, old-fashioned butt whippin’. I can only look forward to basketball season where the Vols should actually be quite good and competitive.

First Family Visit
Pamela’s dad, Ron, came and spent two weeks with us from September 9-23. We had a very good visit with him and some good quality time. He got to see first hand where we live, the driving conditions, and lots of ministry. We spent time in a children’s home, giving gifts in our neighborhood, bible studies with the students and in worship services. We also took a 2-day safari to Queen Elizabeth Park, where we saw many lions and also found a large python. No car troubles on this trip and a very nice safari.

We got a scare four days into his visit when we received a call that his mother was near death and that he might need to leave immediately. God answered our prayers and extended her life and he was able to stay for the whole two weeks. However, only three days after he left she did pass away. Pamela has gone to America to be with her family at the funeral and also to get some medical examinations since she has had some strange symptoms for about 3 months now. She will be gone a whole month, so I will have my hands full between teaching, ministry and caring for four boys. We will make it. I have done this before and I just need to stay organized and on top of things. She was attending a funeral in Alabama, then going to Florida to visit our church and friends, and then going to Tennessee to visit family. If you are one of the people who spends time with her, make sure that she relaxes but also gets pampered. I think that she is feeling slightly guilty about being gone and may not allow herself to really enjoy everything. While in Florida, she needs to eat lots of good food, go to a Niceville High School football game, visit the Destin beaches, and have lots and lots of encouraging time with her many friends. In Tennessee, she needs to spend lots of time with family, see as many friends as possible and also rest some. If she goes to Georgia, then she needs to go to a Hillgrove High game and see my brother’s family.

I am praying that God will use this time that we are apart to give us clear direction about our path forward. We have been here just over a year and are trying to discern what the future should look like. We have many decisions to make and lots of planning both here and in America. Our work visas and the lease on our house expire in November of 2008, which could make that a logical time to come home. We have also contemplated staying until May 2009, though have had some doubts about that recently. We need to know God’s plan and will and have the faith and obedience to walk it out.

Internet Woes Continue
This trial continues to go on and on and on. My last blog about 2 weeks ago stated that we had just gotten a new internet service that was much better than anything else we had tried. It was reliable, a bit faster, and Mac-compatible. Two days later it shut off and has not been back. I found out last week that the company has gone bankrupt. This is quite frustrating. We have hopes that they might get started back soon and restore our internet. However, I have fallen terribly behind in responding to emails since I cannot receive or send from our home. This will have been posted from an internet café somewhere, but I usually don’t sit and respond to numerous emails while there. Sorry, if you have written and have not heard from me. I keep hoping to get reconnected at home.

p.s. Well, I just read that the mighty gators were upset by Auburn yesterday.
See what happens when I pick a team to root for. This week I will pretend to be a USC fan.

2007-09-13T05:13:00.000-07:00

Hello There.

For the first time in our time in Africa, I am actually publishing a blog from my own home. We just got a new internet provider this week and it is Macintosh compatible. It is a bit faster and much more reliable than our previous provider, though also more expensive.

If you looked at the pictures in the previous two blogs, then you may be curious as to what you were looking at. The little boy in the red sweater is Moses. The boy in the striped rugby shirt is Sanjay. We are still very interested in adopting one or both of these boys. I will try to post some more pictures today if it works.

The house in the trees is in Naivasha at the Hovinghs and is property purchased by Heart of the Bride.

All of the other pictures are at Turtle Bay. I will try to post some more of those, too. One is of a lionfish in a tidepool but it is a bit difficult to see if you don't look closely.

We got home from our trip and jumped full swing back into ministry. I am preaching on a weekly basis and teaching two bible studies and participating in a third one. Pamela is also involved in women's ministry and helping teach their weekly bible study as they go through Galatians. It has been great to get reacquainted with the students after a long break. We had a retreat last weekend and an outing to Lake Victoria on Sunday after church, so it was a busy first week.

We had our first non-missionary visitor from the states this week...Pamela's father is here and we are very thankful for his visit. We are having a good visit and just hope that he gets to stay for his full two weeks. We just found out a few hours ago that his mother is very ill and may be near death.

I gained an additional responsibility this week that I had not planned for, but so far it is going well. I am teaching 6th grade science and math at a local Christian school. It is not the Word of LIfe School where our boys go, but another one nearby. They lost two teachers unexpectedly and really needed help so I agreed to teach until Christmas, and possibly longer. I only have four students, three girls and a boy. The girls are from South Korea, South Africa, and Rwanda. The boy is from Uganda. I teach the first two classes in the morning so that the time commitment is not too great.

It is raining hard again as I compose this and quite cool. Apparently global warming does not apply to Uganda. We have had unusually cool weather for about 4 months now.

If you sent me an email and have not heard back, then I apologize. Email piled up while we were on vacation and we have been without internet until yesterday since our return. We will try to catch back up, but we are pretty busy these days.

If Tennessee beats Florida this weekend, then I will post another blog very soon.

Also, another note about the African shirts. I like the shirts and wear mine. I just was opposed to our entire family wearing them at the same time as we went to church and lunch afterwards.

Blessings,
Kevin

2007-09-05T07:49:00.004-07:00

some pics from our trip as described in the blog. Internet is very slow today and I am having trouble publishing.

2007-09-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

First off, I would like to apologize for the long delay in updating the blog site. It has been a combination of things, hence the title of the blog. This will be a very long blog because I have so much to update you on.

One of the main reasons for the long blog lay-off was a three-week respiratory illness that I suffered from. It was really strange and the doctors still don’t know what I had, but thankfully I am totally well now. I had some asthma-like illness with very labored breathing along with other cold symptoms. Twice I was in the hospital because I was having so much trouble breathing and my blood-oxygen level was dropping very low. It is supposed to be around 96, but I got down to 89, so I was on breathing treatments for the whole day. All they could do was treat the symptoms since they could not determine what was causing my illness. I was on nebulizer treatments, oral steroids, two different antihistamines, and a decongestant. I would start to get better and then have a major relapse. It got scary a couple of times when I was struggling so hard to breathe. Praise God that I am not having any of the symptoms now and it appears to be over.

