Prison Ministry Team

The prison ministry team is a month into its new schedule.  Since we can send two people to share the gospel in the prison each week, we have moved our meeting to Tuesday.  This allows for us to practice (train) on the study outline before we send people to the prison on Thursday (our previous meeting day).  It also allows us to resolve issues.

This week there is an issue.  Only one of the members on the short list for visiting the prison came to the meeting.  We should not go to the prison alone.  First, because the OC (officer in charge) of the prison asked us not to, secondly, it does not support our request to put more people on the list to be selected from.  Now I need to scramble and find a second person who is on the short list.  Fortunately, two of those on the short list are also in the computer skills class on Wednesday.

It was a matter of time before this issue came up.  That it happened this week was a surprise but probably should not have been.  The Children’s ministry is holding their camp this week and many of the prison ministry team members are the right age to serve as counselors.

Computer skills

Livingstone has been hosting several mission activities in Mugujai.  When he built his house, he set one room aside for meetings.  Most of us attached to Truth is Light have done this.  What would be considered a living room if I were in the USA, I use as a meeting room for the ministry.  In Livingstone’s house, it is a separate room with its own door.  The room has served for computer skills, children’s ministry, and discipleship.  Only the agriculture ministry, which he leads, meets elsewhere (at the farm).

The room developed a crack shortly after it was built.  There have been plans to take part of the wall down and repair it for a year now.  It finally happened.  The entire wall was taken down and the room was extended 70 centimeters.  The table that was made for computer skills will sit in the new part of the room, leaving space for a similar table to be put on the opposite side of the room in the future. 

While the room was being rebuilt, computer skills moved into the tookel next door.  The class adapted, no issues.

Never (yes, that is her name), Safina, and Baraka working on computer skills practicals in the temporary location while the Mugujai mission center was being expanded.

Safina, Dawa (in back) and Never working on computer skills practicals in the temporary location while the Mugujai mission center was being expanded.

Mary Samna day

The local church celebrated St. Mary’s day again.  It is the third time this year.  However, this time the preacher, the head of the Mother’s Union, for Koboko Archdeaconry explained why.

In March we celebrate St. Mary the mother of Jesus.  In July we celebrate St. Mary Magdalene.  In August we celebrate the feast day of St. Mary Samna, who founded the Mother’s Union in 1876 in England.

The English service was “normal” for a Sunday with Holy Communion.  During the service it was explained we should have Holy Communion every Sunday.  This was news to me since the practice has been once each five or six weeks, making it closer to the once-a-month custom I knew prior to the 1979 prayer book in the USA.  It has been limited by our parish standing.  As the lead mission station, the reverend is based here; however, he rotates between us, and the other five mission stations attached to us.  In 2023, St. John Birijaku will become a stand-alone parish with two reverends.  The announcement was that we should prepare ourselves spiritually to have Holy Communion every Sunday.

The Kakwa service was different.  The Mother’s Union turned out in large numbers for the procession.  The section normally saved for the choir was needed to seat them (in addition to the altar area).  This service also included two competitions between the zones (areas around the church).  The first was reciting memory verses, only they were reciting full chapters!  The second was a drama competition.  Each drama was half an hour long.  This is in addition to the sermon and Holy Communion.  It was a big day.

Prison Ministry Team

The late Rev. John Kahmish was a member of the prison ministry team.  The team donated to the support of his memorial (see previous posts about fundraising for a memorial).  They also came to help with various duties during the memorial.  Many of them helped direct late arrivals to seating via routes that would not disturb the program.  Meta had anticipated helping bring the food out after the program, but he was also assigned to the protocol team (team directing people to seats based upon their association / relation to the deceased).  I had the honor of representing the team on the planning committee and at the head table during the memorial.  I was told afterwards that the team did a good job, and they will be called upon again in the future, and I would be able to serve on the protocol committee with them!

Prison ministry team at the memorial of Rev. John Kahmish. Godfrey N, Alemi, Fungaro, Meta, Koleta (in front), Ayume, Yuma. Present but not pictured: Charles (me, taking the picture), Moses, Godfrey M.

Memorial by day

The culture does not keep time, so I used my nearness to the memorial to approximate when I should go instead of going at the announced 10 o’clock.  I went at 10:45 a.m.  As soon as I was on the field, the person standing next to me received a call.  He should bring me into the school.  I was directed into the room where the clergy were gathering.  I am here as a missionary; however, there is a great deal of respect for whites left over from the colonial days.  Never quite sure which one is the reason. 

Meanwhile, the emcee was using the PA system out on the field to tell the community that the clergy were already around, and they should come.

We were fed a meal, more than breakfast, but too early to call it lunch, while we waited for people to gather.  Two more members of the clergy arrived, bringing the total to one Bishop, two Archdeacons, one retired Reverend Cannon, and the local Reverend serving at St. John Birijaku.  By the time we processed, there were approximately 100 people in the chairs.  Do not worry, hundreds more came to fill the estimated 500 – 600 chairs.

