The Source of the Nile

~ Bougainvillea in the garden ~ Krista and I have never been to the actual headwaters of the Nile River here in Uganda and since Mom has provided the convenient excuse for all kinds of new adventures, we decided it was time to take her to see the Source of the Nile. Krista and I have driven over the dam that is the de facto beginning of the Nile, but there is a place just a mile further into the lake where the original falls used to be (before the dam covered them up). ~ Shauen and Krista Trump ~ At this spot on Lake Victoria is the monument to the Source of the Nile. So we set out in the morning towards the Source of the Nile in our little car - the two-hour trip to Jinja isn't too rough. Krista found a great little place for us to eat lunch in Jinja, at an old colonial house that is now a hotel and restaurant with beautiful gardens and a great view of Lake Victoria. As Josiah slept peacefully, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch on the veranda with the sounds of the garden - birds, wind rustling through the leaves, and the bubbling fountain.

After lunch we head towards the park known as the Source of the Nile. It's expensive by local standards - $15 for the four of us and the car to drive into the park. And, frankly, worth it once but probably not again. There wasn't much to see except the little shops full of curios and the big billboard explaining all about the Nile River:

WELCOME TO THE SOURCE OF THE GREAT RIVER NILE - JINJA, UGANDA

You are now on the Eastern bank of the River Nile, at a point where the river begins to flow from Lake Victoria (Source of the Nile) to the meditteranean sea (sic). It takes water three months to complete this journey of 4000 miles (6400 km).

The falls that John Hanning Speke saw in 1862, naming them the "Rippon Falls" after the President of the Royal Geographical Society in London, submerged in 1947 on the construction of the giant Owen Falls Dam. The dam completed in 1954, harnesses the head long rush of water from the lake to produce hydro electric power for ~ A tree grows out of the bridge pilings at the Source ~ Uganda.

"Omugga Kiyira" is the local name for River Nile. The bay behind this billboard through which the waters of Lake Victoria funnel in the Nile is called the Napoleon Gulf.

On the western bank of the river is an obelisk marking the spot where Speke stood for hours when he saw the source of the River Nile, making it known to the outside world.

Exciting stuff, eh?  All you can really see from there are a few pilings where they once built (or attempted to build) a little bridge across the river. But apparently underneath the water is what was once quite an impressive sight. Next - on to Egypt to see the delta at the other end! -Shauen

Congregations ask for things

I was recently in an area that has two Lutheran congregations and my experience there compels me to put to paper (or to electronic bits) some thoughts that have been developing over the last year or so. Maybe it was the sharp contrast between this place and my recent experience in Amudat that has finally brought my thoughts into focus.

I was in an area that is led by a church leader who is wealthy by my estimation, farming a large plot of land, with chickens and several goats, several buildings in his compound with tin roofs, and even a brick building at the road which he is intending to turn into a shop. He has several able-bodied sons to help him in his farming. His family is easily able to support him in his church work as they do what his family has done for generations in that area. There are two congregations there that this leader works with, about 10km apart.

The first congregation we visited meets in a nice church building. It was built by the congregation over a decade ago with a good thatch roof and mud-and-stick construction similar to what we see everywhere in Uganda. Mud-and-stick buildings with thatch roofs do require some maintenance but will last for decades with a little annual care.  The congregation spent considerable time telling us about how they needed to buy land because the church was built on land owned by someone else. We asked if there was a risk they would be evicted from the land. No, they assured us, we won't be forced to move. Is the land the church is on now for sale? No, it's not for sale, but the owner wants us to buy it so it would be for sale to us if someon gave us the money. Is there any risk the owner would sell it to someone else? No, the owner won't sell it to anyone else. So why do you need to buy it? Because the owner wants us to buy it. Finally, they admited that the church leader owns the land. He wants someone to give the church several thousand dollars so the church can "buy" the land from him. From that point the congregation continued to list their needs. They needed money to establish a nursery school. They would buy land and build a building for their nursery school. I asked what their very nice church building is used for during the week. They replied that they don't use the church during the week. So I asked why they couldn't start their nursery school in the church building. Then they asked for money to buy a bicycle for their leader so he could get to the other congregation. It's too far to walk, they said (which, of course, isn't the case - it is far but could be walked in two hours). I asked why the two congregations together didn't buy him a bicycle (I didn't ask why he didn't buy himself a bicycle). They insisted the congregations were too poor. Then they wanted money to build chicken coops to keep their chickens safe. At this point I kept my mouth shut (which I probably should have done earlier). I later asked a trusted friend if you can keep chickens in a stick structure or a mud-and-stick building like those everyone constructs for free to live in. He replied that of course you can keep chickens in a structure like that.

The next day we visited the other congregation in that area. Again we received a long list of needs, the vast majority of which were things the congregation could do for themselves. If just 10 families between the two congregations each sold only one chicken, I told them, you could buy your leader a bicycle. And that brings us to the deeper issue. Uganda has suffered decades of handouts.  That's right. I use the word "suffer." The spirit of many of the people has been broken. Why do for yourself, they wonder, what someone else will do for you for free? As I drive down the road in the villages children stop playing to call out "Muzungu" which means "white person" and hold out their hand to me - asking for a gift. In a trading center, the first thing a man wanted me to know about the people was that they were poor.  Look at them, he said - they are so poor. Give them something.  Is that how you really want to be known, I asked him? Not that you are hard-working or that you are good farmers or that you have started your own schools for your children or that you cherish the land your families have owned for generations or that you are proud of your culture or history or that all of these shop owners in the trading center have worked themselves into the merchant class? You want me to know primarily that you are poor? This is what I see all over Uganda. A congregation that worships under a tree asks me to build them a brick church - every member of that congregation lives in a building, some mud-and-stick, some brick. If they can build homes for themselves, they can build a worship space as well. But why do for yourself what someone else will do for you for free?