The other reason for the lay-off is that we have been in Kenya for 17 days and just returned on September 3rd. We had one of the best vacations of our lives. I think that it was the best. Maybe I should get votes from the others. We traveled all the way to the Kenyan coast and stayed on the Indian Ocean. We were at an all-inclusive resort where all the food and drinks were included in the price, which made it even more enjoyable and relaxing. We left right on the heels of my 3-week illness, so Pamela really needed the break after caring for me and the boys all alone. No cooking or cleaning for two weeks was a good break. If you are interested in seeing where we stayed you can go to their website (www.turtlebay.co.ke). We swam, relaxed, lounged in the sun, snorkeled, collected shells and had a great time. The resort had many activities for the kids and the service was excellent. It was similar to being on a cruise but much better. I drank way too many sodas and juices and have an extra six pounds as a result. We stayed at the resort for 9 days, which was just the right amount of time. It was reasonably priced and I hope that we get to go back some day. The only thing that might prevent it is that the drive is very difficult, which is what I am going to tell you about now.

We left on Friday, August 17th at 5:30 am. We got packed the night before, had everyone ready to go and actually departed when we planned. Our goal was to get to Naivasha, which is the halfway point to the Kenyan coast. It is supposed to be about 10.5 hrs from where we live and we just wanted to get there before dark, which is at about 7:00 pm. Even if we made the trip in 11 hours, we could make it about 2.5 hours before dark. Therefore, we had a good cushion and should have made it easily. However, easy was the last word that you would use to describe our journey. The first obstacle was the Kenyan border crossing. It should take about 45 minutes or 1 hour maximum, but it took us about 2 hours. Then an hour later we began to have brake problems on the van and had to stop to have them repaired. We decided to have lunch during our stop and it took over an hour to get our food. Then it took another 30 minutes to repair the breaks. So, at this point we had already lost 2.5 hours, but still could make it to our destination before dark if we made good time. We started moving again and were doing fine, when we got to a very rough stretch of road and got a flat tire. We didn’t have a good place to pull off the road and where we stopped the jack could not get the van high enough to change the tire. The tire change ended up taking an hour, and it rained most of that hour. At this point, we realized that we could not reach our destination and would have to stop and find a place to stay about 1.5 hours short of Naivasha, in Nakuru. Fortunately, we did reach Nakuru and found a good place to stay. Since, we were in Nakuru we decided to visit a children’s home that we knew about that is run by World Gospel Mission, the mission that holds our work visa. On the way to the home, I stopped to get fuel for the van and check all the fluids on the car, the air pressure in the tires, and get the flat repaired so that we would have a spare. While at the fuel station, I ran over a manhole cover and it made it pop up and strike the under carriage of the van. When it hit the van, it bent my gearbox and all of the oil in the gearbox leaked out. I was able to talk to the owner of the station, who was a Christian, and he agreed to repair the van at his cost. However, I was stuck at the station for 3 hours while Pamela and the boys went to the children’s home. Finally, we left for Naivasha and arrived at around 4:30 on Saturday, which was about the time that we should have been there on Friday. In Naivasha, we were staying with Jason and Lisa Hovingh, who are Heart of the Bride missionaries. We had never met them, but had heard much about them and were looking forward to meeting them. We had planned to spend two nights with them, but since we had lost a day, we only spent one night with them. Our families clicked instantly, but it was soon time for bed and another day of traveling.

We arose and left at 6:30 am on Sunday morning for our 12-hour drive to our final destination. We were cutting it close since sundown is at 6:30 pm on the coast, but thought that we should make it. However, as with the previous day, it was not to be. We made it as far as Nairobi when the temperature of the van’s engine began to fluctuate, and then it really began to overheat. We stopped and could not determine exactly what was happening and called a mechanic. It turns out that we had a faulty radiator cap, which was causing the radiator to function improperly. Well, that turn of events cost us two hours and it didn’t seem likely that we could make it to the coast so we had to stop about 4 hours from our final destination and spend another night in a hotel. We found a really nice place to stay, though, and had a relaxing evening. We got up the next day and drove to Watamu and other than some bad traffic in Mombasa, we didn’t have any more car problems. So, our 650-mile journey took 3 days.

We stayed in Watamu for 9 days and had no car problems. It seemed that everything was ok and we prepared for our journey back to Uganda, again with a planned stop in Naivasha. We found out about a short cut that should save about an hour, so we could make to Naivasha in 10 or 11 hours if all went well. We took the short cut, were making good time, when we got on a detour of about 10 miles of very rough road and no shoulders. About 1 mile into the detour, the van began to overheat again, but I had nowhere to stop and had to keep going. By the time, we got to the end of the detour, the temperature was very high and we had to stop at a fuel station. When we got to the station, they didn’t have any coolant so we just used water to try to cool the engine. We ended up being stuck there for about 3 hours. The van still wasn’t cooling properly, but we were in a town that isn’t safe at night and felt that we should keep going toward Naivasha. The manager of the fuel station even came to me and said that we should try to leave before it got dark because we would not be safe there. We had planned our journey so that we would pass through Nairobi before the evening traffic jams. However, with our 3-hour delay, we were hitting Nairobi at peak traffic time and it took 3 hours to go about 15 miles. At one point, it took an hour to go less than 1 mile. By the time we passed through Nairobi, it was dark and fog was developing. We hoped to make it to Naivasha to stay with the Hovinghs, but were not sure about traveling in the dark, which is very dangerous in Kenya. We decided to push on and made it to their house at 10 pm. We should have been there at about 5 pm. I was exhausted, but we made it safely.

We had planned to stay at their house for 2 days, but had so much fun that we stayed for 4 days and left on Sunday, September 1st for Kampala. Again, we arose very early and left right at daybreak at 6 am. We only made it about 1 hour down the road when I heard a strange noise and thought that we had another flat tire. We were on another detour on very rough road and the jarring had broken a support structure under the van that holds the gearbox and it was now dragging on the ground. We jacked it up and tied it with strong rope and hoped that it was strong enough to make it for the 30-minute drive to Nakuru, where we would have it repaired properly. We did make it to Nakuru and found a place open on Sunday morning to repair it. However, the parts stores were all closed and we had trouble finding the right part to fix it. After all was done, it was 12:30 pm, 6.5 hours since our morning departure, but we were only 1.5 hours into our 10-11 hour journey. So, we stopped again. This time near the border. Once again, we found a safe and clean place to stay. We finally left out on Monday morning for home, and made it safely with no obstacles. Whew! What an exhausting drive to and from the coast! It is only 650 miles one way (about a 10-hr drive in the States), but took us three days to get there and three to get back. The roads are horrible in places and there were times that we only covered about 20 miles in an hour. The best that we ever did was about 60 miles in an hour. During all of these problems, we really did pretty well as a family. Christian kept saying that one day we would laugh about it. Actually, now that it is only two days behind us, I can laugh about it and also see God’s protection.

