Checking in

It has been two months since we last met with the Officer in Charge of the Gbukutu prison.  When we last met, we received the long-desired news that we could resume in-the-prison ministry.  Now I wanted to check how we are doing, from their perspective.  I also wanted to see if some of the restrictions could be eased (are we being trustworthy).

I went with the core team, the same group I went with two months ago.  We were allowed in, and I thought we were going to see the Officer in Charge.  Instead, after some waiting time, we were directed into the office of the Deputy Officer in Charge.  She is an advocate for us in the prison, so this is a good thing.

We learned that they are happy with what we are doing.  After some discussion, she went to negotiate with the Officer in Charge on our behalf.  She was successful!  Now we can submit a list of twenty-two of our members (2/3rds).  This will make it easier to rotate the opportunity to go share the gospel at the prison with the team.  Previously we were limited to just four team members.  The weekly team can now grow to three persons (previously limited to two), because we are now being allowed to reach both the men and the women.

God continues to bless His ministry.

Prison Ministry

On 22 September, Truth is Light Prison Ministry was allowed to share the gospel on both sides of Gbukutu prison (the prison in Koboko town).  This is only the second time since we have been allowed back in that we were allowed to reach the women too.  We have female members on the team, and we have been making a point of sending both male and female team members.  (Currently we are only allowed to send two people.)  The team members that went reported that they were split up when they went inside, the male team member was sent to the men’s side, and the female team member was sent to the women’s side.  This is a significant development for two reasons.  First, we were told not to come alone, but they are taking team members alone to each side (escorted so I presume that counts as “not alone”).  Second, we were told the women’s side was a no-go, but with God …

By the numbers.  The team reached 34% of the male prison population on 22 September and 100% of the female prison population.  Praise God.

Hospital

I went to visit Baba Moses (Bishop Moses; however, he prefers to be called Baba [daddy] Moses) at the hospital.  My first attempt to do this failed.  I had assumed he would be taken to the same hospital, Pioneer, where the hernia operation was done, since this was an infection of the surgery site.  He was not there.

I learned that he is at another hospital, Rema.  Amanda, a missionary and registered nurse with Truth is Light, knows the doctors there.  They are treating the infection and cleaning the wound at Rema.  He will be there a week or longer.  Several members of his family have come from Mugujai to be with him.  This is a good thing because in this country hospitals do not have food service.  The attendants you bring with you take care of that.  They also take care of letting the nurse on duty know if you have a need, because there is no a nurse call button.

Computer

Last Wednesday I was trying to use the computer the other missionary loaned to me for computer skills.  The Birijaku class is growing, and I have needed to use the additional computer for the last month of classes.  However, the computer kept shutting down before the boot process finished.  It is an old Toshiba laptop and the battery is suspect.  Also, here in the tropics, it has been my experience that computers older than one year begin to do funny things.  I blame the heat and the dust.  But I am not going to replace them just because they are a year old.  I will keep them as cool as reasonable, as clean as I can, and as charged up as I can.

The Toshiba did start working in the middle of class.  The battery had drained since the last class and the failed start up attempts did not help.  Good thing I was trying to power it up and charge it a couple of hours before class; it took three hours.  Now that it is working I can support the new computer student.  Hopefully, God willing, it will keep working.

Wait

I went into Koboko to catch a public car to Mugujai last Monday.  There were several people working to find customers for the drivers.  Here they are called blockers.  I do not know why.  I do know that they earn a small amount of the transport fare per customer they find.  They were getting competitive.  The first one to see me coming is the one I went with.  He put me in a public car at the front of the line, but I was the first person for that car.  One of the cars further back had several passengers already and the blockers, as a group, worked to fill that car first, leaving me waiting.  The blockers then proceeded to fill another car before the driver started finding his own people.  Finally they helped the driver of the vehicle I was in.  An hour and a half later (from my arrival) we were on our way.  As a result several of my computer students had come and left again before I reached Mugujai.  Only one student came back.  Next time I think I will choose the vehicle and never mind the blockers.