The program, the biography read by the family during the service, and all references during the service indicated he was born on January 1^st, 1958.  Only the banner had a different date, picture below.  He was cautious about his picture being taken because once it was used for fundraising without his permission.  As a result, I did not expect to see any pictures.  There it was on the banner.  Several pictures were included in the program too.

Banner for the memorial of Rev. John Khemis (spelling varies depending upon whom you ask)

Memorial at night

The memorial service for my late friend, Rev. John Kahmish, is being held in the field for the school that is between his house and mine.  We both border the field.  Despite being on the planning committee, I did not notice the plans for an all-night music fest, dance through the night.

It is part of the culture.  It must have been assumed because all that was mentioned was people would arrive on the 19^th and the details for the service on the 20^th.  I find it ironic.  Rev. John Kahmish liked to tell the story of how God called him.  It was during an all-night memorial.  He was an early twenties youth and joined several of his friends in planning to keep warm during the night by drinking.  Somewhere during the night, when the music had stopped and people were taking turns sharing, he took the mic and told the group God was calling him to put away the habits of the night and to serve him as a priest.  Then he told where the boos where hidden, much to the dismay of his friends. 

The elders of the family told him he was drunk and took him inside the house to sleep it off.  In the morning they woke him and brought him out to the group.  He was asked if he remembered what he had said.  He did.  And he was determined to follow through.  The family made plans and sent him to seminary.

With his conviction to put away the things of the night, I did not expect the memorial to include the things of the night.  I was wrong.  The all-night dance to celebrate the memory of the deceased goes on despite his personal history.

Battery

The solar power battery has been installed for several days now.  It reached a charge level where I could use it while the electrician was still here.  Still, I kept the usage minimal (testing the changes he made to the lights) that day.  I turned the power off as soon as it dropped down to the level the old battery used to hold at (when it was still operating well).  The power continued to drop.  It settled in three tenths of a volt lower than I expected.  As a result, I have been cautious about my use of power at night.  The good news is the power drop over night is half what it used to be.

The other missionary in Koboko told me his solar batteries showed lower charge numbers when they were first installed.  Eventually they started holding a higher charge.  It has not happened yet.  I hope it does soon.

Vet

Some of the vets here make house calls.  This is a good thing since I am not comfortable with the idea of trying to keep control of a cat for more than an hour trip to Arua on public transport.  Public transport likes to pack the people in to get the best revenue for the trip, which would make it harder to keep Queen Sheba calm and with me.

He has come twice before.  This was an annual visit for Queen Sheba’s rabies shot.  It did not take long.  In the past Queen Sheba hardly noticed, but this time she decided she was not a fan.  She did not meow, and she is a talker, but she left the house for a couple of hours afterwards.

Electrician

I was encouraged to call an electrician to install the new solar battery.  It is a wet cell battery.  The previous battery was smaller and maintenance free.

I have been holding off on other minor electrical needs.  Since I was calling an electrician, I may as well get them taken care of too. 

When the electrician arrived, we discussed the work and agreed upon a price.  He desired the money first because I was going to use it to shop for the parts that would be needed.  Works for me, because I do not frequent the shops that sell wiring, change over switches, wall lamps (bulb sockets), DC and AC bulbs.  I would get a “foreigner” price, and I might end up with the wrong gauge of wire or the wrong length.

He returned with the parts and a work team.  The solar battery change over was first.  It turns out several of the cells are low and “water” will be needed.  When I offered water, he clarified.  What he was calling water for the battery, I call battery acid.  He offered to buy it (at my expense) after he finished the other work.  I agreed.

I want to be able to choose between national power and solar.  The national power company put up a power pole in my yard in January 2021.  By August 2021 they were stringing wire on the power poles.  They continued to work on the power network (transformers in the business centers like Small London, trimming trees, wires to hold the power poles up) through 2021 and the first half of 2022.  It is now August 2022 and there is talk of power coming soon.  I told the electrician that when I am connected, I want the option of choosing national power or solar (when the national power fails which it has a habit of doing).  He installed a change over switch.  He also installed a wire to bring the national power (when connected) from the connection box to the place where the solar power system is controlled so the change over switch could control both.

One of the switches in my meeting room had a short.  It was not a big deal since it controlled the wall lamps (like ceiling bulbs, except they are at the top of the wall) in that room and the wall lamps were not installed when the house was built, only the ceiling lights were installed.  He fixed the short.  I also had him install the wall lamps throughout the house.  I may as well make his house call time worthwhile.

Memorial

I participated in the planning for a memorial service for Rev. John Kamish.  He was a member of the prison ministry team and a good friend.  He passed away when I was in the USA late last year.  The burial service was held then.  Now the family wants to hold a memorial service too.

I learned that people fund raise to support a memorial service.  I also learned that the budget drafted and used for fundraising is inflated.  (I have suspected other fundraising budgets were inflated, now I know that it is intentional.)  They do it thinking they will raise more.  When they see what they have raised, they adjust the budget to what they can really do.

I also learned that gatherings, like a memorial service, must serve food.  It is a cultural requirement.  The food plan accounts for three quarters of the budget.