Here are all the ways that God protected us and provided for us:
• We did not suffer any physical harm during any of our breakdowns.
• We had a Kenyan man, Frank, traveling with us, and he was able to repair most of our problems. He saved our hides when the gearbox fell out and got us to a town.
• We found safe and clean accommodations every time that we had an unexpected stop.
• We were not threatened or robbed while stuck on the side of the road.
• When we overheated on our return trip, the car traveled for 5 hours without overheating again, even though we were stuck in terrible traffic jams.
• We found mechanics and parts on a Sunday morning to repair a significant problem.

The Good Part

Now that you have endured the bad and ugly parts of the past few weeks, I will tell you about the good (and great) parts of our vacation. Our time in Watamu on the coast was fabulous. It was definitely the prettiest ocean that I have been in. The snorkeling was incredible and I could not believe the amazing variety of marine life. We saw lion fishes, clown fishes and anemones, Moorish idols, emperor angel fish (prettiest fish that I have even seen!) wrasses, parrot fish, butterfly fish, triggerfish, tangs, etc, etc. I kept saltwater aquariums in America and I saw almost every kind of fish that I have ever owned. I had no idea that we see such a great variety. The corals were equally amazing and varied.

The last three days that we were there, the low tide was very low and there were tide pools. We found eels, octopuses, and other cool marine life in the pools. I could have stayed and explored there for weeks and not grown tired of it. We found some really cool seashells, too.

I did not go diving because the waves were too big to go beyond the second reef. The dive season is November to March, so we missed it. They see lots of sea turtles and even whale sharks outside the second reef in the deeper water. If we ever go back, then I will go during the dive season so that I can have that experience.

The beaches were beautiful, too. They have white sand and clear water, similar to Destin. There are lots of trees on the beach, too, so you can always find shade, which is necessary since we were so close to the equator. We all tanned very quickly and had to be careful because the sun was so strong. They had sea kayaks that were free to use and the boys had fun playing on them, when they weren’t in the swimming pool or drinking the free milk shakes.

It was an awesome place for a family vacation if it just wasn’t so hard to get there. Maybe in another year of more, the roads will be completed and the drive won’t be so bad. It is the detours that cause all of the problems and slow downs. They are fairly close to being completed. If the roads were properly repaired, then the entire drive would only take about 15 hours, and maybe less. We could also take the bus, but a plane is just too expensive for six of us.

The Other Good
Our time with Jason and Lisa Hovingh and family in Naivasha was so much fun and also refreshing. They are an awesome family and I am so glad that they are part of the Heart of the Bride mission team. They have a 10-year old daughter (Laura) and two sons ages 6 and 8 (Aaron and Andrew), and our boys had a great time playing with them. They live in a very remote and gorgeous area outside of Naivasha. Our boys played in the acacia forest, saw colobus monkeys, built dams in the creek and explored their land. They live in one of the prettiest places that I have seen in Africa. It is like Old Africa and well preserved. We saw zebras, antelopes, gazelles, and buffalo very close to their house. Just about 10 miles away, we saw wildebeest, giraffes and hippos. The boys even got to chase some zebras.

Lisa and Pamela are so much alike that they instantly hit it off. Lisa loves to run, decorate, organize, and help people. They talked and talked the whole time that we were there and went on some morning runs, where they saw lot of wildlife and got within just a few feet of a herd of zebras. Jason was a biology major in college and loves nature. We hunted for rocks, watched wildlife, hiked the property, and went fishing together. They are a fun couple and like the same things that we like. Our kids had so much fun together that our boys did not want to leave and their kids did not want us to leave. We have invited them to come to Uganda so that we can spend Christmas together but have not confirmed yet. They were fun and gracious hosts and fed us some very good food.

More Good
While in Kenya, we visited three children’s homes and began to seriously look into adoption. While in Naivasha, we visited the Heart of the Bride home, and saw their first four boys and the future home that will open very soon and take in about 40 more children. Of the four boys that they currently have, we really enjoyed two of them and would consider adopting either of them. One is a boy of about 18 months named Moses, who was a bit shy and really cute. The other is a boy that is 5 years old, named Sanjay, who just jumped right in with our boys and would fit right in. Pamela said that she could easily see adopting either of both of them. It is not clear now as to whether the national directors want to have these children adopted out, so it might not even be an option. It was still exciting to begin to really think about moving forward.

All in all, it was a wonderful vacation and one that we will probably talk about for the rest of our lives. I am sure that we made some incredible memories for our boys. We saw amazing things from God’s creation, made some new friends, and made it through some tough trials. We are safe and sound and back “home”. It was interesting to hear all of us talk about getting home as we finally made it across the Kenyan border and headed for Kampala. It feels good to be back in our house and in our place of ministry. Kenya was wonderful to visit and even more beautiful than Uganda, but this is where God has called us and placed us. We are confident that this is where we are supposed to be and thankful to have safely returned home after a great vacation to celebrate our first year in Africa.

2007-07-21T00:39:00.000-07:00

Niceville – A Year Later

July 15th was our one-year anniversary of having moved away from Niceville. In some ways, it seems like it was only yesterday and in other ways it seems much longer. We have been keeping up with the Niceville Baseball All Stars via the internet. This would have been a fun year since it would have been Christian’s last year to play Little League and Blake’s age group is so good that they are going to state. Dan Shelton would have been Christian’s All Star coach since Christian was on the Mariners last year. Of course I am assuming that both would have played All Stars again since they had made the team every year. We knew that we would miss sports, and we miss baseball the most. We really enjoyed going to Niceville High School football games, too, and we miss that. For our boys, though, it is baseball that we miss much more than football. It was fun watching our own boys as well as their friends. It was definitely a family affair and we could visit with our friends during practices and games. We are pulling for the Niceville 10-yr olds team as they and Coach Donald go to Fort Myers for the state tournament.

It is funny the things that you miss. One of the things that comes up most are the foods that we miss. For restaurants, it is the simpler ones that we think about -- mostly Cracker Barrel and Beef O’Bradys. Potato chips, ice cream, Diet Coke, and chocolate milk are often craved. You can get some of the food items here, but they are not as good and very expensive. A day at the Destin beaches would be an awesome treat, as would a day out deep-sea fishing.

