From Uganda with love

The Road Now Traveled

2011-04-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

200 yards. That was the distance I walked the dirt road in the village of Guru-Guru in Northern Uganda just days ago. Just years ago, the villagers walked that road in fear of abduction, if they walked it at all.

The LRA was strong and active in Guru-Guru. Everyone, and I mean everyone that we met and talked to had either been abducted or knew someone that was.

As I walked, I imagined people running, rebels yelling, kids screaming. I could hear rebels telling a young boy that he must kill his brother. I could picture a young girl watching her father being taken. I know no fear even close. It is unthinkable that people, any people live or ever lived through such pain and fear.

Simon, now in is mid 20's, was abducted but was able to escape. What was heart breaking about Simon's story, is his brother. Simon watched the taking of his brother, from just across the road where I walked. That was 14 years ago and he has not seen him since. He may be dead, he may now be a rebel leader in the Congo. Nobody knows. Nobody may ever know.

Today, just 4 years after the last known rebel attack (and the first year that we visited Gulu), the road is peaceful. People walk it. Life is returning to normal, though ever slowly. You don't hear screaming or gunfire. But the fear is still there. The pain still strong. Wounds have not healed. Families still ripped apart. There is shame and guilt.

I count it a tremendous privilege to walk the road with my new friends, becoming a part of their story and recovery.

Ugandan travels

2011-04-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

For the past year we have been preparing to launch our work through the Childrens Heritage Foundation in Gulu. This trip, joined by 22 others from San Diego, marks the beginning of our work there. Gulu is a town in the Northern region of Uganda and was home to some of the most tragic rebel attacks by the LRA. Though the area has been peaceful now for 4 years, there is an overwhelming sense of need. 22 years living in fear, witnessing abuse, experiencing abduction and walking the edge of death every day has left the region in shambles.

Because the work there is so emotionally heavy, today I will write about the lighter side of our time there.

The drive to Gulu from where we stay (Mukono) is about 5 hours if all goes well. It took us 10. The journey North was adventurous to say the least. At the half way point, after numerous car troubles, I suggested that we leave our van (we had hired a car and driver) and look for an alternative mode of transportation to Gulu. As I was speaking, I notice a large military transport vehicle to my right, and I jokingly suggested that we ride in that. Our Ugandan friend did not notice my humor, and minutes later we found ourselves joining Ugandan forces (Ali and Perez had been sent ahead in another car). What I learned along the way, was that in the back of the transport was a coffin carrying 2 dead soldiers. The soldiers had been killed in action, flown to Uganda and were now being moved to their burial site. We stopped several times to gather various supplies, including about 10 people from one village who were going to attend the burial. I still find it hard to believe that I sat for 2 hours in the front seat of a military vehicle with 3 soldiers (It was only designed for 2), carrying a coffin and several villagers en route to a burial, listening to a soccer game on the radio in a language that none of us could understand. This is Africa.
On Tuesday, construction began on a new home for a woman who had spent the last 22 years in the camp and did not have the means to return to her village. This lady had become a Christian just two days early.
Ali worked as hard as anyone clearing away grass (the slasher was particularly satisfying), bushes and trees at the location of the new soccer field. Ugandans love their soccer. But in addition to the game, the field will serve as the community gathering place, located adjacent to the church.
Perez labored extensively on a termite mound (6 feet high). I think he enjoyed playing with/torturing the termites more than he did swing the pick, but at the end of the day he had a blister.
A Ugandan wasp hive did not appreciate that I was chopping down their tree...one let me know it by greeting me on the jaw.
We lead devotionals, talked with locals, learned from pastors, joined a soccer game and didn’t sleep much.

The team is staying the week in Gulu, but the Denney’s returned to Mukono to finish some work before their flight home. The drive from Gulu to Mukono is about 5 hours if all goes well. It took us 12.

An hour off the main road between Gulu and Mukono is Murchison Falls National Park. The water fall requires a full day, but the drive through the park was like a self guided safari. We decided to make the drive. It was really amazing, and props to the Wild Animal Park in San Diego, they really got it right. We say elephants, baboons, a bunch of “deer” like animals, pumbas and were treated to a close up of several giraffe. The end of the drive through the park requires a river crossing on a barge...we arrived 1.5 hours before departure, so we waited (but a family of hippos lived there so the wait was entertaining). The 2 hour, dirt road drive back to the main road was terrifying at 110 kilometers an hour.
At exactly the same spot as on our journey 3 days earlier (give or take a 1/4 mile), we broke down again. Even my limited knowledge of automobiles was enough to inform me that this vehicle would not be moving again anytime soon. There was only one other stopped vehicle in the very small road side town where we were stranded. We politely asked for a ride, and moments later we found ourselves traveling once again with a stranger, in his Hummer (some people in Uganda do have money). We were dropped 1.5 hours later, still 45 minutes from home (so we had to hire one more private car). 3 cars, 1 pseudo safari, many "near miss" accidents and 12 hours from departure, we were home.

Our Gulu experience was incredible and we are excited to be able to share life and off assistance to some of the most resilient, hopeful people we have ever met. We'll tell you about some of them in our next post.

Until then, from Uganda with love.

Transformational Experience

2011-03-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

David Platt, author of the book, "Radical," pastor of an Alabama megachurch and a frequent traveler to places of extreme poverty wrote, "Spending 2% of your time living out the gospel in another context can radically effect the 98% of time you live in your own."

5 things that have influenced me this week from my place of 2%:

One

The kids at the school where we stay (all 800 of them) do get to eat, but it's nothing to blog about. The other night after preparing an interesting stir fry dish, we discarded a few remaining pieces of meat and some vegetables in the small trash can outside our door. Later, while cleaning up, 8 or 10 boys were digging through our scraps, just hoping to find "1 more piece of meat." I live in such abundance, taken for granted and often not given thanks for.

Two

Ali has the overwhelming task of taking update photos of all 315 children. These kids are scattered across some 20 different schools and several towns. On Tuesday we went to Hope secondary school in Lugazi town where about 40 of those kids had assembled for their photo and letter writing. We (mostly Ali, I spent much of my time with a child named Ruth), got to work. One boy, just before his photo, looked at Ali and said, "I remember you, do you remember me?" Ali said, "I remember you!" The boy replied, "What is my name?" To his surprise, Ali said, "your name is Jofrey." "Thank you for remembering me," Jofrey answered. Everyone wants to be known, to be remembered. And when we are, it makes a difference.

Three

Perez was able to spend some time with his Ugandan mom, Justine on Wednesday. Because of language, they struggle to communicate, but he loves to see her. For the past year Perez has been saving his money to give to his mom on this trip. After about an hour with Justine, he came to me and said, "Dad where is the money?" I gave him his money and he ran back to the office where she was waiting. Perez explained how he had been saving his money so he could help her because he loved her. When I entered the room, Perez, Justine, Ali and the translator were all crying. Perez told me, "Dad, its okay, these are happy tears!" At times you don't need words.

Four

Caning is the norm in Uganda. If a child needs to be "made straight" as they say, they are spanked, with a "cane." For the American eye, it borders on abuse, for the Ugandan, it is common. We woke up at 6:00 the other morning to a mass caning. The entire p7 class was being punished. One at a time, they assumed the position, girls got it once, most boys got three. The event went on for over 30 minutes. It was unbearable. We later asked a boy why his class got caned. Tardiness. That's it. They were late for class (which begins at 5:45 for the p7 class, ends at 4pm and then they return at 7pm for another hour). Sometimes even the norms are out of place.