I'm reminded of Glen Schwartz's article, I meet two kinds of people in Africa (PDF on missionfrontiers.org, 76kB). After decades or research and work on issues of unhealthy dependency in the developing world, Glen Schwartz (who also wrote the required-reading book, When Charity Destroys Dignity) asserts, "I keep bumping into two kinds of people in Africa. One kind believes in the capability of the continent to help itself, and the other does not." Unfortunately, if you tell people for long enough that they don't have the capability, they start to believe you. As one of my friends recently pointed out, Uganda is one of the most lush, fertile, priviliged lands in East Africa and they could easily become the bread-basket of the continent. They have not only the capability but also the resources. Instead of "doing for," let's "walk alongside of" and together work towards a successful, stable, healthy future. -Shauen

RLC Advance Team visits Amudat

~ Visiting with church leaders in Amudat Town ~ Amudat is a region north of Mt. Elgon in the east of Uganda. It's probably the furthest east you can get since Uganda bulges into Kenya at that point. Like many borders drawn by the British, the Uganda border is fairly arbitrarily drawn. Consequently, it divides the Pokot people, with the majority being on the Kenya side although this people group does tend to be nomadic as pastoralists so they wander back and forth completely ignoring the artificial border. They primarily tend cattle, sheep, and camels. Their diet is heavy on milk and light on vegetables.

I set out for the long journey to Amudat with Pastor Charles Bameka, Pastor Mark, Ron, and Jane who represents the women on the Lutheran Church Mission in Uganda's (LCMU) Board of Directors. As the Women's Representative, Jane has a great responsibility in Uganda and an exceptionally difficult task. Most Board Members represent a function (treasurer, secretary, etc.) or at the most a limited geographical area (SouthWest Representative, etc.). Jane represents the Lutheran women in the entire country - with no travel budget. As soon as Jane heard that I'd be making a trip to Amudat she asked if she could accompany me and have some time with the women as Pastor Mark and Ron met with Pastor Moses and the elders.  Of course I was overjoyed to be able to provide such an opportunity.

~ Visiting together at one of the village churches ~ If there had been any doubt among the RLC Advance Team about the need for my over-built truck, it was laid quickly to rest on the journey to Amudat. Only about half the journey is conducted on paved roads. Amudat itself is a good 2 hours beyond the pavement by my truck, which can easily go twice as fast as a pickup truck, van, or car on rough roads. According to custom, we stopped in Mbale to purchase rice, sugar, and fresh vegetables as prices for these items are often doubled in Amudat itself. We don't want our visit to be a financial burden on congregations who want to provide a meal, so we bring these expensive foods with us and turn them over to Pastor Moses first thing when we arrive.

We had been expecting to do some home-stays because the only lodging in Amudat is a guest house that is in the process of being turned over to the government to be made into the district headquarters office. We were pleased to hear this very week that the building has not yet be turned over and is still functioning as the only guest house in Amudat. For your $4 you get a comfy bed with clean sheets and a mosquito net in a private room. There's a pit latrine out back and there's a rain barrel to collect water for bathing and washing hands. Although the guest house is wired for electricity, their solar system hasn't worked in years and no one with any experience has looked at it. It could be something as simple as a fuse - but if you don't know what you're looking for a simple fix is just as debilitating. The second night we were at the guest house the proprietor brought over a generator and hooked up the lights for us - a real treat! Then when we were checking out we were astonished to hear that the price had increased considerably! While I suspect the price increase was related to purchasing the fuel for the generator, the excuse the proprietor gave was, "the price of sugar has gone up." Mind you the guest house isn't a bed-and-breakfast place, so we didn't consume any sugar. But we paid $5 per night instead of $4 because of the cost of sugar - of course.

~ Pastor Moses and Ron enjoying (yet another) cup of African Tea ~ We visited only a few congregations in Amudat but spent a considerable amount of time sitting and visiting with the church leaders, many of whom had traveled to Amudat Town to see us. As a result, we got to spend time visiting and laughing together and learning about each other. Taking time like this is something I've learned over my year here to really value. Often we visit 3 or 4 congregations in a day, celebrating a worship service at each one. While that is nice and equitable to the congregations in the area, it also keeps us from just sitting together and really visiting. In Amudat this trip we got to enjoy a ministry of presence - sitting and visiting together, a time of Christian fellowship and brotherhood. In my opinion, it was one of the best trips upcountry I've ever enjoyed. 'Course you have to have tea every time you sit to visit and I really like the African Tea they serve in Amudat, so it worked out great for me. 

Pastor Mark and Ron had brought some elastic bracelets - the Resurrection Story bracelets - that use colors to tell the story of Christ. It was a great gift for the people here because both men and women enjoy ornamenting themselves with bracelets and necklaces. Most of their accessories are made from beads and women can often be seen doing beadwork as they sit together. After giving the people these colorful bracelets we asked if they could make them out of beads - of course they can. For the people of Amudat, finding a market for their beadwork is always difficult, so Pastor Mark and Ron bought some of their beadwork to take back to the States and promised that they would buy many of the Christ Story bracelets if the people made them. This is one of the best ways to provide social uplift - better than projects and far better than handouts. Find something the people do, some skill or gift or resource they have, and connect them to a market - it is hard work and an entrepenurial spirit that really provide meaningful lasting social uplift.