Earthquakes
We have had several earthquakes lately. One night we were in a restaurant eating dinner with some friends and the table was shaking so vigorously that Pamela thought that I was shaking it with my leg. The boys were at home and were quite alarmed and unsure what to do. We had another mild tremor last night. We have had about 5 tremors in the past month or so. They are coming from the western part of Uganda near the Rift Valley, so we are most likely not in any danger even if we have a severe earthquake.

A Cold Day in July
Have you ever heard or used the expression “it will be a cold day in July before…”? Well, we had the coldest 4th of July that I have ever experienced. It rained the entire day, which is really unusual here, and it never got above 70 degrees. It was the coldest day that we have had in Uganda in 10 months. We are only about 25 miles from the equator and at about 3,000 feet elevation, so I still don’t understand how it could be so chilly. Anyway, we enjoy the cool weather and the better sleeping temperatures. The climate is really pleasant here and would be perfect if buildings were equipped with air conditioning.

Visit from Tony
Tony Gibson just came for a 1-week visit that was terrific. It was good to spend time with him to be encouraged and be reminded of why God called us here. He came last January when we had just started into ministry and his perspective on what had been accomplished in six months was much different (in a good way) than ours. Sometimes we can just be too close to a situation to see all that God is doing. Even in our children, he could see a positive difference in how they respond to us as parents and to each other. They are all doing very well in adjusting to the culture. The boys love getting to visit with Tony, and he and Blake had lots of fun playing foosball together. (By the way, Blake dominated!) He delivered some much-needed items as well as some wants including new IPods. Thanks to Debbie Lowmiller for doing our shopping so that Tony could bring the stuff in his luggage.

People who stay in touch
When we did our missionary training we were told that the people that will support you and stay in touch with you would surprise us. I had heard it from other missionaries before then. They were referring to the fact that people you barely know will get excited about your mission work while people that you have known for many years may rarely contact you. Well, they were correct. It is such an encouragement to have people that we have only briefly known or met that email us and even send us care packages. We have gotten emails from people that we knew many years ago and have not seen since then. We have even had people whom we have never met give financial support. It is interesting to see how God raises up people to encourage you that you would have never expected. It seems that when we are most in need of a pick-me-up that it is the day that a letter, email, or package arrives. We do have three packages that were sent to us that have gone missing in action. They should have been here at least two months ago. Please pray that they will resurface. It would be a miracle along the lines of Pamela’s suitcase coming back after 6 weeks.

Matching Outfits
If you saw the pictures posted with this blog then you probably noticed that all of us boys had on matching shirts. Pamela found the material and had the shirts made. She got upset with me last Sunday because I did not want us all to wear them to church and then for lunch afterwards. I said that we would look like “dorky missionaries”. I am fine with getting my picture made or wearing the shirt when no one else has his on. However, I did draw a line at all of us going out looking that way. I am guessing that most males reading this agree with me, and that the women are siding with Pamela.

2007-07-14T03:25:00.001-07:00

Pictures from Kenya

2007-07-14T03:17:00.000-07:00

sorry about promising pictures that never came. Our computer stopped working right in the middle of the download. I will try again today.

Kevin

2007-07-07T03:51:00.000-07:00

Hello, We are still alive and well but having terrible difficulty getting web access with my Apple computer. Therefore, I haven't done a post in a while. It looks like we may have found a solution and I will start to stay in touch more often. For this post, I will put up some pictures from my trip to Kenya last month as this is the first opportunity that I have had to do so. Enjoy! Also, look at the pictures under Flickr to the right.

Also, we have some major decisions to make right now and ask that you keep us in your prayers. I don't want to post on the web for the whole world to see, but if you would like to join us in prayer, please email me and I will give you an update. Also, don't post a comment on the blogsite if you want a reply, because it will not allow me to email you from there. Email me directly at our yahoo account.

Blessings,
Kevin

2007-06-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in updating the blog. I have had the following written since June 12th, but have not been able to get on the internet to post it. I prefer to compose my blogs on my laptop and then post in an internet café, so that I have access to my pictures, which are also on my laptop. However, I have tried for almost two weeks but the place where I go to post has not had functional wireless internet. So, I will post this without the pictures and try to get them done late. This is a very long blog.

Kenya Excursion
I just returned safely from a 5-day journey to central and western Kenya. We had a wonderful trip and a great time. The trip was planned around a leadership conference in a town called Malaba, that is near the Kenya-Uganda border. It is the home church of one of the KIU students, and he had invited me to come speak there. Once we decided that we were going to Kenya, we thought that it would be good to include some sightseeing, which was a very good decision.

The Team
We departed on Wednesday, June 6th from Kampala with Kevin, Christian, Frank (a recent graduate of KIU), and Kennedy (the pastor of the campus church). We were not sure whether to allow Christian to accompany us or not, but thought that it was such a unique opportunity for him to get to see Kenya. He did really well and was a good travel companion.

The Drive
It was 500 kms from Kampala to Nakuru, which is about 300 miles; however, it took 11 hours of hard driving to get there. Travel in east Africa is exhausting and difficult due to poor road conditions and heavy traffic. We left at 6 am and did not arrive until 6 pm. My whole body hurt after a day of traveling over the many bumps and potholes.

Nakuru
We spend the entire second day of our trip in Nakuru National Park. This was a special experience because it was also my birthday. The park is incredibly beautiful and diverse! I was trying to decide if I had ever been to a prettier place and the only thing that compares is when I went scuba diving in Bonaire. Interestingly, that trip was in 1995 but also fell on my birthday. We were surprised at how cool the temperature was in Nakuru. We had been told that Kenya was much cooler than Uganda, but had no idea how much cooler. Christian and I were not prepared for the low temperatures and did not pack properly. Kennedy was gracious and allowed Christian to wear his jacket for most of the trip. I really like the climate in Nakuru because it was warm during the day but very cool in the evening and morning, which makes sleeping much more comfortable.

This was only my second game park, the other being our trip to Queen Elizabeth in Uganda last January. The park is only a couple of kms from town, but as soon as you enter the gate you can see the beauty. The park is situated around a large lake, with plains between the lake and the surrounding bluffs that encompass the entire park. It makes for very diverse habitats of forest, open plains, and mountains in a relatively small geographical area. We saw many, many animals and I have included some pictures on Flickr if you would like to view them. The lake is full of pink flamingoes and very colorful. We saw zebras, giraffes, rhinos, buffaloes, several types of antelopes, hyenas, and lots of birds. This was my first time to view zebra, giraffe, and rhinos in the wild and it was exciting. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to find some, we never saw a lion or leopard though they are present in the park. Cats are often elusive, and when you only have one day off viewing it is very happen chance on finding them. We had a great time and I got some awesome pictures.