Five

Yesterday I was able to spend an hour with my sponsor, Eron. Her school is far from where we stay, but the journey was worth it. Her school was preparing for a track meet, it was fun to watch the kids here have fun (and Perez joined some older boys on a few laps...the coach really wanted to recruit him). Eron introduced us to her friends, we watched the high jump, and walked the campus. It was a really cool time. When we were saying goodbye (the first time Eron released my hand), we hugged and I told Eron I loved her. Her response, "Nange," or, me too. There is no more powerful force in the world than a tangible expression of love. It knows no boundaries, cultural divide or language. It is universal.

May our transformational experiences leave a life changing impression on you.

From Uganda, we love you.

My Son

2011-03-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

You'd think that being surrounded by more than 800 Ugandan kids, Perez would not stick out (and that I'd have someone else to write about). Without apology, there is no kid I'd rather write about, and there is no denying it, he sticks out.

Sure, he sticks out because he wore a red shirt today and the school uniform is blue. He sticks out because when the others get there portion of rice, he gets a meal. He sticks out because when night comes, he goes to the apartment and the others go to the dorm. He sticks out because he does not go to class. He just sticks out.

He also sticks out because of his incredible heart to share and help. He brought a backpack of his toys, all to give away. Each night a mob of kids come to his room, they get out the toys and they begin to play. Perez steps back and says to me, "dad, I just love watching them play." Today he bought a small bag of cookies (biscuits). He loves the school cookies (so do I). After eating one he noticed his many friends watching him with the cookies. Perez gave the rest away. At lunch today, he did not eat a single french fry, he wanted to hand the out (which he forgot to do so by evening our kitchen counter was home to 10 billion ants, and yes, I counted). This kind of "sticking out" goes on all day.

As much as Perez sticks out, he is so at home. Watching him run across the school lot, dirty, laughing and seeking out the next adventure...that's the Perez we first met and fell in love with and it's good to see him at home. We love to see Perez in his culture, with his friends (all of whom he has outgrown by at least 6 inches) and surrounded by people who love him (not that each of the above aren't true back home).

Perhaps most surprising, is that we have discovered that Perez can indeed run out of energy. Each night, Perez has fallen asleep on the couch by or before 8 oclock (tonight, before eating dinner). Not the sort of slowly nod off and drift away, but more of an instant out. One minute he's speaking, the next minute he's sleeping.

The downside to his early bedtime, as I discovered this morning, an early wake up (4:45 this morning). That means enough for now, I need to get my sleep. Good night, from Uganda

Steve

We're back

2011-03-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

This blog chronicles are time in Uganda, our work with the Childrens Heritage Foundation and the adoption of our son, Perez.

On Thursday, March 24 we leave again for Uganda, so I am resurrecting this blog. We are so excited for this trip. Perez gets to spend time with his family and friends. Ali and I have some really great projects we are working on for the foundation and...

We will be initiating the process for a second adoption.

We will do our best to make time to post here. Please keep us, our travels and our work in your prayers.

We look forward to sharing,

the Denneys

Home

2009-11-17T04:33:00.000-08:00

3 weeks after setting off for our third visit to East Africa, we are now home. Uganda has become another home for us, and as it is with anyone who has more than one place they love to be, we were sad to leave but happy to be back in San Diego.

This years trip was incredible. I spoke to over 1000 people in 10 different settings. Ali taught 20 hours of photography at a vocational school. We held several meetings with the staff and social workers in an ongoing effort to strengthen our child sponsorship program. We took over 300 photos of children in our program and helped each of them make Christmas cards for their sponsors. We gave money from our church to help build their church. We handed out donated clothes. We worked hard. We rested. We had fun. We experienced heartache. We are already planning for next year.

Each time we come home, I wonder what it is we have left behind. What difference did our being there make? Will it last?

One evening we were driving back to where we were staying from a long day of speaking at a conference. It was just the driver and myself in the small van. The streets were bad, full of potholes. And they were narrow. School had just let out all over the village so the streets were filled with uniformed children walking home. As we sped down the dirt roadway, swerving frequently to miss the holes we hit a girl.

That's right, we actually hit someone. And the driver refused to stop...he didn't believe me that we hit her. But we did, and my side mirror was the evidence for it was now folded tight against the car. I rolled down the window and pushed back the mirror. I looked back to see the damage that we had caused, but the dust was too thick. I was angry with the driver, we should have stopped. For much of that evening I wondered. How was this young girl? Did we break her arm? Did we just hit her swinging bag? Was she okay? Was she injured? Would she be able to get help? And I'll never know.

I've never hit anyone before, and I hope it never happens again. But people do come in and out of my life often, and rarely do I get to experience the influence, the impact or the "damage" I might have. As we flew out of Africa, I prayed that our being there made a lasting, positive influence in the life of those we interacted with. Money, clothes, sweets, card games, conversations, laughter, special gifts, hugs, soccer games and just being there...caring. It is my hope that when the dust settles from our whirlwind trip, we can look back and know that our lives have touched others, some for eternity, some for brief moments of joy and all in a positive way.

The challenge is, that this hope doesn't end when we get home. Life is this way for all of us. We bump into people, we cross paths with others every day, all of us do. And we can either run them over or lift them up. And so I will continue to look over my shoulder to see what is left behind from the many interactions that I have everyday, and I hope you'll join me. Because its not just people in Africa that need it. We all do. And hopefully our paths cross soon.

Good firsts

2009-11-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

We are up early this morning so we can begin our packing for the long journey home. I look forward to getting back, but I also find myself more unsettled than normal to leave. Several of the things we have been working on are incomplete and its difficult to leave things "unfinished." But it's not just the projects, the people here are family. The children are our kids and the adults are our brothers and sisters. Uganda has truly become a second home for us and we love spending part of our lives here.

This is our third year to come to Uganda, and I was thinking last night of a few first time experiences we had this year (we still have about 14 hours until we leave so anything could happen).

This is the first year:

I have not agonized over Perez. It has been awesome having him here with us as our son rather than us as his sponsor.
We did not stay in a hotel. There is now a 3 bedroom apartment on the school campus and we stayed there. It is great to be with the kids from early morning to late night. We especially had fun throwing small parties each night for many of the kids.
I have not fallen deathly ill on the last day of our trip.
We have not been involved in a traffic accident.
We had good and fairly stable internet connections to keep this blog alive.

Thanks for thinking of us, supporting us and reading our ponderings over the past three weeks. We will share more on this site in the days to come, until then, from Uganda with love, Steve

A Dropped Kid...A New Sponsor

2009-11-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

We came on this trip hoping to find a new kid to sponsor...turns out we found two. We decided to sponsor Biryeri Eron as she just graduated from Primary school and is moving to Secondary. She is also Perez's cousin and they grew up together. She was previously sponsored, dropped, assigned to a new sponsor and then we asked if we could sponsor her so Perez could stay connected to the family. It all worked out and we just told her that we were her new sponsor and she just beamed.