One of my great joys on this trip was when I asked a rather direct question (which you seldom do in Uganda). Knowing that Pastor Mark and Ron wouldn't quite be so sure how to go about it, I asked Pastor Moses,

Pastor, I am so happy to have brought my friends to come and visit with you and the Christians here. But our visit is too short. I wonder if next year I was to return and bring more friends like these with me, even 8 or 10 friends, and we were able to stay with you for a full week or even 10 days, what would you have us do?

~ Visiting together under a tree in Amudat Town ~ Pastor Moses gave me the best possible answer I could have hoped for. He got excited at the prospect and quickly formulated a plan. First, we would take the team to the furthest village that has a congregation (about 50km away, roughly 2 hours by truck). We would arrive in the morning and spend some time with the congregation. Then we would split up the visitors and partner them with the Christians of that congregation with translators and each small team of maybe 4 people would go out for door-to-door evangelism. That night the team would stay in the village and worship together either that night or the next morning. Then we would come to the next closest village, working our way day by day back to Amudat, doing door-to-door evangelism in each place. Pastor Moses didn't say anything about projects or funding for buildings or what could happen if only the team brought money with them. Instead, he got excited about spending time together, about walking side by side, about spreading the Gospel message. He knows that one thing a visitor brings just by nature of being someone from outside the community is a legitimacy and an endorsement of whatever group of people he's there to visit. Moses identified that the greatest need in his community is one that is perhaps the hardest for Americans to understand - the need for a ministry of presence.

While Pastor Mark and Ron did identify some good old-fashioned "do-something" bricks and mortar type needs as well, I still hold firmly to what Pastor Moses identified himself - a ministry of presence. For most of Uganda I assert it's the best possible thing you could do - better than building buildings or distributing eyeglasses or handing out money or giving people motorcycles - any of which may have their own place in the important goal of providing social uplift to people in need. The ministry of presence is a hard sell in the States but it's the best model I've ever heard of for short-term missions. What would I have you do? Simply come and be with us.   -Shauen

A night of drums at Ndere

Sunday nights there is a celebration of Uganda's culture and heritage at Ndere Center in Ntinda. Although I've been in Uganda over a year now I have never taken advantage of the opportunity to attend. Tonight we went with Pastor Charles, Pastor Mark, Ron, and my Mom. Krista and Josiah stayed home - which was good since the performance was outdoors and ran late into the night. Krista'll have to join me there sometime on a date when Josiah is old enough to stay with a sitter for a few hours.  Below is what my Mom said about the experience. -Shauen

~ Drummers at Ndere Cultural Center in Kampala ~ The event is held outside in a small amphitheater. We order drinks and are offered to order the buffet dinner, or a meat (chicken, pork or goat) and chips (French fries). The event begins with an introduction to the drums of Uganda, the various rhythms, and their meanings. A competition tests the skill of the drummers in their precision and accuracy, as well as proper execution of the rhythm. There is much laughing and hooting as one by one the drummers are eliminated, until only one remains. Then the dances are introduced. The dancers and musicians are energetic and amazing in their talents and skills. Every dance includes movement and rapid shaking of the hips. I am amazed at how fast and how long the movements are maintained! Rhythm and timing are perfect. Shauen tells me that in the villages even the infants bob with the rhythms of the music. It is around them always, becoming a part of their life and being.

~ Ndere dancers balance pots on their heads as they dance ~ All the dances tell a story. It is obvious one is a courtship dance, with many suitors vying for the lady’s hand and being spurned, until one finally wins her favor. One dance includes balancing small pots on the top of the heads of the women dancers. Pots are added as the women dance, until there are eight stacked on top of one another, rising above the dancers by about six feet! None are dropped and the women continued a slow dance up the stairs and out of the stage area with all the pots still balanced carefully atop their heads!

The emcee is very good, entertaining, and works with his audience. Many of the jokes are focused for the Ugandan people, which has the crowd roaring at times and us outsiders wondering what is so funny. Shauen has to explain several of them to me… They are pretty funny! As in a great deal of comedy there is some truism in the joking. In listening to the dialog and the interaction my impression is of a light hearted people who know themselves, know some of their strengths and weaknesses, and can laugh at themselves.

At the same time the dancers and musicians portray a people composed of many individual tribes who are proud of their heritage and their culture. This night is the graduation of five young students who are learning to play the instruments and to dance the native dances. These young people, the youngest looks to be about 8 years old, perform a number of pieces with the drums and several dances. They are incredible. How wonderful to recognize their achievement and graduation in front of this large audience and allow them to perform as well. The applause and smiles speak volumes of the pride of the Ugandans in their culture of music and dance.

A Trip to Kayunga

~ Pastor Mark baptizes in Kitwe ~ Today I traveled to Kayunga with Pastor Charles Bameka, Pastor Mark, Ron, and my Mom. Just outside of Kayunga Town we picked up my friend Wilberforce Lutaalo, a dedicated lay leader who planted the churches in this area. Wilberforce had planned out the activities for the day, beginning with a visit to Lukonda where I had been just last week with TEE and the Meyer's Managing the Harvest workshop. We met briefly with the chairman and a few representatives from the congregation before continuing on to Kitwe where we would worship with the congregation. Pastor Mark preached while Pastor Charles translated. Pastor Mark also was privileged to perform several baptisms! After a wonderful time of worship comes the times of introductions and speeches. I had warned all the visitors that they would need to say a few words and they all did admirably.  Then the chairman of the congregation invited us to his home for a meal. Having been in Uganda for a full year, the experience was normal for me but my Mom captured some of her impressions of the first time eating in the village:

We have lunch at the Church Chairman’s home. Large bowls of rice and matoke (green bananas that are steamed and mashed) are placed on the table and smaller bowls of a beef soup (beef joints boiled in broth) are placed before each person. A basin and pitcher is taken to each person for hand washing prior to the meal, the cool water poured over the hands in small amounts. We have already washed with hand sanitizer, saving the family water and ensuring our hands are clean. Ron, Pastor Mark and I watch closely as we are shown how to eat the meal. ~ Ron, Mark, and Mom hesitate to begin their lunch ~ Rice and matoke are spooned into the bowl of soup and absorb some of the broth, then are scooped up with three fingers of the right hand and into the mouth. We are told with twinkling eyes that they can provide spoons and forks for us, but we determine we will do as they do. My attempts are not so successful. I end up with broth running down my wrists, lots of individual grains of rice submerged in the bottom of my bowl of broth, sliding through my fingers every time I try to scoop them into my mouth. Do you have any idea how slippery rice can be! I look up. Shauen, Pastor Charles, and the Ugandans have all cleaned their bowls, leaving only the joint bones. Ron and Pastor Mark have been more successful than I, but not by much! The pitcher and basin is again brought to each person, along with a bar of soap. I struggle to get all the oil, matoke and rice off my hands and wrists, without using too much water. The family must tote jerry cans to the community borehole (a deep well drilled as much as a thousand feet to the clean water in the aquifers) and carry them back to the home. Hands still sticky, I wave the pitcher on to the next person, and hope the sanitary hand wipes in the truck will complete the job.

~ Mom introduces herself after worship - longer is better! ~ All the guests did wonderful, of course. After expressing our appreciation for the meal, we continued back towards Kayunga Town, where we turned east to visit a brand new congregation in Busaana. This small congregation is led by a faithful new Lutheran named Gabriel and he is pouring himself into the work with abandon, confident that God's Gospel message will be heard in this community. Since it's a new congregation, we don't have a worship service but instead enjoy a visit and several songs presented by the children who go to the school where the congregation meets. What beautiful fine voices the children have! I enjoy an opportunity to share a few words from Scripture with the people who have gathered and although I can start things off in Luganda I'm soon relying on Pastor Charles to translate for me. Our visit is short but full of smiles and joy and we head back towards Kampala.

For Pastor Charles and me it has been a normal visit - something we do dozens of times a year. But for Pastor Mark, Ron, and my Mom, it is their first exposure and I think in this single day they understand more of the joys and challenges of my work here than a thousand blog posts, newsletters, or pictures could convey. -Shauen

RLC Advance Team

~ RLC's Pastor Mark and Ron in Amudat ~ Through a new program called Congregation Connect, a Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregation in the States can partner with a church body anywhere in the world for a commitment of five years of short-term visits with at least one visit per year. The basic idea behind this is to relieve some of the inherent issues that come up in short-term missions. With a long-term commitment to short-term mission trips, the American group can learn from each trip and apply what they've found to successive trips. Additionally, there is much more opportunity for a real relationship to develop between the American congregation and the local congregation(s). A long-term partnership allows both sides to grow together and learn together, confident in a future that will grow to adapt the changing opportunities for mutual support and encouragement.

Resurrection Lutheran Church (RLC) of Cary, North Carolina (where Krista and I hold membership) is beginning the process of becoming a Congregation Connect partner with the Lutheran Church Mission in Uganda (LCMU).  This wonderful congregation has supported us at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and they are continuing to support us as Together in Mission partners. Their interest in God's work in Uganda has drawn them to pursue the next step in involving themselves in that work. After a period of training in the Congregation Connect model, RLC began communicating with the career missionaries in Uganda (myself and Rev. Jacob Gillard) to prepare for a fact-finding trip to Uganda. Their first assignment from the field was to read the following books: When Charity Destroys Dignity, African Friends and Money Matters, and Serving with Eyes Wide Open.

Today the RLC Advance Team of two arrived for their fact-finding tour of several regions in Uganda. I carefully selected regions that do not have any existing strategic partnerships. Each region has congregations in different circumstances. Kayunga has only a lay-leader in an area with 4 congregations. Busia has a vicar in an area with 2 congregations. Amudat has an ordained pastor who serves 10 congregations. Each region is in a different Ugandan kingdom (tribe/people-group) and each speaks a different language, so the Advance Team would also experience a variety of cultures. The fact-finding trip is just that - a short trip (in this case only one week long) to learn about the possibilities, strengths, and capabilities of the Lutheran church in each region. Over the course of this week together we'll visit each of these three areas. -Shauen

Safari to Murchison Falls

~ Krista, Shauen, Josiah, and Mom at Murchison Falls ~ Mom can't possibly have come to Uganda without going on safari! So we have set off for Murchison Falls - Josiah's second big excursion. He's a month old and doesn't seem to care one bit that we're going on safari. In fact, it turns out that he loves the bumpy roads and sleeps great in the truck. Despite one wrong turn that takes us about an hour out of our way on a bumpy dirt road, we do well and arrive at our lodging in the park with some daylight left. We've stopped a couple times along the way for Josiah to nurse which gives the passengers and the driver a little break from rough roads. Mom describes the journey with a nice complement to me: "The bumps, dips, and erosion in the road way are approached with confidence by my expert son. While I don't doubt his experience and driving skill, the dips, forages into the ditch and near misses of trucks, bicycles, and boda bodas keeps my knuckles white for much of the trip!"