During the whole excursion, I was trying to plan a way that our whole family could come to Kenya. I am not sure if we will be able to do it or not. I am mostly concerned about the expense and safety. They charge $50 per person to get a tourist visa, and then another $40 per person per day for park entry. If we go to parks in Uganda, then we pay no visa charge and we get a resident rate for park entry. Therefore, it is much cheaper and easier to stay in Uganda. Also, the length of the drive and the border crossing is such a hassle. Kenya can also be more dangerous than Uganda with crime. I know how to stay safe in Uganda, but would need guidance in Kenya. The best way to get guidance is to take a Kenyan with you, but our car will not accommodate a 7th person. I would love to spend 2-3 weeks traveling as a family through Kenya and go all the way to the coast of the Indian Ocean. I will continue to contemplate if we can feasibly do it. This is a unique opportunity to see the beauty of Africa, and what I saw of Kenya was incredible. I would like to see more and allow our entire family to as well.

Thomson Falls
We spent the first part of Day 3 going to Thomson Falls, which is about an hour’s drive from Nakuru. It is a beautiful waterfall and was also a place where we found some really unique chameleons. We traveled prepared and had a small animal cage with us just in case we had such an opportunity. We found six chameleons and put them in the cage to bring back to Kampala. I will soon include a picture on Flickr of this unique species. While at Thomson Fall’s we also went to a nearby lake that contained hippos, which provided another photo op. The falls are located on one of the bluffs that surround the Great Rift Valley and in majestic setting. The drive to the falls passed through coffee and tea plantations and provided some great scenery. We left at noon to make our way to Eldoret for the evening. The drive was only about 150 kms (90 miles), but took us over three hours. This was a very difficult stretch of driving.

Elodoret and Malaba
We spent Friday afternoon and night in Eldoret. While in Eldoret I had the privilege of meeting Kennedy’s parents and one of his brothers. They were very kind and I was amazed at how much Kennedy was like his father in both appearance and mannerisms. When they would laugh, it was identical. His father spoke to me about coming back in a few months to help with a church conference, so I will most likely be going back to Kenya in July or August.

We left Eldoret on Saturday morning early so that we would arrive in Malaba for the leadership conference. It was my understanding that I would be speaking in two or three sessions on Saturday and preaching Sunday morning, and I had prepared to do so. When we finally got to meet the pastor, I discovered that the conference would not officially start until Monday, with church services on Sunday to get it started. This was quite a shock to me because we had been planning this event for several weeks. I have been in Africa long enough to know to be flexible, but I have to admit that I was really exasperated with this one. I had spent many hours in preparation and planned three days of our 5-day trip around this conference. I still am not sure how to respond. Do I just ignore it and go on, or try to explain how frustrating this was. I spent a lot of time praying on Saturday to ask God if there was something that I was supposed to be learning from this and what I should or shouldn’t say.

Saturday was a relaxing day that we spent in the pastor’s home. They fed us two traditional African meals that included ugali and sekuma wiki. The food was nice and the hospitality was wonderful. The pastor also has four sons from ages two to twelve, and Christian bonded quickly with them. They spent most of the day playing with the chameleons we had found the day before. Most Africans are afraid of chameleons (actually all reptiles and amphibians), but these boys quickly adapted to the new creature. They took the chameleons out to the rubbish pile and watched it catch flies with its very long tongue. It is really a fascinating site. Christian left one behind for them to keep as a pet. The youngest son was named Simon and was quite shy. Christian was working diligently to befriend him when they told us that he doesn’t warm up to people very quickly. My interpreter told me that he has been trying to get Simon to be playful with him for a long time but has had not success. Well Christian kept trying until Simon finally enjoyed it. By the time that evening came, Simon was always with Christian and fell asleep in his lap. I wish that I had my camera with me because it would have been a cute picture. When we had to leave, Simon was crying to go with Christian. He is really good with little kids. I just hope that he will be as kind and gentle with his own brothers. If we adopt a sister (and brother?), I am sure that he will be a huge help.

On Sunday morning, church was scheduled to start at 9:00 in the morning but did not start until 10:00. This type of delay is not too unexpected. I was helping to shuttle some people to the church, when it was discovered that I had a broken belt on my Toyota. The belt ran the water pump and alternator and a couple of other things, so it could have been a huge problem. I thank the Lord that the belt was dragging under the car and that Frank spotted it. Otherwise, we might not have known that it had broken before further damage was done to the car, and we also would have had a difficult time finding the right replacement if we had not had the original belt. Frank missed church in search of a belt and mechanic to fix it, but thankfully all was well when the time came to return to Uganda. This could have been dangerous if we had broken down out in the bush somewhere. This was truly God’s protection to find the problem early and correct it while we were in a town. It is also the first mechanical problem that I have had with my vehicle in 9 months, for which I am also very thankful.

So, Frank worked on getting the vehicle repaired while we went to church. I did finally have the opportunity to speak to the church at about noon, and spoke on Joseph and his leadership traits. I hope that God will somehow use it, because we spent a lot of money, time, and energy for just a 40-minute sermon that included interpretation into Swahili. This lack of planning seems wrong to me. Or, is it just a cultural difference? Many of the churches here will spend many hours singing but only give 30 minutes to God’s Word. There is a lack of knowledge of the Word and a greater lack of application. Music and dancing are a huge part of the culture, and it is difficult to discern between what is true worship and what is just cultural. When so much emphasis is placed on this worship, and so little emphasis placed on knowing and obeying the Word, it is not surprising that Africa continues to battle corruption in all areas of life, including the church. I don’t want to leave the impression that all churches are this way because I have been to some churches that have a great balance between worship and teaching and have strong bible-based teaching. The fellowship at KIU is one of these churches. However, the vast majority of churches that I have seen and know about follow the pattern of lots of very loud music, very loud prayers with lots of repetition, and very little teaching from the Word. The room that church was meeting in on Sunday was about 60 feet by 30 feet, but they had two huge speakers and an amplification system. I have yet to go to a church that did not have an amplification system, no matter how small. My ears are still ringing a bit from this most recent experience.