We also decided, by the pulling of heart strings, that we needed to take on Kitenda (the boy in the photo). He's been around every year that we have been here and we usually smile and wave from afar...maybe saying a few "How Are You"'s and a few "I'm Fine"'s. But this year was different. It seemed as if he hung around us a lot more, not saying much but just trying to be around as much as possible. I started talking to him when he was writing a letter to his sponsor. It turns out he had just been dropped by his sponsor (and he didn't know because the social workers are not telling the kids to save them the heart break). He asked me if I knew his sponsor and if I could send a special message to her. It's really hard when you know bits of information that you can't share. I told him that I did know his sponsor and I would love to send the special message. At that point, I knew I wanted to be his sponsor. I told him a few days later that he had been dropped, but only because God had a different plan for him. Through out the past two weeks we have spent as much time with him as possible and have tried to gleen as much of his past from him and others that know him. Turns out...his father abandoned his family 9 years ago and left his mom with 8 kids, one of which is deaf and requires special help. A few years ago Kitenda started acting out. He was totally unruly and defiant and started getting into a lot of trouble. He basically has the characteristics of a street kid. A lot of anger, bitterness, and hurt. His mom thought it would be best to send him to a school where he could be raised better. So he ended up at Victor's...and I truly believe God has saved him from a life of trouble. He is timid, gentle and respectful with a little of an edge and a heck of a good soccer player. He has so much potential.

We stopped by his house today to see where he lives and to meet his mother and siblings. We were warmly welcomed into a very "humble" home by his mom and a bunch of kids who are all related somehow. I got to share with her that we were his new sponsor and she got to share with me the dreams she has for her son. It was a really cool moment.

I got back to the school and told him that we visited his mom and saw his home, he kinda started blushing and said, "You did what?" It's kind of unheard of to visit a child's home without telling them first. But he was happy that we got to share a little more of his life with him. I'm super excited about a new beginning for him and I know that God is blessing what's going on here.

I can't wait to get home and show you the pictures of other kids who have been dropped so you all can pick them back up again and give them a new beginning.

From Uganda With Much Love To Share Today...Ali

Behind Every Success Is A Story Of Struggle

2009-11-07T09:10:00.000-08:00

Up until this point we've shared a lot of happy endings (or maybe beginnings). I think we do this to lighten the emotional load a little. And honestly, while we are here, most everything is positive. The kids are happy to see us and we bring a little fun to the mundane daily routine. But, reality still exists. Nearly everyday I carry a little more pain around with me in my heart. Whether it be watching a child repeatedly run around barefoot because their shoes are torn, having a child lay their head in my lap because they are so faint from sickness (mostly malaria), or having the same child come to our house every morning for food and to tell me that everyday when she goes home to greet her dad he beats her with a stick. This is the reality. It's all fun and games until you ask the kids what happens when they go home. They get real quiet and look down at the ground. They give only answers to your questions with no further detail. It is painful for them to recount their life. They are scared and ashamed for us to know what they really have to endure.

The 7 year old boy, Lawrence, in this photo carries the burdens of someone 10 times his age. A good friend of mine is his sponsor and Steve and I visited him at his school last year. He lives in the outskirts of a village about 45 minutes away from Mukono. When he came to Victor's to get his photo taken he instantly recognized me and came up and knelt at my feet (which is what all the kids do as a sign of respect) and I pulled him up and hugged him close. He had the biggest grin! Come to find out, the man who brought him (and two others) is a Pastor from their village and he has taken it upon himself to see that these kids are cared for. The issue is that Lawrence's dad is dead so he only has a mom to care for him and his younger brother. It turns out that the mom is refusing to care for him and on repeated occasions has not given him medicine sent to him when he is sick. She is given food (not money, but food) to feed him and his brother and she is not giving it to him. The social workers have visited his home on two different occasions and found Lawrence, alone, and caring for his younger brother. He then tells the social workers that he hasn't seen his mom for days. This is his reality.

I had to excuse myself from the office so I could cry. I looked at this little boy on my way up to our apartment and I said to him, "I am so sorry" in English. He looked up at me and smiled, a gesture that broke my heart even more.

The stories of struggle come in every day and I continue to do the best I can to encourage these kids. But it is hard. Every night the kids have something called evening glory, which is a time where they sing and dance and pray. It is amazing. Every night they fall to their knees with hands lifted high and voice their thankfulness to God. I wish you all could hear this. It brings me to tears every night. And while they are praying in Luganda, I pray along with them and all I can say is, "God hear their cries, hear their cries, hear their cries".

From Uganda with love,

Ali

For our friend Andy

2009-11-02T00:13:00.000-08:00

We do important things...

2009-10-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

...And having fun is one of them.

Giving opportunities for the children here to laugh and play as children should, is one of our greatest joys.

But I never thought I would be playing spoons with Uno cards on Halloween with 5 6th grade girls in Uganda.

Shirts and Skirts

2009-10-31T01:02:00.001-07:00

From the teaching found in Luke 3:11, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none," Citywalk Church collected shirts and skirts to donate to the teachers and staff of Victors Junior School and True Vine Church. About 50 articles of clothing was distributed and it was a lot of fun watching our friends "shop."

Thanks so much to all who contributed to this endeavor. I wish you all could have been hear to experience their gratitude.

From Uganda with love...

Supermarket

2009-10-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today I purchased:

a loaf of bread
a dozen eggs
a bunch of bananas
a fresh pineapple
a bottle of honey
a small tub of butter
a liter of coke
and a butter knife

from the supermarket for 11,300 UGS or...

$5.50

No one likes being dumped

2009-10-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

Of the many reasons we come to Uganda each year, the driving force behind us being here is the child sponsorship program. Sponsorship is the lifeline of the children.

Over the past several months, nearly 40 children have been dropped by their sponsor. To the children, that is the equivalent of being dumped by your significant other. Even more, it is losing your life support.

To spare the children the pain of being dumped. To spare them from the loss. The staff here has chosen not to tell the kids they have lost their sponsor. But this can't last long. Before long the kids will know.

An urgent plea. Please give life back to one of these 40 dropped children. Help them spare the pain of being dumped. It is our highest priority to find sponsors for these kids and give them life again.

To learn more about child sponsorship see the faq's below and go to our website, www.childrensheritagefoundation.org

with love and appreciation for your consideration in this incredible endeavor, from Uganda with love,
steve

What does it mean to sponsor a child?
Sponsorship means investing in the life and future of a disadvantaged child through financial contribution.

What does it cost?
The cost to sponsor a child is $35 a month or $420 a year.

Where does the money go?
Your contribution will be pooled into a general account that will assure your sponsored child receives the care and support that Children’s Heritage Foundation promises. Money is not given directly to the child. The foundation operates with the highest level of integrity. Finances are monitored very closely using the highest accounting practices and regular audits.

What do the children receive?
For just $35 a month, a sponsored child receives the following: 3 nutritious meals each day, quality education (tuition, books, uniform), stable housing, clothes, access to health care, weekly allowance, special gifts at Christmas and an assigned social worker who is assigned to promote and ensure the welfare of that child.

How can I pay?
You can elect to pay monthly or annually. We accept all major credit cards. We encourage you to pay annually as it helps to reduce our administration costs to ensure that even more funds reach the sponsored children.
For more information, call us at 858-481-1389, or email us at info@childrensheritagefoundation.org.