~ Giraffe at Murchison Falls ~ We stay at the Red Chilli Rest Camp inside the park. Mom is in a canvas tent which (according to her) is located well "across the road from the main camp, the restaurant, and the rest rooms. The distance between all these is only about 60 feet, but I am definitely on an island with the forest behind me and the service roads in front." Krista, Josiah, and I are in a small cabin called a banda with a fan and a light that will work until the Uganda Wildlife Authority shuts off their generator around 11pm. Mom is awakened during the night by hippos coming through camp and is worried about her little island so far from everyone else. She is, of course, a bit overly concerned but fresh in her mind is the warnings posted all over camp about hippos and we've already explained how the hippo is the most dangerous animal in the safari lands. She's not concerned at all about the warthogs that wander the camp day and night. Somehow she survives the night despite the proximity of the wild animals and we set off early in the morning to be the first in line for the ferry across the Nile - we have to begin our safari drive early in the morning to have any chance of seeing lions!

~ Lonely Leopard at Murchison Falls ~ Unfortunately, even though we do make the first ferry across the Nile, the day has warmed too quickly and the prides of lions are hidden away in the cool shade by 9am when we get to the Nile delta where they can usually be found. Instead we "resign" ourselves to enjoying the elephants, various kinds of antelope, a solitary leopard in a distant tree, and giraffes. Our ranger even sends us off the track to approach a giraffe - we stop about 30 feet from where he's grazing on the tall bushes and he studies us with curiosity as Mom stands up through the sunroof to take pictures. How strange we must look - a Landcruiser must look something like an elephant but with this person standing in the sunroof it may appear to be a stunted giraffe of some kind! After feeding for a while, the giraffe slowly ambles along towards the next tall brush. God is amazing. Later we come upon what must be 30 giraffes in several family groups feeding on some trees. It gets hot and we are sad to find that the air conditioning has now completely quit working. Even worse, a loose wire to the A/C compressor shorts out the dash and climate systems in the truck - now we have no A/C, no gauges, and no blowing air whatsoever!

~ Elephants on the Nile in Murchison Falls ~ After our excellent safari drive (even without lions) we take the ferry back across the Nile and have lunch at the camp. In the afternoon we go back down to the Nile for a river tour. Krista was a bit leery of taking Josiah onto the river, fully aware that hippos can overturn boats with ease and that the Nile Crocodile is common in these waters. But she's reassured when she sees the size of the boat we'll be on and decides to come. We see lots of hippos and elephants and crocodiles as we make our way towards Murchison Falls. At one point our guide points out a disturbance in the water ahead and the engine is turned off as we float up the Nile. Within feet of the boat a bloated hippo carcass floats and crocodiles snap and rip and roll with it trying to break free a piece for their lunch. Mom is amazingly close to these powerful jaws as she sits on the side of the boat and Krista leans far from the crocodiles with baby Josiah in her arms. The crocodiles are more interested in the easy meal in front of them, of course, and have no regard whatsoever for us furiously snapping pictures as we drift by. Further upriver a small isthmus is shrouded in the smoke from controlled burning and a herd of elephants meanders along the waters' edge. Finally we reach the falls and our guide points out the eddies where crocodiles wait for any animal or fish that goes down the falls and is easy picking at the bottom.  That night we sleep solidly happy for the amazing things we've seen in the course of a single day.

~ The sky is big in Africa ~ The next day we enjoy a more leisurely breakfast and prepare for our departure from the park. On our way out we go to the top of Murchison Falls to get a different perspective. The entire Nile river is compressed at this point into a cleft between the rocks that can't be more than 10 feet across! The water is loud and the spray reaches well into the sky. Down several levels it gushes and there are, of course, no railings to speak of - only one nice little sign, "Please do not go beyond this point." Mom tries hard to take pictures that'll impress those back home, standing on one foot to lean out over the falls! Krista captures this dangerous activity with our camera which proves useful when Mom insists she was doing no such thing.

~ Krista, Josiah, and Shauen at Murchison Falls ~ After leaving the top of the falls, we continue on the way home without incident, stopping to feed Josiah at the same place on the side of the road. This time a few curious boys stop to watch us - they can't see Krista feeding Josiah through the tinted glass so they're quite curious about why we've stopped. We eat a few snacks while Josiah has his lunch. Finally Josiah is done and I take him to the tailgate to change his diaper - which our little observers also find fascinating. In Luganda I tell Josiah to greet the boys and they stare at me in apparent amazement and then giggle furiously. I give them a couple slices of dried apple (I'm sure they've never eaten apple before as it's not a fruit that grows in Uganda) as we finish our snacks and with a wave to our little friends we're on our way again. Only the speed bumps placed every 50 feet disrupt our drive and Mom is entertained by the choreography of trucks, buses, taxis, and motorcycles as they wind back and forth across the road to hit these speed bumps at an angle instead of head-on. She's even more entertained when I spy a ditch that is driveable and we speed past a few hundred yards of speed bumps in the ditch. With our safari behind us we're happy to be home again with the memories of our great adventures fresh in our minds. -Shauen

TEE - Managing the Harvest

~ Lukonda's worship space - built by the TEE class ~ This weekend our Theological Education by Extension (TEE) class returns to Lukonda, where we had done our service project last year. The small congregation at Lukonda has done some work on the structure we began and it's good to see that the floor has been leveled and some of the cross-beams have been erected. The structure is in need of a roof but the tin sheets used for roofing are a bit expensive, and this congregation consists of maybe 10 women and a couple men who consistently worship there. Their roof will take some 80 sheets and they already have promises for about half of them from local businessmen and politicians. The building is multipurpose and is already serving the small school that meets in that area. A tarp suffices to provide some shade for now.