There were many kids at the church and we had a great time interacting with them. There were probably twice as many children as adults. Many of them looked quite poor based on the state of their clothes and how dirty they were. Christian entertained them with his chameleons, though the older girls were terrified of them. The children loved having their picture taken, which was fun but prevented me from getting natural shots. One boy tried his best to get in every picture. I finally learned to be pretending to shoot in one direction so that he would go there, and then quickly turn around to take a picture in the opposite direction. There was also a little girl who loved to have her picture taken, but she was so photogenic that I didn’t mind having her in half of my pictures. Spending time with the children got me more excited about starting an orphanage and also adoption. We really feel like God is leading us to adopt a girl, but I am now wondering if we should get a boy as well. Seeing Christian with Simon made me think about it more than anything.

I must admit that I left from Malaba discouraged. I was frustrated by the lack of planning and lack of respect for our time. Church frustrated me because of the lack of priority on God’s Word and the huge emphasis on emotions. As I face these situations and try to discern between what is biblically correct and what is just my cultural preference, I keep looking to the Word for what is right and try not to be biased by my own preferences and traditions. This is a constant challenge, but does keep me busy studying the bible. The cultural differences in time keeping are not such a problem, but the lack of study of the bible clearly needs correcting.

Violence
While we were in Kenya, many people were killed in Nairobi as part of a sect called the Mungiki. The Mungiki act similarly to the mafia in America by intimidation and killing in order to extort money for “protection”. The Mungiki killed around 40 people and then the police retaliated and raided the village slum and killed 12 Mungiki people. It is very sad to see how quickly life can be taken away here and how people so easily accept it.

The last night that we were in Kenya, a grocery store owner was returning to his home and was shot and killed while driving his truck and then robbed. After he was shot, he crashed into a support pillar of a local shop and collapsed the overhanging structure and part of the roof. The accident scene was still undisturbed, with the vehicle amidst the rubble as we drove to church. This had occurred while we slept and only about half a mile from where we were staying.

Conclusion
Overall, I had a great trip. I got to see some amazing landscapes and animals from God’s creation. I had fun getting to spend so much time with Kennedy and Frank and learning more about their cultures and getting to know them better. Christian did very well on the trip and seems to have matured from the experience. I was mostly pleased to see his interaction with the small children. The main purpose of the trip was supposed to be ministry in the conference, but it did not occur. So, maybe that was my main purpose, but God just wanted to work on my flesh some more. Being conformed into the image of Christ is seldom a pleasant experience and I know that I need much more shaping, chiseling, and purification. My patience is tested almost daily by the lack of efficiency, traffic jams, and late appointments.

2007-06-04T04:02:00.000-07:00

From Pamela

Out of the blue, a wave of homesickness came over me today in an intense way. I was reading a few emails before church this morning when suddenly I was overwhelmed with pain in my heart for my family and friends. There have been so many occasions of homesickness but for the most part it has been manageable. I momentarily think of those I am homesick for and then I move on. Today was different. I was so overwhelmed with the pain in my heart that I wanted to cry. Some people are embarrassed to cry and especially here in Africa. It is a sign of weakness to the African people, especially for men to cry. Therefore, you don’t see people crying here very often even these sweet children who have plenty to cry about. In some ways, their hearts are hardened in this sense. They can flock to see people being stoned for stealing or a burning tire around someone’s neck for a crime, and they never shed a tear. Honestly, it is beyond my understanding and greatly disturbs me to hear of so many heart wrenching stories told without any emotion whatsoever. (Sorry that was a side note but with a point) If someone sees you crying here, it is so uncomfortable for them that they often laugh because they don’t know what else to do. In light of this environment I am now in, I also find myself holding back tears, which I don’t normally do. Crying is healthy and I did my fair share of crying last year as we were leaving the States to come to Uganda. If I had not cried when I felt the need to cry last year in our leaving process, I think it would have swallowed me up and overtaken me. In the nine months of being here, I think I have only shed a few tears. Unfortunately, this morning as this wave of grief came over me, I did the same thing the Africans do and quickly moved on to something else so as not to feel the reality of my soul. I want to share with you how the rest of my day went as an offering of praise to My Father.

As I hurried off to get ready for church trying not to think about what I was feeling, there was this continued heaviness in my spirit. I was agitated with the boys and feeling short with my words. I knew the day was on a downward spiral, if I didn’t’ cry out to God to help me in my weakness. As we drove to church, I quietly prayed in my heart for God to please meet me in my heaviness and carry the burden of homesickness for me. How often I find myself in such circumstances and don’t cry out to God for help but muddle through the day on my own. What a shame! It was really such a simple prayer of “help me today for I am weak” and God in His great compassion heard my prayer and answered me.

We arrived at church and quickly found our way to our seats as we were right on time, so no time to fellowship before the service. The pastor was preaching from I Thessalonians 2:17-20. “But we, brethren, having been bereft of you for a short while- in person, no in spirit- were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. For we wanted to come to you- I, Paul, more than once- and yet satan thwarted us. For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.” The very basics of the message were that as believers in Jesus Christ we should be about investing in people with the gospel and love of Christ. The investment in other people is NO waste of time and worthy of the cost. The last two verses of the passage brought such encouragement to my heavy heart this morning. Our hope, our joy and our crown will be to stand in the presence of God with many Africans that God has entrusted us to share the gospel of Christ with. The closing song of the service was an oldie but a goodie that many of you know “Thank you” by Ray Boltz. Just a few lines…

Thank you for giving to the Lord, I was a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord I am so glad you gave.

As my hope may have been drawn to home this morning, God in His kindness reminded me to not long for my earthly home in the States (wherever that is anyway) but to long for eternity with Him. Also, to be faithful to invest in the lives of people in Africa so that on that day when ever knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, many Africans will be there willingly and joyfully bowing the knee because of obedience and faithfulness to His call.

Prior to coming to Uganda, there was a word of testimony spoken that encouraged me as prepared to leave. The word was this, “Do you not know, have you not heard, it is I the Lord who has called you out. I will go before you and I will go behind you, I will be your front guard and your rear guard. There will be a withered hand reaching out to you and you will offer hope in Jesus name. Do not fear for I will never leave you or forsake.”
Each time I go to my neighbor Selina and she reaches out her withered hand to me, I am reminded that we truly are vessels in the Redeemers hand. Oh that each person we see and speak to would experience the hope of Christ. That is an investment with eternal dividends. The cost is great and very painful some days but oh so worth it.