Can I send gifts?
Yes, gifts can be sent directly to your child but there are some guidelines. If you’d like to send a gift, please call us at 858-481-1389, or email us at info@childrensheritagefoundation.org.

Can I contact my child?
Yes, you may contact your child but only through written letters. For the protection of the children and our program, none of your personal contact information is to be shared including your address, phone number and email.

What can I expect as a sponsor?
As a sponsor, you can expect regular communication from your child and Children’s Heritage Foundation including: personal letters, school report cards, updated photos and updates from the social worker. You will also receive newsletters and program updates from Children’s Heritage Foundation. Most importantly, you can be confident that you will make a life-changing difference in the life of a child.

What makes Children’s Heritage Foundation unique?
We identify 3 key areas that set us apart:
First, we are fortunate to work in a way that does not create any overhead costs. This means that 100% percent of your contribution goes to the well-being of your child. The Children’s Heritage Foundation does not take any portion of your contribution.
Secondly, we operate with the highest levels of integrity and transparency assuring that resources are being used according to the purposes for which they’ve been given.
Finally, we value our relationships with our donors. You will get to know us and your sponsored child very well through frequent contact and communication.

Is sponsorship tax deductible?
Child sponsorship payments are fully tax deductible. You will receive an official tax statement at the end of the year, showing your tax-deductible donations made to Children’s Heritage Foundation. If you donate to Children’s Heritage Foundation using cash, check, or money order, and have not requested to receive a tax statement, please use the receipts issued to you throughout the year for tax deduction purposes.

The Lighter Side

2009-10-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hoping to fit in with his old friends, Perez decided to give his old school uniform a try. I returned home from speaking yesterday surprised to see him wearing the clothes reminiscent of when we first met him. We had to make sure that he didn't want to stay at Victors (Don't worry Mrs. Fisher, he still wants to come back to your class).

It has been interesting to hear all of the Ugandan's describe Perez as an American boy. His accent, his demeanor, and so civilized compared to the others here...he sticks out. The same is true at home. Compared to others, he has an accent and he's somewhat barbaric...he sticks out. None of it seems to bother him though and there's no question that we talk and think about such things much more than he does.

Ali was busy at work today, helping kids with a craft, taking photos and teaching her photo class at the vocational school (which she says is going quite well), I had sort of a rest day. Perez and I jumped on a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) and went into town. We ate fish and chips at a the locals favorite, best meals. We walked down to the market and bought Talapia, chapati, eggs, bananas and ice cream. And we returned home on the boda's. On the return trip, we each rode on our own boda because Perez wanted to race (Dad won...only because the driver was told to follow).

It rained this afternoon. Hard. I don't think there is a phrase coined yet for the heavy rain they receive here. The people here desperately depend on this frequent rain, but its not all blessing. The rain reeks havoc on this small town. Roads are destroyed, homes are threatened and the mud flows everywhere. Still, the people are grateful.

We finished the day preparing one of the worst meals we've attempted. We thought fish tacos would be good. So we bought fish, a whole fish...already deep fried. I'm sorry I don't have a picture of this, but the deep fried whole fish laying on the table is one of the least appetizing things I've seen. I broke of the head and tail and began peeling away the meat from the bone and Ali prepared the tortillas. They don't have tortillas here, so we used the chapati we purchased earlier in the day. Chapati is a sort of flat bread. It's good, but it's much too thick and heavy for a taco. We added some raw cabbage and a squeeze of lemon and choked down each bite. The only good part of the meal was the fish (after you take away those deep fried glaring eyes and remove the crunchy scales, the fish is very good). Perez missed out on this delicacy, he crashed at around 4:30 and we think he may sleep through the night...or at least we hope!

The day had its challenges too, as each of them do in a place rampant with poverty, but every once in awhile its refreshing for us to consider the lighter side of our journeys.

From Uganda with love

Arrived

2009-10-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it...dad and Perez are happy! The flights were good. In the Minneapolis airport we met a man and his young daughter from Chad, though they now live in Cedar Rapids. We talked for sometime about living in Africa and moving to the states. In the Amsterdam airport, we met a man from Kampala, Uganda. Though he has lived in Boston for 6 years, he returns to Uganda frequently. He is returning this time for his sisters wedding. He was impressed with Perez and his american accent (a comment that nearly everyone has made). On the leg between Amsterdam and Uganda, we sat in front of a couple from Albequerque who is hoping to adopt a 5 year old girl from Kampala. As I listened to their story, it echoed of everything we went through just 11 months ago with Perez.

After 30 hours of travel, we landed in Entebbe, purchased our visas and were quickly greeted by our Ugandan friends, pastor Stephen and pastor Gabriel. We were exhausted, but thrilled to be back in our "second home" as they call it (and we agree).

Much of Saturday was used to rest. Steve took 3 naps! Besides Steve's naps, the best part of the day was meeting with Perez's Ugandan mom. She was so happy to see Perez and to see how much he's grown. She believes he is doing well, and we agree.

But days of rest are rare here.

On Sunday, Steve spoke to True Vine church and presented them with our financial gift from Citywalk in support of their new sanctuary construction project. Steve also gave a dedication to the P7 graduates (they take exams this coming week is hopes of graduating and moving on to secondary school). During the service, both Ali and Perez were spontaneously called upon to come up front and speak. If there's one thing I've learned here, one must always be prepared to talk.

Tomorrow, Monday, Steve will meet with a group of village pastors for the first of a number of pastor conferences. Ali will begin taking what will amount to a few hundred sponsor update photos and in the afternoon she begins the first of 10 photo classes that she is teaching.

Perez.

Perez is very happy to be home, but it took a bit. He has been experiencing some reverse culture shock of sorts. It's as if he remembers things kind of, but is processing a "did I really live here" thing. For about an hour, all of the kids just sort of stared at him and he stared back. There was no interaction (reminiscent of his first day of school in San Diego). I could almost read the brainwaves..."I know you and we are like you, but you are now different." I think both sides were a bit scared. But as kids are, that lasted a short time. They quickly got over the "different" thing and the language barrier and Perez and company are having a great time being together again. I think Perez is especially happy to spend the bulk of his day in the dirt, putting thing in his mouth that no human should ever ingest and de-winging and playing with the many bugs. Home sweet home!

Well, we had better sign off for now...much to do before we retire for the night. Have a blessed Sunday, from Uganda with love!

Uganda 2009

2009-10-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

In 36 hours Ali, Perez and I will board a plane and begin the long journey back to Uganda...that means this blog must come back to life.

We fly out of San Diego on Thursday, October 22 at 6:30am and arrive in Uganda on Friday night. We will stay in Uganda for 3 weeks, returning to San Diego on November 14.

Our trip is packed full of exciting work. Speaking, photo schools, lots of update pictures, more speaking, and several meetings with the leadership of True Vine Ministries to help further their organization.

We are also excited to take Perez back to his home country. He is excited to go and so are we.

We'll do our best to update this page regularly and include as many photos as we are able to upload.

Thanks for checking in, praying and keeping up with our travels.

One Month Later

2009-01-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

HOME

We've been home for a month now. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that we left Uganda one month ago...we're all learning what/where home is. A downtown condo in San Diego is a new home for Perez. Adding a 6 year old to the condo changes "home" for Ali and me. After two weeks in San Diego we went "home" to Reno for the holidays for a week.