Since our TEE class comes from all over the country, we arrange for those east of Lukonda to meet us there and those from the west come to Kampala and get a ride with me or Jake as we travel up to Lukonda on Friday morning. Also riding with Jake are two agricultural missionaries from West Africa, Delano and Linda Meyer who arrived in Uganda just this week. They'll be here for several weeks traveling around the country to share their presentation, "Managing the Harvest" with local farmers. This weekend is their first presentation, and they're the reason we're taking the whole TEE class to Lukonda. Since many of their presentations will be coordinated by our TEE students across the country and since many of those who won't be having a Managing the Harvest workshop in their own areas are farmers, we thought it would be a great idea for this first presentation to include the entire TEE class.

Getting the TEE class from the nearest big town where they've been dropped off by the bus out to the Lukonda village takes a bit of work. My truck is loaded down with 12 people including myself as we drive the 20km to the village. It's a bit tight and I drive cautiously, fully aware that I'm overloaded. But the truck doesn't seem to mind in the least.  Around noon we're all gathered and ready to begin. Managing the Harvest is an interactive presentation. For Delano and Linda to truly put their vast agricultural experience to use, they need to know how farming works in this community - everything from soil condition to harvest times to environmental changes over the years. With a flannel sheet and pictures, the Meyers paint a portrait of a normal year from the farming perspective. The presentation eventually comes to focus on our responsibilities as stewards of God's land and suggestions of ways to improve the health and retention of the soil, improvements in storage of harvested foodstuffs, optimal times to sell, the great need for family cohesion and so on. Scripture comes often and easily into the presentation and times of sharing. Delano and Linda have obviously learned a lot over their 15 years of agricultural missionary work. Each time of discussion the participants are divided into three groups: women, young men, and elder men. When the time of sharing begins, it's the women who get to speak first, then the young men, and finally the elder men. Otherwise, the first two groups wouldn't share because culturally deference is always given to the elder men.

Lunch has been arranged at the nearby trading center but gets pushed back hour by hour until our students are finally served around 4:30. For those who rose well before dawn to get here on time it has turned out to be a long and hot day. After our lunch we have run out of time for the last presentation of the day and promise to continue it on Saturday morning.

On Friday night we head back to Kayunga Town and the men disperse to find lodging for the night, agreeing that they'll return to the hotel we're staying at for a little more discussion at 7pm. After a year of TEE, our students have adapted themselves to the Western-style punctuality and at 6:50 all are assembled and ready. Delano comes ambling in around 7:10 and is shocked that the whole class is assembled and waiting for him! "Never in Africa," he says, "have I been the last one to arrive!" It's a small but revealing victory for our students, who take pride in the discipline they exhibit when it comes to "keeping time."

Saturday morning we again pile into the vehicles to return to Lukonda for the last part of the Managing the Harvest workshop, which begins with a Bible Study hour. A few more locals have come this morning to glean what they can from the last hours of the workshop. Finally we pack up and begin our journey back to Kampala. Delano and Linda will continue on further to the east for their next presentations. ~ Students pose at the bridge where the Kabaka's Premier was stopped ~ On our way back to Kampala the men in my truck beg for us to stop at the bridge that divides Kayunga district from the next district. This is roughly the place where the Premier of the Chief of the Central regions was stopped by the government last year - an action which ultimately resulted in riots and dozens of deaths in Kampala.  My TEE men want their pictures taken at this historic intersection of political and cultural power so we take some time for photos at the bridge before safely returning to Kampala where my wife, my baby, and my Mom await me. The rest of the journey is relatively uneventful except for a few diversions around some road construction - normally not of note except the recent rain has made these dirt bypasses slippery and we chuckle as we watch several cars get stuck trying to crawl up the slopes back onto the paved road. After patiently waiting for these cars to slide far enough aside, our capable truck effortlessly makes the climb with nary a spinning wheel. -Shauen

When Two Elephants Fight...

Today I heard a great adage from one of my TEE students. We were talking about when big (read that as "powerful") men get into fights - like the recent conflict between the Kabaka (tribal king) and the Government (see our September 2009 Field Notes - PDF file, 215k). My student said,

When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.

To the Equator!

~ Mom with Josiah ~ ~ Krista, Josiah, and Shauen at the Equator ~ After a few days of settling in, we've drawn up a rough schedule of some of the things Mom should see and do while she's here in Uganda. The first is a trip to the equator! Mom and I had been to visit the huge equator marker in Ecuador, South America, when I was a boy. The markers in Uganda are considerably less impressive but it makes for a good picture - and a good trial run for Josiah's first outing of any note.

We head out of town and Mom immediately understands why we have this huge truck - even on the "nicely paved" roads outside Kampala, the potholes are big enough to swallow a car and the roads are rough. Mom continues to look wide-eyed at everything we pass, full of questions and comments, and desperate attempts to snap pictures as we drive down the road. I think she has more blurry pictures of the inside of the car than anything else! -Shauen

Mom arrives in Uganda

~ Kathryn (Shauen's Mom) holds Josiah ~ Mom (Kathryn, Shauen's mom) has arrived in Uganda! There is no flight tracking in Africa, so once her plane left European airspace, we pretty much had to assume it was going to arrive in Kenya about as late as it had taken off from Europe - which would have made her connection in Kenya pretty tight. Sure enough, Mom called from the airport in Kenya to let me know that her flight had arrived late in Kenya but that her connection had also been delayed two and a half hours so she wouldn't miss it! Later we found out they delayed that flight because they were waiting for another plane from Europe to arrive - those pesky snowstorms in Europe just upset all kinds of things in Africa! Since I wasn't too sure that the delayed schedule would be kept, I did head out to the airport a bit early so I would be sure to be waiting for Mom when she came out of customs.