Even this past weekend we have had the opportunity to host a young woman from Kenya. A young man in Kevin’s discipleship group has been in a relationship with this young woman for four years now and he is trying to discern if she is the one he is to marry. This has been a very weighty decision for him. He is a recent convert and is so hungry and thirsty for truth. It is so exciting to be around him and to share the many truths of God’s word with him. On his many visits in our home, he has shared his family life and traditions with us. He comes from a large family because his father had several wives. It is not uncommon here to have several. You have one for mothering, one for cooking and one you take out on the town and maybe even some more. Anyway, this decision of a wife has become so weighty for him as he realizes it is God’s best to choose one and divorce is not an option. On a recent visit with his father in Kenya, the father told him that there are two kinds of women: ones that make good girlfriends and ones that make good wives. So this young man is trying to discern which one this young woman is. He asked if he could bring her to our home for the weekend and for me to spend some time with her. I was so nervous thinking of all the pressure he was putting on me. It is traditional that many of these discussions take place through the aunties. Long story short, the weekend was such a blessing for all involved and I am confident God will show this young man searching for God’s best – His best for him. In light of what I was sharing earlier about the investment in people, this young man is realizing the error of his culture’s traditional ways (especially in marriage) and choosing to do things God’s way. He desires to choose one wife until death and to love her instead of use her (most African marriages seem like a work partnership or something). This seems like a small investment but this investment alone in this young man can change the way of an entire people.

Instead of overwhelming homesickness, I retire this evening with an overwhelming sense of renewed passion to move forward with the gospel of Jesus Christ to a dark world. We are so humbled by these opportunities and pray for many more like them. Thank you for being apart of this ministry through your prayers for us. ~Pamela

2007-06-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

June 3, 2007

Meet Earl
Meet the newest addition to our family…Earl. As you may recall from previous blog entries, we had been hoping to get a pet parrot for our family. African Grey Parrots are known for being excellent pets because of their intelligence and capacity for learning language. They are fairly common birds here, and when you can find one, very inexpensive. In the States, they can cost thousands of dollars, but here they can be as cheap as $4 to $5. We had been searching for one for several months and making no progress. We were thrilled when some other missionaries offered their parrot to us while they go on furlough to the States, and said that we can keep it beyond that if we want. They provided us with a nice cage, bird toys, and the parrot. The best part was that it was all free. He is the coolest bird. He is just learning to speak and likes to say his own name the most. He can say: “Come here”, “good boy”, “good night” and some other things that we don’t understand. He mimics other birds that he hears outside, too. We are very thankful to have obtained a parrot and are enjoying having him in the home. We had also hoped to take one to America whenever we return, but I am told that due to bird flu, that international transport of birds is no longer viable. I haven’t confirmed this yet, but I suspect that it is probably true.

Collin’s Growing Vocabulary
We were having dinner the other night when Collin suddenly announced, quite excitedly, that he knew three cuss words. Pamela said, “oh really…which ones?” Collin replied that he knew the f-word, the d-word, and the b-word. Pamela asked him what the f-word was and he said that he had forgotten, though he was probably trying to recall “fart”, which is supposed to be an unspoken word in our house. Then we asked him what is the d-word. He was kind of grinning sheepishly and said that it was “ditch”. When we busted out laughing, he suddenly remembered that it was supposed to start with a “b” and blurted out the rhyming word to ditch. When we asked him how he knew that word, he said that he had learned it from one of our neighbors in Niceville. He was quite proud that he knew a bad word, and we were grateful that he only knew one as opposed to the three that he professed to know. I hope that you don’t misread this to think that I am proud of my child’s bad language. It is just funny to see Collin, the innocent child, being proud of his “accomplishment”. We are having to explain that this is wrong because he does not even realize it.

Jarvis
We try to minimize the number of people that we help that come and knock on our gate. If you get a reputation for helping everyone who comes, then they will be there everyday. It is a tough balance, because we are here to help, but you cannot possibly help everyone who asks, and many people are lying just to get money. Anyway…earlier this week, a young man named Jarvis came to the gate and Pamela briefly spoke to him and said that I should come talk to him. I was taking a bath and said that she should have him come back the next day. This is also a good tactic to see if someone is really in need or just going house to house begging. She responded that she really felt that I should go talk to him then.

When I met Jarvis, I could tell that he was different from most of the solicitors that I encounter. He was very humble and also seemed to be quite broken and on the verge of tears. Men are just not allowed to cry in this culture and will not allow themselves to be seen if they do. Jarvis began telling me his story and I soon found out that he is HIV positive. He had just recently begun taking ARVs (anti-AIDS drugs) and was very sick from the side effects. It seems that the side effects are similar to some cancer chemotherapy drugs. He was weak and nauseous. He had come to ask me to pray for him because he was fearful of telling his mother that he had AIDS. He had gone home in December to tell her, but he chickened out and said that he had TB. He did actually have TB, but it was a result of the AIDS. He explained that his mother was a Christian and that she would be so disappointed in him that he did not want to tell her. He is also the only son, and his mother is a widow. Therefore, it is his responsibility to take care of his mother as she grows older. He knew that he needed to tell her and that he also needed to be in her care as he gets through the first months of taking ARVs. He also wanted to know if he could wash my car of do other work in our compound to get some money for bus fare home, which is in Rwanda. He was obviously very weak and even having trouble standing and walking. I talked with him for about half an hour and realized that I needed to help him with bus fare and to spend some time praying with him.

He had a very strong testimony and explained that he knew that he had sinned and that his disease was a consequence of that sin. He said that he knew that God was capable of healing AIDS and that he was praying for that to happen, but that he also knew that God might chose not to heal him. He told me that he had only been intimate with one girl ever, but she was HIV positive and knew that she was. It seems that she had acquired AIDS from being raped, and in vengeance was infecting as many men as she could. When I asked two of my African friends about this story, they said that it is very common for people to deliberately infect others out of spite. He said that he knew God had not forsaken him and was still there for him. He also said that God had shown him that he needed to forgive the girl who had infected him and that he had done so. She had actually died recently from the disease. His biggest fear was having to confess to his mom what had happened. I spent time praying with him for courage, for healing, and for God to continue to lead him and keep him. It was both a sad and uplifting time. I was sad for this young man having to live with this horrible disease. I was uplifted to hear such a solid testimony and how he still knew the faithfulness of God during difficult circumstances. Please join with us in praying for Jarvis. He has returned to Rwanda but promises to stay in touch via email.