After 10 hours of driving from Reno to San Diego, just about the time we crossed under the Balboa park bridge on the 163 South, Perez looked over at me and said, "Dad, Perez is home."

And now the 3 of us are back home, in San Diego.

NEW EXPERIENCES

Truth is, just about everything is a new experience, and I'm pleased to say that all things considered, Perez is doing remarkably well. Here are a few memorable moments.

Two days after landing in San Diego from Uganda, we found ourselves at a bike shop buying Perez his first bike. Any kid living in this home must have a bike.

While we were in Uganda, a friend of Perez asked if we had bikes in America. Then asked if I had a bike. Then asked if Perez would have a bike. I answered yes to all. Somehow this word traveled back to Perez. So the first time I opened the garage, I heard the words, "Perez's bike?" There wasn't a bike in the garage for Perez, and that was not okay. Perez now has his bike, and if you look, you probably won't find it in the garage (thanks to Christmas, he now owns a scooter and a skateboard). Like father like son.

You can't live in San Diego and not go to the beach. Here's Perez, just days into Southern California life, taking in some beach time. I think this is one of his favorite places to be. He can roam. Play. Explore. Roll around in the dirt (sand). He eats the sand dollars, chews on dried crab claws and washes is down with salt water. He can be Perez. It's the closest experience of home. Clouds or sun, Perez loves the beach. Like mother like son.

Perez now attends Citytree Christian School. Here he is, sporting his new uniform and same goofy personality. Citytree is a great school. His teacher is wonderful. And his classmates are being patient and kind. And its also where Ali teaches. Perez likes being at school, but never wants to go in the morning. I think this is one of the harder things for him. He lived at a boarding school. His class size was 100. He had a uniform, teacher and classmates. None of these things look like Citytree. New school. New uniform. New teacher. New classmates. Class size 16. And lots of white people. Still, in just one month (two weeks in school, two weeks Christmas break), his English is rapidly progressing and and we are hopeful that school will be better for him the more he can communicate.

Perez thinks its hilarious to dress up in my clothes. It's going to be a few years (probably never) that the 45 pounder will fit into my 34 waiste.

Maybe the most shocking new experience was Christmas morning (and I'm not talking about presents and food and family and chaos...though those were good too). Sometime early Christmas morning, it began snowing. We woke up to a white Christmas. By mid morning we were all outside...snow angels, snowball fights, and even a bite or two. It was really cool to watch Perez explore snow for the first time...but I think he could do without the cold.

Perhaps the new experience Perez loves the most is the bath tub (because this is a family site I'll show no pictures). Running water is new Warm water is new. Fully immersing oneself in water is new. Perez loves it all.

ADJUSTMENTS

It's hard to imagine how much Perez is taking in. New sites, sounds, foods, people. Light switches. Sirens. Food stored in a refridgerator. Lots of white people. Old white people. He has clothes, a bed and lots of people giving him attention. And though he has his moments. Moments when we think he's sad. Times when he wants to talk to one of his friends in Uganda. Moments when he doesn't want someone to tell him what to do or not do. Perez is doing great!

But if you meet him, watch out. He will trick you into giving him a hug and you'll think he's cute...then when you least expect it, he will blow a big zerbit on your neck and laugh histerically.

Yeah, Perez is adjusting...and we are too. And there will be many more new experiences. And one thing we say with joy as a family, "it's good to be home."

It's Time

2008-12-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

After 30 days, it's time to come home.

If we stay much longer, I may not be alive. On Sunday I broke my pinky toe. On Monday morning our little van was rear ended by a tour bus at a very high speed...it is a total mystery that we did not crash and were not hurt. Monday evening I fell extremely ill. Bad headaches and very high fever.

So it's time.

even more importantly, it's time to introduce everyone to Perez. We just recieved his visa...so Ali and I are now officially parents...parents to one of the greatest kids alive!

Let me tell you something about his name, Perez Muwanguzi.
In the old testament, the name Perez means "breaking out"
The name Muwanguzi is not a family name...it was a name given to Perez by his father at birth. In Uganda, often times parents will change the last name of a child...hoping to carry with it new favor of God rather than dragging along the past. Perez was given the name Muwanguzi. In the Ugandan language, that name means "victorious." So after this long and emotional, and times challenging process...our sons name seems to be no coincidence.

And.

We are ready to be back at home, with our friends and our church. Each time we travel (as much as we love what we do here) it serves as a reminder to me how much we love what we do in San Diego. So see many of you soon...and many others at Christmas.

Our anticipated arrival is Thursday evening at about 7:15.

So for the last time (though when we get home we will post a comprhensive update of our trip and a complete slideshow)

good night, from Uganda with love!

Party Time

2008-11-30T06:03:00.000-08:00

The real celebration will begin when we recieve Perez's visa and can return to the states...still, there has been much to celebrate.

Last Sunday was Ali's birthday...she is happy to be in Uganda on her birthday, but we were missing family and friends to celebrate with. The morning was spent at church, then off to lunch with a pastor and his wife. After 3 hours of church and 2 hours of lunch, we were ready to go home. But Pastor Stephen wanted us to meet a couple more people and show us a property. We obliged. By 6pm we were done. We thought. Stephen told us he had just one more stop...he wanted us to meet one more person. We walked into a restaurant, rounded the corner...and there sat several people we are close with at the school and church...surprise! Dinner, cake, gifts, games...the whole schbang (Ali's comment)...they also snuck Perez out of the home so he could share in mommy's birthday. Ali was so grateful and truly honored...a birthday not to be forgotten.

On Saturday, we were invited to a Ugandan wedding. We learned upon arriving that the wedding was also combined with a school's graduation and production and an adult women's certificate graduation (a one year course called women of significance). It was a huge party...and long!!! It's also important to note that Ali and I are treated like king and queen. Everywhere we go we are ushered to the front, given the best seats...though they are usually on the stage facing the crowd. We are served cold bottled water while everyone else slowly dehydrates...it's all well...embarrasing really. But to the Ugandans it is hospitality. During the wedding, I was asked to stand and pray for the couple as they exchanged rings (you must always be ready to speak). Later, Ali and I were asked to present the marriage certificate to the couple...on stage, and we prayed again. Then the place burst into song, which was really great...but we were stuck standing on the stage next to the choir...so we joined in...causing many to laugh. We then stayed a short time (which in Uganda means at least one hour) for the reception.

Today, Sunday, we were back to church. It was another party...another 41/2 hour service. Of course my speaking alone was reason to celebrate...but this day too had a party. After I was finished, there was a baby dedication. Of course Ali and I were asked to conduct it (you must always be ready to speak). About 30 kids were dedicated...it was neat to be a part. While the families were going back to their seats...one mother shared that this very day was her babies one year birthday. So to the stage she brought her child, a party hat, a cake, and one candle. There we sat, in church...4 hours into church, and a birthday party broke out. Thankfully, we were not asked to speak...but we were not offered cake either.

Now, as we begin another week here, we hope to find reason to celebrate again (see first paragraph).

all for now (but check out the new pics in the slideshow)
Love to all, from Uganda,
Steve and Ali

snags and delays

2008-11-28T06:31:00.000-08:00

Hello again...

It's been some time since we've been able to establish internet connection. We have now found an internet cafe (that works, doesn't drop and is actually a little quick). We have a few minutes now, so we'll give a brief update...we hope to load more pictures tomorrow.