Ven. Canon James Alengi Wani

The prison ministry team had been asked to lead both services for 18 September 2022 at St. John’s Birijaku.  Saturday evening this was changed.  The previous reverend for St. John’s was ordained an Archdeacon earlier this year.  He had promised to come visit.  Now that the visit was confirmed, the church leadership was preparing for his arrival.  Somewhere down the list (but on the list) was notifying the team asked to lead the service that they would be rescheduled for another Sunday.

Archdeacon James remembered many of us by name.  Between the services he talked about the building project in Moyo (another Ugandan district, the district where he was transferred).  It is supposed to be completed already because it is the intended residence of the Archdeacon of his archdeaconry.  His family of 7 is squeezed into a small building nearby.  This came up because a long-promised donation for the Women’s Union building project at St. John’s was going to be presented at the second service.  The donation is from one of the local representatives to parliament.  The donation was expected around Easter time, but she came down with CoVid.  After recovering she needed to be in Kampala (other side of the country) for the parliament session.  Today was selected because she was back in Koboko and the Women’s Union building foundation was laid while (now) Archdeacon James was Rev. Canon James here at St. John’s.

Ven. Canon James also mentioned he is training the lay leaders of the twenty-six churches in his archdeaconry.  He saw my Book of Common Prayer and wanted a copy.  He likes the idea of including the collects in the common worship book. (They are not included here.)  Something he wants the lay leaders to know and use.  Even more than that, he wanted the catechism for his training (also not included here).

Prison Ministry

The prison ministry team had two activities this week.  We sent a team of two to the prison.  Our most active female team member among them.  The rest of us were to go and pray for the patients in the hospital.  Unfortunately, the turnout for praying in the hospital was low and we needed to move through the hospital as one team.  This meant taking two and a half hours instead of the one hour we had anticipated.  The business meeting of the prison ministry team which was set for four o’clock (after the prison visit and after the hospital visit – both at two o’clock) was delayed as a result.

The business meeting had better attendance than both ministry activities combined.  This was because those teaching in the nearby school had finished their work and joined us.

The hospital was nearly full.  We were well received, even those of non-Christian faith allowed us to pray for them.

The team visiting the prison reported that they were directed to the women’s side of the prison after they had finished sharing on the men’s side.  This is the first time since the lockdown that we have been allowed to go to the women’s side.  God is moving.  Glory be to God.

Computer Skills

Computer skills was drawn out in Birijaku (Western division, Koboko) this week.  One of my students could not make the class time and asked permission to come before lunch.  I accommodated him.  The person who gave me a ride back from Mugujai on Monday asked for a class time for himself and two others working with the Baptist Church.  I offered them the hours after lunch up to the time for my existing class.  I have not had good luck with things arranged in this casual way (a conversation while standing at the side of the road).  Once again, it did not happen.  Ugandans seem to do well arranging things this way and having them turn into action, but not me.  So, when some of my established class arrived an hour into the time for the new but absent class, I allowed them to start early.

Kenya

I was surprised to hear Kenya’s inauguration on the radio the other day.  I am accustomed to the US tradition of several months between the election and the inauguration so that information can be turned over and people appointed to various offices.  Not in Kenya.  Seven days after their supreme court ruled on the objections to the election and declared it to be a valid election, the newly elected president was sworn in.  No time to be a lame duck in government in Kenya!  Those who were voted out only had a week to clear out their office and meet with the transition committee to turn things over.  Sounds like they got it done too.

Transport

I had to wait for a car when I was coming back from Mugujai last Monday.  It is not unusual to wait half an hour or even an hour before a car comes that has room.  It was approaching a half hour when a car came, but it was not a public car.  He works with the Baptist church and had been visiting their church in Busia.  He had visited Leroy and Amanda, and met me in the process, a year ago when he had visitors here (in Uganda) from the United States.  Back then he said that if we were going the same way he would like to work with us, helping with transport or coordinating programs.  Nothing more was said or done until now when he stopped to bring me back to Koboko. 

He is planning to take online classes for a degree because he does not want to step away from the work he is doing here to take the classes in person (in the USA).  He wants to work on his computer skills in preparation for his online classes.  I invited him to come on Wednesday, the day of my computer skills class in Koboko (Birijaku).  We will see if he (or the others he mentioned in his ministry group) take me up on it.