Mom arrived at some awful hour of the morning, well worn from her travels but happy to finally be on the ground in Uganda. And she brought way too many suitcases with her (but I suspect much of what she packed will be left here with us)! Yay Mom! Welcome to Uganda! -Shauen

One Year Already?

This week we celebrate the one-year anniversary of our arrival on the Ugandan mission field. What a blessed year it has been! Thank you for being a part of God's work here in Uganda through your prayers, encouragement, emails, letters, packages, and financial support. May God continue to richly bless you as you have blessed us.  -Shauen, Krista, and Josiah

Congs, Congrats, and Congratulations

Josiah's safe arrival has been widely celebrated both in America and in Uganda. We have received hundreds of congratulation emails from our family, friends, and supporters in the States. Likewise, here in Uganda Josiah has also received a warm welcome. While the shortened form of "congratulations" in America is "congrats," here in Uganda we hear "congs!" I have to admit, it took me a while to figure out what "congs" meant. 

We have also received visitors who come to our apartment and see Josiah. We're a little in the dark about how to host these visitors who often stop by unexpectedly but generally stay for only a short while. But it's a pleasure to share our joy with all of our friends here. Some visitors even bring a small cash gift for Josiah according to local tradition! We praise the Lord for Josiah and for the congratulations, congrats, and congs we've received from friends here and abroad.  -Shauen

What gets smuggled into Uganda?

You can tell a little about a country from what gets smuggled into it. The Uganda Revenue Authority today named the 10 most-smuggled products illegally entering Uganda (usually being smuggled to avoid paying taxes):

• polythene (clear plastic) bags
• mobile phones
• motorcycles
• Bitengi fabrics (not quite sure what these are)
• counterfeit cosmetics products
• fabrics and garments originating from Asia
• rice
• cigarettes
• medical supplies
• precious minerals (most likely being transported out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly known as Zaire, or Sudan)

I wonder what America's list looks like.  -Shauen

Little pick-me-up on the way to work?

Among the myriad of vendors selling things on the side of the road you can find a guy with a whole handful of what look like little satchels made out of leaves. They're only a couple inches long and they're tied at the top with some fiber from some bush or tree. They contain something - I don't think you can open it without destroying it.

It's prudent to start low when buying things on the side of the road, so I handed a vendor 100 Shillings, about 5 cents. There was no haggling - 5 cents bought me two of these little bags of what turned out to be sun-dried coffee beans. No, not roasted beans, not chocolate-covered beans. Just sun-dried coffee beans still in their "shell."  When I got home I asked Rasul, the young man who works at our apartment, what to do with these little bags of coffee beans. We each took a bag and he showed me how to break open the shell of the coffee bean and chew the bean itself. It's a messy process 'cause you have a lot of shell pieces left over and you can spit out the bean itself after chewing it. 

If I had a commute longer than the walk from my bedroom to my desk in the living room, I'd probably pick up one of these on my way to work. It's kinda the local equivalent of the Starbucks drive-through... okay, at 5 cents for 2, maybe it's the McDonald's drive-through.  -Shauen

December Field Notes Published

Field Notes for the month of December has been published. This month, Field Notes included the following articles:

• Final Class of TEE Year One
• Josiah Michael Trump
• Christmas Day Celebrations
• Photos in Focus: Josiah

Our prayer requests this month include:

• For the continued health of Josiah
• For Shauen & Krista as they learn how to take care of Josiah (and endure sleepless nights)
• For a safe journey and visit for Shauen's mother as she comes to Uganda for 3 weeks in January

And we praise the Lord:

• For the safe delivery of Josiah and a healthy Mom and baby
• For Josiah's baptism on Christmas Day
• For a joy-filled Christmas celebrated with family (via Skype) and friends

If you haven't seen it yet, download Field Notes for December 2009 (PDF file, 632k) from thetrumps.org now!



The Most Important Day in Josiah's Life

~ Krista watches as Shauen baptizes Josiah w/ Jerome assisting ~ Today, Christmas Day, was the most important day in Josiah's life. It couldn't wait until Grandma arrives on January 10th. It couldn't wait until the next convenient Sunday. It couldn't wait until we could scrape together the money to buy samosas and soda pop for the congregation according to local tradition. No, Josiah (just like the rest of us) needed this particular blessing too much to delay it. So today, at Christmas Day service - the first time we have had the opportunity to worship together as the body of Christ - today Josiah Michael Trump's heathen self was put off and he became a Christian. Today, Josiah was baptized.

Josiah's sponsors (Godparents) are Scott, who lives in Colorado, and Beth, who works in Sudan. Neither could be here for the baptism itself, so we asked fellow missionary Reverend Jacob Gillard and his wife Michelle to stand as witnesses and answer on behalf of Josiah's sponsors. Krista held Josiah as I began the baptism liturgy. He was wearing the cutest little white onesie baptism outfit that we had picked up in the States. What joy I felt in my heart as I took my newborn child in my arms and generously poured that water over his head with those amazing words, "Josiah, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." And right there, before our very eyes, God put His mark on Josiah, that indelible tattoo that says, "This child is mine." With that water and God's amazing words of promise, God placed into Josiah a saving faith. How amazing that this child, who cannot even express himself, who thinks without even language, who was born sinful, can receive already God's most amazing gift!

Josiah didn't make a peep - he just looked up at me with those big brown eyes as I baptized him. And what joy I felt as I walked Josiah through the congregetion introducing him as the newest Christian. Josiah, my child, on Christmas day you can celebrate that Christ Jesus not only came into the world for you but also called you to himself. I can't imagine a more amazing present. Merry Christmas, Josiah.  -Shauen

Merry Christmas!