I'll spare the many ministry details for now...each of things we have been involved in have gone very well and we're thrilled to spend part of our year of ministry in Uganda.

So on to Perez...

On Wednesday, we were granted legal guardianship of Perez. This was a huge blessing, and by many accounts, a miracle. In the judges written ruling, you can feel his tension...our request was not really in line with the law, but it is in the best interest of the child. He consulted 3 other judges...which resulted in 4 different opinions. In the end, he ruled in our favor!

We walked out of court believing things were over. On to the US embassy for a visa and that was it. Everything we had heard, including info from the immigration office in San Diego, said that this step was an easy, no brainer.

We have now learned otherwise.

The Embassy is reluctant to give the visa...so please keep praying.

They required more paperwork, tax statements (that we just recieved by email...thanks mom), a full medical exam of Perez (which we were told could take up to 3 weeks...we completed both exams in one day) and they now want to do their own home visit to Perez's mother's home. This step is necessary for them to determine if his mom is really able to provide for him or not. Everyone here is saying that she is not...but please pray that the investigation will agree. If not, no visa. That means we are officially Perez's guardians, but he can't leave uganda. No Way.

Finally, because of all of this, we have had to reschedule our return flights. We are hoping and praying for a return flight on Wednesday night, arriving in San Diego on Thursday night. But still not sure...so pray that everything can and will be completed by Wednesday...mid-day.

Okay, my minutes are dwindling and our ride is getting antsy (actually, he looks quite comfortable, but still)

We believe with all our heart this was meant to be, and that it will happen. We learn daily what it means to trust God and to wait on Him. And everyday this story becomes more and more interesting...which means it will be better to tell when its all said and done.

Good night
from Steve and Ali with love, from Uganda

odd, icky and the internet

2008-11-19T03:54:00.000-08:00

Odd:

After a challenging day...witnessing the hard life a Ugandan villager lives, poverty, orphans, disease (we are trying to capture the up and down emotions that we experience each day, from hurt and pain to joy and laughter in this blog), we arrived back at Pastor Stephen's ranch.

I stood outside the front of his home on the red African soil overlooking the green landscape of the Ugandan hills. Ali was taking pictures of the common safari animal...cows. And in the distance I could here the beautiful sounds of the Titanic theme song.

What a way to end a day.

Icky:

We never know what we will see on any given day, but Tuesday was exceptionally gross. We were at the school standing outside while the children were gathering for an assembly (we quickly learned that a Ugandan assembly is not a pep rally, but a gathering of all of the children for discipline). We weren't real excited about watching what would transpire...fortunately, depending on how you see it, something else grabbed our attention. One of the cows at the school had seen it's last day.

For the next 30 minutes we (meaning Ali, me and about 50 children) watched some men butcher a cow. From taking it's last breath to being hung up for dinner that night. Our video is pretty awesome!

Internet:

Since moving out of the hotel, our internet access has become very limited. Currently, I am at the school using the one computer that can connect. To do so, I had to ask the secretary to take a break...she is finished with her break and simply waiting for me to finish so she can get back to work.

the point - We will do our best to keep posting, but our slideshows will have to wait. We will mention if/when we add pics to the slideshow.

Thanks for reading and keeping up with us in Uganda.

Oh, I almost forgot (okay, not really). We met in court today regarding Perez. The judge will not make a ruling until next Wednesday, so no news yet. My opinion in the court was that it did not go real well. Our lawyer and Pastor Stephen both think it was great and that we should fully expect the judge to make a favorable ruling.

Because the judge will be thinking this over during the next few days, please keep praying.

One last thing...

for those who saw me chasing the turkey. It is a real picture, but quite staged. The turkey is injured and can barely move. I gave the appearance of chasing but was not really moving either. And for the record, I was still a bit nervous.

Okay, the secretary has work to do,

so goodbye for now, from uganda with love.

We've moved!

2008-11-15T04:31:00.000-08:00

After two weeks in our "luxurious" Ugandan hotel, we've moved out and into Pastor Stephen's home. The rest of the team has gone home and Ali and I are on our own for the remainder of the trip. Okay, we're not really on our own, we still have all of our Ugandan friends chauffering us around...but we are the only muzungus (white people).

Staying with pastor Stephen is going to be great. He lives out in the country on his farm. His small place is home to some 15 people, though it's hard to keep track. And there are animals...lots of animals. We look forward to our more authentic experience.

A quick note. I gave my third pastors conference on Thursday with about 50 pastors. It was a great day, at least for me...I will be speaking on Sunday at the church that hosted the conference.

Ali held her second photo class today. The kids were excited to see their pictures for the first time, and were anxious to hear their teachers critique.

And what about Perez. Well he is all boy. And a rascal at that. We think he and our nephew Kyle will get along well. Today I walked around a corner to find him, and I did. Of course he was peeing straight up into the air... in the middle of the field with plenty of others around. Ahh Perez...

I'm being hustled off the computer so I must go...hopefully my new pictures have loaded by now.

talk more soon,

From Uganda, with love.

Nekemia's Story

2008-11-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

(written by Ali)
I cried today. The kind of tears you don’t think are possible. The kind of tears that are so heavy and so wet you feel as if they drain life out of you…and maybe they do. The reality of a child’s life in this place just hit too hard.

A boy asked if he could show me his dorm. Let’s back up a little. This boy, Nekemia is his name, has been following me around since we got here, begging for sweets, money, clothes, any attention we can give. He’s not the cute little kid you want to snuggle with all the time. He’s rough, angry, jealous, a trouble maker often pushing other kids around. I’ve been doing my best to not get annoyed by him, but offer as much attention as I can muster (with the 400 other kids trying to do the same thing). So…back to the story. He asks if he can show me his dorm. I say yes and follow him to his dorm where he invites me in and shows me where he sleeps. He sleeps in the middle of a bunk three beds high. He climbs up, pulls his trunk off his bed (the kids keep these locked with their possessions inside), sets it on the floor and opens it displaying the contents. By this time, a crowd of about 11 or 12 other boys had gathered around. I squatted down and looked inside his trunk which held a tattered orange jacket, a sheet, and a small jar of cream. He looks at me and says “I don’t have.” “I want clothes like others.” “Why won’t you sponsor me like Perez.”

There I was. Crammed in between rusted metal bunks, squatting on a dusty concrete floor with 12 sets of brown eyes waiting for me to give him an answer, waiting for me to offer a morsel of hope that might get all of them to the next meal. I didn’t cry here. I wanted to, but I didn’t. I was the only one who could offer strength. I looked around at the longing in those boys. I told them I was here for them. I told them that I couldn’t do it all, but that the reason I was sitting in that room was to hear their stories. To look inside their trunk, per se, and feel their pain. To share all these things with the people at home and know that someone will hear their voice.

Someone will hear their voice.

They backed up, Nekemia put his trunk away, and I walked out alone. That is when I cried. All the way across the school yard and into an empty office where I put my head on the desk and prayed that this would all be over. That these kids would not hurt anymore, that my heart wouldn’t break and that, God would prove to me that he is holding this all together somehow.

The Watch

2008-11-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

I bought this watch one year ago at the airport in London on our way to Uganda. I thought little of the purchase at the time, I needed a watch while in Africa and it was the cheapest I could find. Now, one year later, it is one of the most valuable things I own.

