Prison Ministry

The prison ministry team continues to go to both Gbukutu and Lobule prisons.  On Thursday the 16^th of March they were unable to find any prisoners at the prison in Lobule. 

They learned that now that the rains have come, there are many work opportunities.  The officers frequently take the prisoners out of the prison on work detail and the prison population in Lobule is small, so that means taking all the prisoners.

The prison ministry was asked to reschedule when we come to Lobule prison.  They want us to come, and said Sunday is the only day they do not have work opportunities.  The team agreed to move our time of ministering at Lobule prison to 2 PM on Sunday.  The ministry continues to visit Gbukutu prison on Thursday.

International Phone Call

I received a phone call from a member of St. John Birijaku.  She is the president of the Women’s Union.  She called me on my Ugandan phone number.  I brought that phone with me to the US because it has WhatsApp.  Everything else I use that phone for does not work and will not work until I return to Africa because of the differences in the phone systems.  However, the call came through!  I do not have service on that phone.  It does see the local Wi-Fi service but that does not allow me to make calls on my Ugandan phone service.  I do not know how it worked.  Just blessed that it did.

Nursery School

No, Truth is Light has not added a nursery school (preschool) to its ministries.  However, God has moved the Free Charismatic Church in Mugujai to do so.  Several members of Truth is Light’s board worship at this Church, Bishop Baba Moses, Livingstone, and Eglay.  The nursery school is the only one in Mugujai and the neighboring villages do not have a school for that age group.  They were expecting to meet a need for about 50 children; however, once school was allowed to begin (post pandemic lock-down) the number quickly reached 150.  This is more than could be taught in the single room church building, so they built a tarp structure.

Tarp structure for the nursery school

Tarps were added to the exterior walls after this picture was taken.  Six months ago the wind shredded the tarp roof.  The walls survived.  They managed to finish 2022 because the rain season was ending.  It was the dry season when school resumed in 2023. 

The dry season is also a time for making mud bricks.  Several families with children in the school came together to make bricks.  I was in the US when this happened so I do not know if the bricks were used to replace the walls, or if they were sold to buy thatch to replace the roof.  Both were discussed.

The rains returned in March 2023 and the school is desperate to raise the funds to thatch the final third of the roof.  The first two classroom roofs were thatched as the dry season ended; however, the funds did not provide enough thatch for the third classroom.

Presentation

I have been sharing about the ministry in Uganda during my visit to the USA.  Recently I added sound to the PowerPoint slides.  In the process I found that the sound is weak when I give the presentation.  After checking with others, I learned it is another limitation of my computer.  When the presentation was transferred to another computer the sound was sufficient.  I am looking for suggestions for devices that can be connected to the computer so the sound can be heard during my presentations.  I do not give presentations in Uganda; I coach while the student is using the computer or I am speaking person to group because taking electronics into the prison is not allowed. 

The suggestions can be limited to the USA environment (power requirements, transport ability, size).  I look forward to your comments.

Computer

Here in the USA I have access to stores that sell electronics, and their service departments.  I like working with the service department called Geek Squad.  They performed tests on my computer for me and explained many of the issues I have been experiencing.  I have been experiencing “errors” with flash drives.  It was explained that these errors can be caused by static electricity and traveling from place to place with my computer and flash drives. I do travel with my computer and flash drive when I teach computer skills on Monday and Wednesday each week in Uganda. They explained the packing, movement while traveling, and unpacking creates static electricity.

This month, the camera on my computer stopped working and the screen occasionally flashes.  Their diagnostic test indicated the trips have caused enough bumps that the camera has suffered a hardware failure.  The cost of replacing it here in the USA, plus the lack of any warranties, resulted in a suggestion to use the computer until other parts fail. 

Age

In Uganda, the life expectancy is shorter than it is in the US, or many other parts of the world.  As a result, fewer people reach 60+.

I have also noticed that Uganda’s local culture has a different view of their oldest generation.  Family members will consult their parents, grandparents, and others of those generations before starting a new job.  Other significant life choices are also made in consultation with the older family members.  As a result, the oldest generation does not ‘retire’.  Their role and their active involvement in the work changes; however, they are still involved.  For example, in the rural areas (most of Uganda), they may not hand dig in the family’s one acre farm; however, they will give directions to the family regarding when there is enough rain to start preparing the ground and what should be planted this season.

Daylight

I have been struggling now that I am in the USA.  Here I am aware of the late (compared to my recent experience in Uganda) sunrise and early sunset.  I discovered that when I do not have artificial light, or when the artificial light is dim, I will desire to sleep whenever it is dark, regardless of the hours involved.  I have adjusted my travel clock to the current time zone; however, the alarm remains at the same early morning time.  I find myself getting up, shutting off the alarm, and because it is still dark, heading back to bed.  I did not used to be light affected, but I am now.  Fortunately, the days are getting longer.

Polygamy

Polygamy is common in Uganda.  I am not saying it is everywhere.  It is not.  However, the idea that a man can marry more than one wife is present in many of the local cultures (tribes).  Polygamy is accepted among the Muslim faith.  The Christians do not encourage it.  It is not accepted among church leaders.  However, in some places (I cannot speak to ‘all places’ since I have not been ‘all places’), a person who has more than one wife is allowed to worship, but he is not eligible for church leadership per 1 Timothy 3:1-12.

Suzy

I have been staying with the same family I used to rent a room from.  It is how they have chosen to support me so I can focus on sharing about the ministry in Uganda.  They have a couple of dogs which like me, even though I am more of a cat person.  On Monday, Suzy was not looking very good.  By evening she would not eat, not even her favorite food, carrots.  Dan tried taking her to the vet, but they did not have emergency services and the vet had left for the day.  They recommended a new emergency services vet in Poulsbo.  By the time they arrived Suzy was showing blood in her mouth.  They had to put her down.  The next day I helped Dan bury little Suzy.

Shopping

In Uganda, I still have a selection of products for some things.  There are usually two brands of batteries, for example; however, the selection of sizes and the quality of battery may not be what I need.  For example, size C batteries are only available in the urban capital region of Uganda, not in Koboko where I live.

We do have supermarkets.  However, they are usually more expensive.  There is no such thing as coupons.  No membership cards either.  The best deal is found by talking to some of those selling items in the open market, or to those who have relatives selling things in the market.