Computer skills

I also teach computer skills in Birijaku.  Two members of my previous class have not completed yet.  They were supposed to come today.  Fortunately, one of them called to let me know they were both working on a mud brick project and will not make it to class.

The new class (in Birijaku) has not started yet.  A local government official wants to start a skills center / internet café that includes the class.  I am happy about this because it means the program will have local ownership and the goal of developing a program that will continue even if God sends me for ministry at a different place will be achieved. 

The skills center he is building is being worked on again after a few months of non-activity.  Hopefully, it will be ready soon.

Prison Ministry

After the bible study the team talked about the theme the children’s ministry has asked us to cover during their weekly radio ministry program.  The members were quick to point out that we have the same difficulty as the children’s ministry team for this topic.  Most of our team members are youth in secondary school (high school), not parents with experience to talk about how to guide children in the right way.  (We do have two parents on the team.)  The children’s ministry made that topic specific to prison ministry by asking us to focus on how parents can guide children, so they do not end up in prison.  We were guided by the bible, specifically the lists of virtues of good conduct, and by the Ten Commandments.

Travel

I made my weekly trip out to Mugujai to teach computer skills.  Most of the trip is on a dirt (dusty during the dry season) road that parallels the boarder with South Sudan.  This road has been deteriorating since it was last grated two years ago.  It was badly rutted with potholes that were more effective than speed bumps in slowing traffic.

It was, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that grating work has begun.  Now the road has garbage embedded in it because the ditch was being used as a rubbish pit.  The grater does not care.  He just scrapes the dirt back into the road and fills the ruts and moves on while a roller (no longer steam based) packed it down.  Only the first few kilometers were done when I went to Mugujai.  The crew was working on the next few kilometers when I returned to Koboko in the afternoon.

Women’s Union

The Women’s Union members at St. John Birijaku scheduled a meeting to discuss their plans for the first quarter and the longer-term plans for the Women’s Union block they are building and the old partially built house they have been asked to roof.  Just like the planning meeting for ministry on the radio (previous day / previous post), attendance suffered.  However, they did have some respond and they were able to hold their meeting.  I was asked to attend as one who has been encouraging them in their work.

They planned to work to raise a little money to use to support a big fundraising campaign later in the year.  The fundraising campaign will require the use of canopies, a sound system, chairs to be rented, and food to be bought (they will cook and serve)).

They also received some funding for their building project. They plan to use the funds donated for their building project to put a slab in some of the rooms (number to be determined by how far the funds will go), to help preserve the foundation of the Women’s Union block until they raise the funds to build walls.

St. John Birijaku has one small building (a pyot) which serves as a vesting place for the altar party and can be used for meetings of 12 or less.  It also has a worship building which has space for 300 chairs, a small pastor’s house, and a house that was used by the church teacher.  The Women’s Union block will give the church a place for meetings up to 30 or even 50 persons, and two office rooms.

Radio

The prison ministry team has been invited to take part in the children’s ministry on the radio.  We scheduled an extra meeting to discuss the theme we were asked to cover and the program format that the children’s ministry has been using.  Several said they would like to participate and that they would attend the planning meeting, but only the meeting organizer and I showed up.  It is cultural to respond to the most recent thing you are asked to do, even if you had previously promised to do something else.  In other words, this culture penalizes you if you try to plan ahead.

We will do the cultural thing and handle the planning at the last moment.  Attendance should be better.

Plastering

I stopped by the business center that Rev. Taban is building (see previous post: development part2).  The work has resumed.  They are putting in ceilings.  This is done by hanging chicken wire where the ceiling will be and then covering it with concrete from the top side.  Later, they plan to plaster (with concrete) the bottom side.  They tell me it will stick because of the rough texture created by the concrete that tried to come through the holes in the chicken wire (small hole size).  Afterwards, they will plaster the walls (with concrete).

I have not heard what the plan is for light.  I expect there will be a single bulb in the center of the ceiling, but I have to wait and see.

Chicken

Previously I mentioned that I have allowed Moses to keep chicken in my compound.  One of the cocks went missing just before New Year’s Day, when he had plan to sell it (along with others).  He has been searching for it since then.  A few days ago, he saw it near the trees across the near-by creek but had to check with those living there to verify it was his.  By the time he confirmed it was his stray chicken, it had disappeared.  Today he discovered it has gone even further.  Now he needs to wait until evening to talk to the owner of the house where it has gone.  Fortunately, people here do not claim stray animals (chickens, goats, cows).  They just wait for the owner to come looking.

Weather

This is an unusual dry season.  It started late, in mid-December instead of in November.  Just before Christmas we had a pre-dawn rain.  Not too heavy.  It did not damage the mud bricks people had made and set out to dry before being baked.  However, it did cause a sense of urgency.  Many quickly stacked what they had made into a kiln and baked them so another rain would not damage their work.

In mid-January we had another pre-dawn rain.  Again, the mud bricks survived.  Two groups that were planning to make bricks near my house rushed to start that morning.  The rain softened the ground.  Also, if they started immediately, maybe they could get them baked before the rain returns in earnest.

The sky has been overcast for most of dry season this year.  Usually it is clear, leading to the hottest days of the year.

Prison Ministry

The prison ministry team wants to do ministry with the families of prisoners.  Also, one of the Officers in Charge (OC) has asked us to continue ministry with those we met in prison, even after they have been released.  Currently, this is beyond our reach.  As the team grows, and when we have our own transport, we may be able to do this.  It is also beyond the Kairos Prison Ministry International model, so we will have to find our own way.  Recently some of the team members have been sharing what they envision this could look like.  One of them has put his thoughts on paper and we have saved it for use when we can grow the ministry in this way.

Development part3

When I first visited Uganda in 2017, I was taken to Rev. John Khamis’ house to talk about prison ministry.  While I was there, I was also shown around the nursery and primary school called IPAD.  It is across the road from his house.  When I returned, I noticed that he had built compound walls around his house.  This helps it fit in with other significant personalities living in the area.  (The old colonial concept is still alive, local leaders and significant personalities need to live in a compound.)  Their homes also have fenced or walled compounds.  However, Rev. John Khamis’ compound did not have a gate.  Now that is changing.  Work is in progress to install a gate in 2024.