Last year Perez wore my watch nearly everyday. So when we returned to San Diego, everyday I put the watch on...everytime I looked at the watch, I was reminded of our little boy in Uganda.

When we began the adoption process about 8 months ago, the watch served a new purpose. It became my personal timer until we would see Perez again and stand with him in court (I don't think Perez will actual stand in court with us) waiting to hear the judge grant us legal guardianship.

We now know that date.

On Wednesday, November 19th, Ali and I will appear in the high court of Uganda and ask the judge to grant us guardianship over Perez. If our request is granted, we will be able to bring Perez home with us.

So over the next 7 days, as often as we come to mind, would you please pray for us and this BIG final step to the process. We are excited, confident and nervous all at once...and we believe in God's "timing."

Thanks ahead of time,

from Uganda with love

Get comfortable, this could get long

2008-11-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

I spoke at a second pastors conference on Saturday. I am amazed again this year at how these pastors come together. They are so happy to be able to share life and ministry together and once again I am encouraged by their example. This may not make sense to everyone who reads this, but I found it ironic that I was speaking to a group of pastors at a church who’s mission statement reads, “preparing people to go to heaven.” One of the benefits of the day was eating a true Ugandan dish for lunch. The hospitality here is admirable. I was escorted out of the church and to a table where 3 ladies stood. The first handed me a bar of soap that I applied to my dry hands. The next poured hot water over my hands and the third gave me a towel. I then proceeded through the homemade food line loading my plate with what I assumed to be food.

I woke up Sunday morning only to learn that my stomach was not pleased with my eating choices from the day before, so I spent the first 30 minutes of my day worshiping in solitude. The bathroom you know.

Thankfully, my experience with the false god was short lived, because I was to preach in a few short hours. By 8:30 I was back to normal (which by most standards is a bit abnormal). It was a wonderful 4 hour church service. Yes, 4.
One of the highlites of the service, besides my stellar preaching of course, was the presentation of the keyboard that Citywalk purchased for the church. It was an exciting and emotional thing for me. The worship team was so grateful…they plugged it in right away and used it for the rest of the service.

On Sunday afternoon, Ali began her photo school, “Uganda through their eyes,” with 5 children. Just as class began, rain began to fall. Hard. The room we were in was all concrete with a metal corrugated roof. It was so loud inside the room, we were forced to sit and wait until the rain stopped. About 5 minutes. Ali taught the class, she is so good in these settings, and the kids were set free to take pictures. We will meet again on Saturday for class number 2.
This is an idea we borrowed from “Kids with Cameras.” The idea is to teach children the basics of photography. Film photography. Ali is teaching about the cameras, film, composition, light and so on. The 5 kids each were given a camera, and they are to take the pictures that they want us to see…Uganda through their eyes. We will develop the film later in the week and bring it to the next class. We hope to use the story of each child and the pictures they take in a variety of ways in the near future.

Our Sunday ended at the property participating with the children in evening glory. All 300 children, give or take, gather together to sing and pray. A few boys provide the music on drums…all clap, all sing, all dance…it’s quite a scene. After the singing, they kneel to pray. They all pray at the same time, out loud. There is much to learn from their devotion and love for God.

Perez has a new love…my ipod. I sometimes wonder if we did not bring all our tech gadgets…phones, laptops, ipods, cameras, video cameras…if the kids would find us nearly as interesting. Anyway, Perez already knows more about my ipod than I do, of course that’s not saying much, and he’ll sit for hours listening and bouncing to the music.
While I’m on the subject of Perez, and going back to Sunday for a moment, we witnessed something quite heartbreaking.

Last year, our last day with Perez was a Sunday. He came to church and sat in the front row with us the entire service. 4 hours. I preached that Sunday. After the service we said our good byes and it was time for us to go to the airport. It was a challenging day. Perez was very sad to see us go. He sat in my lap whispering nkwagala nyo (I love you very much) over and over, and had to be pulled away from us as we left. Ali and I cried as we drove away.

Yesterday (Sunday), the experience was the same. We sat in church together. Perez on our laps. I preached. After church, we got in the vans to leave. And Perez was heartbroken. We believe Perez was reliving the experience from a year ago, and no one could convince him we were coming back. It was very emotional for Ali and me to see our little boy hurting. Imagine the joy when we returned. Keep praying that things in court work out…they just have to.

Speaking of court. Our lawyer continues to impress us. He noticed that there were inconsistencies in our names. For example, my birth certificate says Steven William Denney, but my employment verification says Steve Denney. Because this is something Ugandans do not do with their names, he thought it would be very confusing. So he wrote an affidavit for us to sign stating that all these different names were speaking of the same person. By the way, our lawyers name is Benon, please pray for him in these final days of preparation. He is a good man and we are very confident in him. We should here of a court date sometime this week…we’ll keep you posted.

Okay, one more thing about Perez. We learned today that how they have been disciplining him is telling him that if he does not behave, his dad and mom will not come. Apparently he shapes right up on hearing this. I wonder how long this technique will work. Today we were looking at pictures with Perez, many of the pictures had Ali, me and Perez in them. Each time a new picture came up, Perez would point and say, “daddy, mommy, Perezi,” and then giggle. As we drove away from the school this evening, Perez yelled out, “goodbye daddy, goodbye mommy.”

Enough about Perez for now (though I could go on), here’s a bit about a few other children that have touched us.

Jacqueline is so sweet. She found me today for the first time since we’ve been here and asked if I remembered her. Truth is, I did not, until she told me her name. Jacqueline, like many of the older kids, has many questions about our lives and America. But today was not so much about questions. Jacqueline came to me and said she had written Ali and me a letter. She pulled us both into a private room and had us read it. It was really beautiful…especially the part where she called me handsome. Much of the letter was filled with love and gratitude for us and it was a blessing to read it and pack it away for our Uganda scrapbook (that we still hope to get started on some day).

Remember Sunday’s evening glory? This is Donanter,

Jorge’s sponsor child, praying. It was quite powerful seeing this tiny girl on her knees, crying out to God. I hope this photo captures your heart and inspires you to prayer as well.

We saw Habibah for the first time today, she is sponsored by my parents. It was so great. She came with her mother and stayed for a short while. We were able to explain that my parents were her sponsor and that the bag of gifts were from them. We took several photos and they were on their way.

We also saw Christine for the first time today, she is a university student and sponsored by Ali’s parents. It was really great to see her. We sat together and talked for some time and then walked with her to her home. We met several of her siblings and were fortunate to also meet her father. Christine is the eldest of 9 children, and certainly the only in her family to attend University.

And we met Ochola Joseph for the first time today, Matthew’s sponsor child. He too came with his mother. She said, “please tell Matthew that Mamma Ochola is very thankful for him and loves him very much.” So now I told you. The balloons were a huge hit!

We’re not quite sure what the rest of the week has in store, but we know that as we continue to be a blessing, we know that we will be the one’s who are blessed. To many who are reading this, know that the children here love you so much…they say often that they live for their sponsors. The Pastors and social workers too are so grateful…not a day goes by that we not thanked numerous times for how we are helping and inviting others to help. So as I sign off tonight, know that any and every way you support this ministry, it is making a significant contribution to the lives of people who have nothing (material anyway). And thank you from me too.