~ Christmas Poinsettia and Christmas Tree ~ Merry Christmas to all of our family, friends, and supporters! We have been able to do quite a few things to make our home feel like Christmas as we know it. We did most of our decorating earlier in December since we knew we could well be occupied with a baby as Christmas approached - which is exactly what has happened! We bought a fake tree (that was NOT easy for this boy from the Pacific Northwest where only real trees will do - and it's best if you cut them yourself on the tree farm). We strung popcorn and made round sugar cookies that are colorfully frosted to hang as ornaments. We have a tin-foil star on top and bought one string of white lights. We have some red candles and our advent calendar helps us keep track of the days. We even have a bunch of presents under the tree - thanks to packages and hand-carried items from recent mission teams. We've hung red and white decorations that remind me of my Scandinavian roots and even bought a few poinsettias for around the house. We're playing our favorite Christmas music although we aren't even dreaming of a white Christmas this year. With some apple juice, orange slices, cloves, and cinnamon on the stove it feels downright festive!

~ Our Christmas Tree ~  Today we will go to church for Christmas service and then celebrate a Christmas dinner with friends - 6 adults total and one newborn. We have a friend staying a few days with us who has been an amazing help - she's so generous and more than willing to lend a hand wherever she can. When we were in the hospital yesterday treating Josiah's jaundice, our friend dove into our cupboards and made the eggless eggnog and the corn casserole for today's dinner.  She's taken it upon herself to do anything and everything to help us out around the house as we (admittedly clumsily) adjust to being parents.  Christmas dinner will include chicken (traditional for Christmas here in Uganda), onions, carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn casserole, Stovetop Stuffing (a special treat from a care package), rolls with honey butter, and dill pickles (not my family's recipe but as close as we can get). Dessert will be apple pie and ice cream. Sweets also include peppermint bark (a Christmas present that came in a care package), chocolate covered pretzels (also from a care package), and Chinese New Year's Candies (made entirely with items unavailable here: chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, chow mein noodles, and skinless roasted peanuts). It should be an affair to remember! Later tonight we'll open our Christmas presents - we were too exhausted after returning from the hospital yesterday.

Merry Christmas to all!  -Shauen

Jaundice

~ Josiah under phototherapy lights ~ Notice a trend? Seems our lives have a new factor monopolizing a bit of our time! Today we went in to the immunization clinic to get Josiah's first set of shots and while we were there we stopped to see our pediatrician 'cause Josiah was looking a bit yellow.

A VERY traumatic blood-draw (two of the three of us cried) confirmed that he has some elevated bilirubin levels (that's what causes the yellow of jaundice - I've learned SO much in the past few days about babies!). Bilirubin is a component of red blood cells. Basically, a baby's liver may not quite be able to keep up with the breakdown of the excess fetal red blood cells in part because they aren't flushing as much out of their system until breastfeeding really takes off and they're rehydrated. Fortunately, a very specific wavelength of light helps the body bind the bilirubin and flush it out of the body as waste.

So our pediatrician admitted us to the hospital for 24 hours of phototherapy.  In the more developed world, phototherapy for a relatively mild case of jaundice would be treated by purchasing a phototherapy blanket, going home, and wrapping baby up in the blanket for a day or two. THAT sounds easy. Phototherapy here in Uganda is the old-school kind. And, as our nurse proudly told us, a very unique feature at our hospital - not all hospitals even have phototherapy facilities.

For phototherapy in the hospital, you put baby onto a plexiglass panel with bright blue lights above and below (that magic wavelength is in the blue part of the spectrum).  They wear only a diaper and something over their eyes. In the States they have these nice little sleep masks like on the airplane that protect baby's eyes from the bright lights. Here they take a whole bunch of gauze and wrap it up into a blindfold. It's functionally good but irritated Josiah's face and was too easy for him to grab with his little hands and pull off. The plexiglass is, of course, hard and the lights are bright. So we pretty much had to put him to sleep and then gently lower him onto the glass for as much light as he could get before waking up to feed. He needed to eat about every hour to keep hydrated and flush the bilirubin out.

All told, it was a sleepless night. The pediatrician drew a little blood again (he was very gentle - only one of us cried this time) and the levels had dropped enough for him to be willing to send Josiah home. So, for Christmas Eve we got to bring Josiah home again.  -Shauen

Hospital Bills

~ Shauen holds Josiah outside their hospital room ~ When I introduced Josiah I mentioned that you can stay as long as you'd like in the hospital - it's a for-profit enterprise and you must pay cash before you can leave. I'm sure you're asking, "How much does it cost to have a baby in Uganda?"  Here's our bill:

• Normal Delivery Package (prepaid rate includes 2 nights' accomodation in a private room and meals, normal delivery with no complications, and a checkup by the pediatrician): $515
• Nursing Care: $13
• Accommodation top-up (we had one of only two rooms in the hospital with a bathtub to help with pain-relief during labor, so it was billed higher than a standard private room): $103
• Doctor's Fee (after the first hour of pushing the on-call doctor came and backed up our midwife - her fee is not included in the hospital bill): $256
• Lab work: $11
• Oxygen administration and monitoring for baby: $77
• Drugs administered post-delivery (not pain drugs, mind you): $129

That's $1104 total to deliver a baby at the hospital, arriving at 1am and checking out about 37 hours later. It's a big chunk of cash to come up with but God provided for us in amazing ways. Now we submit the receipt to our Concordia Health Insurance and prayerfully and hopefully wait for reimbursement (you know how health insurance is with their deductibles and out-of-network deductibles and copay coinsurances and whatnot). Personally, I think they should cover the whole amount. After all, we've saved them a bundle by delivering Josiah here instead of in the States! -Shauen