Census

Uganda is taking a census.  According to radio reports, this will be the sixth census since Uganda’s independence.

Information has been coming out for a couple of weeks now.  As I understand it, the centers within each sub-county will be directing the enumerators, not receiving the public as we were first led to believe.  There have been other national campaigns (mosquito net distribution, spraying insecticide to kill mosquitos in areas where [or in years when] mosquito nets were not enough).  Now it sounds like the census will use the same model, the enumerators will go from house to house collecting the information.  Information is to be as-of midnight 9 May (going into 10 May), regardless of when the enumerator finally reaches your house.  Also, it is not just for citizens, it is a count of everyone in Uganda, refugee, expat, visitor, and citizen alike.

Coffee

Coffee is grown in Uganda.  Recently there has been a shortage of coffee in the open-air market.  As a result, the price has increased by 30% and the sellers have started selling by the half kilogram instead of by the kilogram.

Meta just checked the prices in the market across the border (in D.R. Congo).  Unlike the coffee in the Ugandan open-air market, the coffee in the Congo market is not ground yet.  However, it is possible to purchase (with Ugandan currency) two kilograms for slightly less than what one kilogram (ground) now costs in Uganda.  Uganda is going to price themselves out of the coffee market if this continues.

Greetings

I think I have written about greetings before; have I talked about the youngest generation?

I walk to the home of the leader for Truth is Light ministries for morning devotions.  Along the way I pass many youths that are too young even for nursery school.  At first they were nervous, even scared when I walked by their homes.  Currently I am the only white person in Koboko’s West Division.  After a month, most of them would wave to me as we greeted each other.  One day, a little one came running.  Down the dirt path that led to his house, out to the road where I was walking; he held his arms up as he ran to me.

He father tells me his name is George but they call him Ukey.  Now Ukey looks forward to giving me a hug as I go to morning devotions (which he calls work), and again when I return.  Handshakes are common, Ukey is my only hugger.  He noticed that others shake my hand, so after the hug he shakes my hand too.

Prison Ministry

The ministry must be doing a good thing, because it is under attack from the evil one.  He is using other programs at Padombu to try and gain access to the ministry materials so the team there will be ill equipped to do the ministry at Lobule Prison.

He is also prompting one of our long absent members to return and serve – with an attitude of independence that does not respect the rules the ministry must follow if we are to continue to be allowed in the prison.  We discussed it at this week’s meeting and the team members agreed to follow the rules.  Unfortunately, the one causing the problem chose to stay away after he was contacted about the issue, instead of becoming part of the solution.

The ministry team, with this one-member exception, is committed to follow the rules and focus on the ministry.

Kiko

I traveled to Mugujai last Friday. It is now Monday; I was surprised to see the road had been grated from Kogoropa going east since Friday.  This is a dirt road frequently damaged by the rain.  They grated the section from Keri to Kogoropa (the western section) last year.  The section from Kogoropa to Busia was not as bad (then); they left it untouched.  As the rains returned this year the hill down from Kogoropa became badly rutted, turning a two-lane road into a one lane straddling the ruts that were deep enough to cause a car to bottom out if the tire slipped into the rut.

Today, Kogoropa hill was grated, and the ruts had been filled and packed down.  By the time I returned, the grater had reached 2/3 of the distance to Mugujai.  It is good to have many of the gut-wrenching holes filled in.

Prison Ministry

The prison ministry team that meets at Padombu asked me to provide a two-person team for ministry at Lobule prison this week because they are students and it is time for the first term exams.  The new pastor at St. John Birijaku has mentioned on a couple of occasions that he wanted to join the ministry in Lobule; he is from that area. 

We went and found that several prisoners have been recently transferred to Lobule prison, tripling the prison population.  They were happy to receive us. 

One of the prisoners was trying to translate to Lugbara for me, but he was struggling.  Pastor eventually took the role.  Many of the terms of the gospel are not part of everyday conversation, especially since we are discussing Mark chapter 16 and resurrection.

Children’s Radio Ministry

Meta was asked to participate in the Children Radio Ministry again this week.  Once a month they include some teaching about raising Children.  On those occasions the team is mostly Sunday School teachers and youth ministry leaders.  Meta’s contribution was from Proverbs, train your children in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it.

The station manager has told our Children’s Ministry leader that it is their most popular program.  He (the leader of Children’s Ministry) tells me that he frequently gets calls, both during the radio program and afterwards from youth and from parents with prayer requests.

SSEST

The South Sudan Evangelical School of Theology holds its classes in Mugujai, Uganda (on the border) to facilitate refugees in Uganda, and those who have returned to South Sudan.  It is operated by the Free Charismatic Church of Africa but is ecumenical in its focus.  The founders knew there are other seminaries available in Uganda but believed that there needs to be one that teaches in the native language of the students, Kakwa.  Specifically Bari which is the Kakwa of South Sudan (Kakwa with a significant Arabic influence).  I was asked to speak at the graduation ceremony.  After translating for me, the archbishop asked if the school principal had told me about the topic they had just been teaching.  I said no, the real principal (pointing to heaven) did.  He proceeded to tell the graduates that it was Holy Spirit moving because it continued the topic and related it to the students.

South Sudan Evangelical School of Theology 2024 graduates.

South Sudan Evangelical School of Theology teachers (L to R) Bishop Moses, Bishop Banga, Presiding Bishop Tom, Archbishop Hakim

Burials

I received an invitation to attend a management meeting for the new nursery school at St. John.  The night before the meeting I received a new text message saying the meeting was moved to Friday because of a burial service.  Burial services are typically the day after a person dies, sometimes the same day.  The culture is to move any meetings and change any plans to attend a burial.  St. John Birijaku has had several people pass away this week, impacting several families but not those with close ties to me this time.

Unfortunately, the new date for the meeting has numerous conflicts.  I will be attending the graduation of the South Sudan Evangelical School of Theology in Mugujai, they asked me to speak.  The reverend will be attending a meeting for the formation of a new diocese for the Church of Uganda.  Others have conflicts too, so that meeting will probably be rescheduled again.  Hopefully, it will not be preempted by another burial.

Translation

The South Sudan Evangelical School of Theology holds its classes in Mugujai, Uganda which is on the border with South Sudan.  That allows them to serve those who remained in South Sudan, those who have returned, and the refugees in Uganda.  I was asked to come for the graduation service and to preach the message.

Part of my preparation is to type up the readings.  Since the school teaches in Kakwa, I typed the English and the Kakwa translations of the readings.  I review what I type in Kakwa, comparing it to my source, word by word because my computer does not spell check in Kakwa.  I also asked a Kakwa speaker to read it over to make sure it made sense.  I must be careful which Kakwa speaker I ask, because many of them do not have the ability to read.  This is frequently an issue in the prison ministry.

The Kakwa bible, now back in print, was out of print for over a year.  The publishers wanted to correct many of the mistakes before printing more, but they did not find someone to do the work.  My reviewer found one of the errors in Acts 7:1 where the word ‘to’ was translated ‘ka’.  He told me it should be ‘ku’.

One of the bishops teaching at the school does a lot of translation work for the ministries of Truth is Light.  I look forward to his review, and what I will learn about Kakwa in the process.