God bless your heart as you continue today,
from Uganda with love, Goodnight

To connect a friend

2008-11-07T10:45:00.001-08:00

This one’s all for you, Andy. I saw Herns today and he was in good spirits…full of smiles and laughter. Just goes to show how much we mean to these kids, and for that matter, how much these kids mean to us. Joel and Francis send many hellos too.

Goodnight everyone, from Uganda with Love.

Ugandan Experience

2008-11-06T11:13:00.000-08:00

I was away from the school most of today, but do I have a story (Ali will share hers next time). It’s quite hard to set the scene, but with my words and your imagination we may get close.

I went into the capital city of Kampala today with my friend Godwin. He needed to buy a new brake cable for the school van and I needed to exchange some money. Kampala is about 30 kilometers from the school, the trip took nearly 4 hours.

It was my first time to travel in Uganda by public transportation, what an experience. I was reminded again how sheltered we are at the school. We first had to get to a bus station. The buses are actually small vans, similar to a VW bus…and there are 100’s of them. Each bus has two employees. One drives, the other hangs out the window shouting where they are headed. Imagine my confusion when we arrived at the bus stop. Dozens of buses with men hanging out the side shouting where they were going and begging us to board. Thank God for Godwin. He got us on the 14 passenger bus along with the other 18 passengers and we were off. I felt very big and white.

The driving in Uganda is…I’m struggling to find a way to describe it. There are rules, but none that I could identify. There are roads, but they are sometimes hard to distinguish from the market. And if there are lanes…no, there’s no lanes. None of this was too worrisome until we got into the very crowded capital. Traffic hit a stand still. Well at least it should have. Although there was no place to drive, everyone kept driving, swerving, honking, laughing…it was actually quite fun. I believe now that the only rule of the road that people follow is…the first person to the spot gets the spot. Somehow it works. After many near accidents, and I mean near, we got out of the bus. Safety.

At least I thought.

Moments later I found myself sitting on the back of a motorcycle taxi (aka boda boda). The motorcycles re-defined “no rules.” Whatever was needed to keep going was done. Several times my legs rubbed against buses next to us. We lightly bumped another motorcycle one time. And I really believe they think pedestrians are slalom courses.

In the end, we made it of course. 3 motorcycle rides, two bus trips, a Kampala tourist lunch and an incredibly encouraging and thoughtful conversation with Godwin and we were back at the school.

(I am hoping to re-live this experience and take along the video camera, I really want you to see what I’m talking about).

The first child I saw when we got back to school was Perez. He was walking hand in hand with Ali. Perez ran to greet me and Ali went back to work. Perez and I shared a few funny moments over the next two hours together, then time to go. His personality is hilarious (at least to me, some may call it something else), not only can’t I wait for you to meet him, I also can’t wait for him to mess with you.

Enough for now…goodnight, from Uganda with love.

schedules, gifts and Perez

2008-11-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

We made it!

Many things are just as we remember them from a year ago; many things have changed. We have seen many of our friends, we have met more. All of the old buildings are standing, new construction is underway. The driving makes you grateful for travelers insurance, our driver has a new van. The roads are dusty, the children are joyful and we are happy to be back in Uganda.

It could not have been a better first day.

How quickly schedules can change. We had a plan for this first week, but 500 children and Uganda life require that you hold your plans loosely. I met with Pastor Stephen and Pastor Gabriel today...we made new plans. They have asked me to speak each Sunday we are here at a different church. I’ve heard one church is over 2000 people. So much for a break from speaking. They have also asked me to speak at least 8 other times in various seminar settings, and I even spoke this evening with very little notice. It’s going to be great!

We met with our Lawyer this afternoon. He is well on his way and quite confident things are going well. He hopes to have us in high court sometime next week.

Much of today was about gifts. We handed out all of the gifts that we brought over from sponsors (almost all), began work on the Christmas card craft, and handed out Christmas gifts to the kids from the school. About the Christmas cards. Ali came up with the idea to have each child send their sponsor a personal Christmas card. Each child puts their fingerprint on the front of the card, transforming it into a reindeer. They glue wiggly eyes and red noses on then draw in antlers. They are going to be great…but 100’s of kids working on a craft…let’s just say we’re having fun.

Perhaps the greatest gift today was seeing Perez again; it’s hard to explain how much we love our little boy. He spent most of the day with one of us, showing us his room, his bunk, his latest art project in school…and we even played a couple tricks on people (its as if he got some of my genes).

We learned today that Perez was born on June 1st, 2002. We also learned that he can flip his eyelid inside out.

At one point in the day a boy ran up to Perez and me with a cup of water. He handed it to Perez, and Perez gratefully gulped down the entire thing. It was very hard to watch, the water was very brown, dirty water. A long ways from Smart Water. But for these boys it would probably be dumb not to drink it…it’s what they have, and they are thankful for a refreshing drink.

Pastor Stephen shared with us today that Perez’s dad was one of the most humble servants of God he has ever known. Israel was his name. Israel served God and worked hard his entire life and never had any money. Pastor Stephen believes that we are a gift from God to both Perez and Israel…a sort of delayed payment for many years of service. And as much as people here are saying how fortunate Perez is to have us, we are the ones who are blessed to know our friends here and to have a little boy like Perez come into our life.
I stepped into a game of soccer today after school with some boys. We play barefoot on dirt and concrete (my feet are a bit torn up). The ball appeared to be a bunch of innertubes or maybe plastic bags wound up and tied and there weren’t goals. But it was impressive to watch (that’s mostly what I was doing) the kids play, handle that “ball” and shoot goals. They are happy to play. They don’t argue. They don’t fight. They just play. And they all got a laugh when I used my head on the ball, only to have a gallon of water and dirt come gushing out. I’m not sure who won…it didn’t matter to anyone, it was good to see the kids having fun.

We need to sleep…so good night and we’ll write again soon. With love, from Uganda.

We're Off!

2008-11-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

See you in Uganda...
All luggage made it with only $50 extra fee!!!

30 Days

2008-10-28T16:42:00.001-07:00

From Uganda with Love

This site has been created to keep our friends and family up to date with our where abouts and happenings while we're in Uganda.

We leave San Diego on Monday, November 30 at 9am and arrive in Uganda at 9pm on Tuesday night. This is our second trip to Uganda to work with Pastor Stephen Kibirango on behalf of San Diego based, Children's Heritage Foundation.

Over the next 30 days we will be photographing and interviewing 100 children to create sponsorship profiles. We will take 350 update photographs of the children already sponsored. All 350 children will hand make a Christmas card to send to their sponsor. The trip will also include teaching seminars for the schools teachers and a leadership development conference for many of the local pastors and leaders. We are also creating a "Uganda through their eyes" photo school, and we're hoping to use the children's photos in a Spring 2009 art gallery. A San Diego local coffee shop owner will be traveling with us, he will be working to fair trade certify their coffee farm and making preparations to purchase the first harvest for roasting and selling in San Diego. Finally, our church, Citywalk, has purchased a new keyboard that we are taking as a gift, and we are delivering over 50 articles of clothing from our shirts and skirts drive.

And I'm sure many un-known adventures lie ahead too. We go to serve and be a blessing, but we know that it will be us that truly recieve.

Oh, I almost forgot. We will spend many hours with our lawyer and in the courts finalizing the adoption process of our son, Perez. We can't wait for you to meet him, he's the best!