When I asked him why he came to our gate, he said that everyone in the village knows that we are Christians and that we will help people. This was encouraging to hear, but also somewhat frightening because you never know who will show up with a story of need. We need wisdom and discernment as we make decisions about whom to help and how.

Kenya Bound
I will be departing for a 5-day trip to Kenya on Wednesday of this week, the day before my 44th birthday, which means that I will celebrate my birthday away from our family. I will be traveling with three other Kenyan men, including the campus pastor and two students. The main purpose of the trip is for me to speak at a church conference that is the home church of one of the students. We are going to also try to visit a game park but the rains have been very heavy lately and it may not be possible. Pamela is a bit nervous since this will be her first time at home without me since we arrived nine months ago. I am excited about seeing Kenya and visiting the villages and rural areas as we travel. Please pray for safety for all of us as I travel and we are apart.

Blessings to you all,
Kevin

2007-05-25T01:19:00.001-07:00

Facing the Giants

The following letter is an email that I sent to the church that made the movie “Facing the Giants”. Following the letter is their response. I thought that you might enjoy hearing about the wonderful response of the students on the night that we showed the movie.

Greetings to the saints at Sherwood Baptist Church from Kampala, Uganda. My name is Kevin Ironside and I am a missionary from Niceville, Florida serving here in East Africa. I want to encourage you with the impact that “Facing the Giants” has had here, but first will provide some background information to put it into perspective.

My wife, four sons, and I arrived in September of 2006 with the purpose of ministering to and discipling university students. We are working with a Christian student fellowship at Kampala International University (KIU) that has about 600 students in attendance each Sunday on a campus of about 5,000 students total. Even though we are in Uganda, most of the students at KIU are from Kenya but also include students from Tanzania, Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and others. One Sunday there were students present from 11 different countries. This gives us a unique opportunity to reach much of Africa from one location.

On Easter weekend we showed the video of “The Passion of the Christ”, and the main hall at the university, which holds about 700, was filled to capacity. There was such a good response that we decided that we should try to show other movies in the future. Last weekend, we decided to show “Facing the Giants”. We were not totally sure about showing the movie because this is not a culture that is familiar with American football. In fact, if you say “football”, then they automatically think that you are speaking of soccer. Secondly, even though the university does all of its teaching in English, they have difficulty with American accents and especially southern accents. Being from Tennessee, I have to be careful to enunciate more clearly when I speak in order to be understood. However, we had showed the video to some Ugandan friends and also a group of four Kenyan students, and they had enjoyed the movie immensely and so we thought that it was appropriate to show.

The night that we showed the movie did not begin well at all. The movie was scheduled to start at 7:00 pm, but when I showed up with my laptop and video projector, they did not have any speakers or other equipment there. We waited until 7:30 before they finally brought the speakers. Unfortunately, they forgot the cable to connect the computer to the speaker system and so we were running the sound from the computer speaker through a microphone and it wasn’t very clear. Then about 10 minutes into the movie, the power went out. (This is a common problem here since they are in an energy crisis.) We were told that they were turning on a generator and that power would be restored. Some of the students left, but most remained sitting in the dark, except for the light from a few cell phones. By the time that power was restored, it was almost 8:00. Fortunately, by the time that power was restored, we did have a cable to run the sound through the speaker system.

As the movie started back up, more and more students were coming in, and around 500 were in attendance. I was encouraged that the students were engaging quickly and laughing at the funny parts and seemed to understand it. As the movie went on, it became very evident that they were engrossed in the movie and relating to the characters. They clapped when the revival was shown on the campus. As SCA began to win football games, the students were cheering the highlights. They cheered when coach got his truck. In the playoffs, they were cheering like they were really at the game. It was loud and thrilling. When SCA made the interception to get back in the game, they were clapping and shouting. When they made the winning field goal, the place erupted. I had chill bumps listening to the response of the students. At the end, when Brooke is pregnant with her second child, they cheered again. It was really amazing. In a culture that knows nothing of American football, they were able to receive and apply the many messages. At least 50 students came to me after the movie to thank me for showing it.

We have talked with many of the students to hear what they took from the movie. Below are some of the responses:

“I learned to never give up on myself or on God.”
“With God all things are possible, no matter how bad it seems at the moment.”
“I learned that we are to glorify and honor God in all things.”
“ I saw the power of positive leadership, especially during the death crawl scene.”
“I am not going to fear, but trust God.”

My favorite testimony was from a young man from Kenya named Obed. Obed is a computer science major who has been here the entire semester but does not have sufficient school fees to sit for exams. This means that he has gone through the term, but he will have to repeat the entire semester. (This is a common problem here for university and secondary students). Most students would be praying, begging, and pleading for God to provide their school fees. In fact, I wonder if many students only come to God to meet their needs. Prosperity teaching has become rampant in this culture and people often just view God as another spirit to be manipulated for their good. Obed asked to meet with me the other day to pray. He shared with me his predicament of lack of fees, and I was expecting him to ask me to help him with fees since they think that all white people are rich. However, I was greatly encouraged when he did not ask for fees. He just asked me to pray for Him and for God’s will to be done. He said, “I learned from the movie to praise God when we win, and praise God when we lose. I am going to praise Him if he provides the fees or not. Maybe God just wants me to trust Him and learn something from this trial.” I cannot adequately express what a huge step of faith that this is. It goes against the grain of almost everything being taught in this culture.

Students’ lives were greatly impacted and even changed as a result of viewing this movie. I am writing to encourage you and thank you for producing a film with such a clear portrayal of biblical truths. I wish that we had many more movies with strong Christian messages that we could show, but we only know of a handful. Be encouraged that your step of faith is having an impact across the globe. We plan to show the movie again because word has spread across the campus about how good it was. I am sure that the hall will be overflowing. My wife and I both felt that we should let you know the impact this has had, so this is it. Be encouraged! Thank you for producing this movie! You have made a difference in the lives of future leaders of many African nations. I wish that you could have been here to experience it, and I hope that this gives you a glimpse of what we experienced. It was definitely one of the ministry highlights of our eight months in Uganda.

Striving together for His glory,

Kevin Ironside

The response from Sherwood Baptist Church:

Wow, Kevin thank you so much for your email! You mentioned having chill bumps just listening and watching their reaction, and I had chill bumps just reading about it! We so enjoy receiving stories like yours and are so grateful for your service in Uganda! God bless you as you serve Him!

2007-05-25T01:19:00.000-07:00