December 2008
THE RED QUEEN RACE
Since returning from California at the end of September, it seems as though we have been on a
Red Queen race. (The Red Queen in Lewis Carroll’s Through The Looking Glass was the one who
said “In this place it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.”)
“Now! Now!” cried the Queen. “Faster! Faster!” And they went so fast that at last they seemed to
skim through the air, hardly touching the ground with their feet, till suddenly, just as Alice was
getting quite exhausted, they stopped, and she found herself sitting on the ground, breathless and
giddy.
It is almost Christmas, and I am sitting on the ground, breathless and giddy, so much has happened
since returning: eight trips to Kampala, three weeks sick in bed, finishing up the training of the
second class of catechists, obtaining the new tractor, working with Richard on many agricultural
projects, the Moyo boat project, the Buliisa project preparation, preaching, teaching, constructing
Phili’s new workshop for E Designs, and then the usual missionary life in Uganda – changing flat
tires, endless repairs, counseling with those in need, helping other missionaries and the expatriate
community, going to the market daily, and drinking tea.
“In our country,” said Alice, still panting a little, “you’d generally get to somewhere else – if you ran
very fast for a long time as we’ve been doing.”
The extraordinary thing is how much you can get accomplished here is a short amount of time, and
not get ulcers, as you would in “The West”. It’s true we are running, but we are getting somewhere!
Second Group of Catechists.
A group of 24 catechists completed the training, and will be commissioned in January. I was
appointed the Principal of the Diocesan Training Center back in the summer, and it has been a real
“Red Queen Race!” We had no building, no accommodation, no equipment, and no money. This
is a real “do it yourself” project, but we have made great progress. We now have one renovated
classroom building, another one secured for storage of all the construction materials, and a third
one about to undergo renovations next year. This will be the main building, with a chapel, library,
real plumbing and electricity, and classrooms. Best of all, the graduates of our little school are all
very appreciative of their time here, in which they have had to suffer the ignominies of lousy food,
leaking accommodations, a classroom in total disrepair, and a teaching staff that was very cavalier
in its attitude towards attendance, until the Principal turned into a tyrant.
There will be a hiatus in the training next year, while the Principal catches his breath and
concentrates on the renovation of the main building.
Agriculture
Thanks to the generosity and prayerful support of friends in California, we have been blessed with
a new four-wheel drive tractor, Massey Ferguson 440, and implements. It is already in service, and
has caused quite a stir among the locals. In good farmer tradition, some of the local children have
taken a ride for “general happiness”, as we say here.
One of my catechists calls these church agricultural projects “physical preaching”. I don’t think of
myself as very spiritual anymore, running around in t-shirts and rubber boots instead of a nice suit
and clergy shirt, like all the other clergy. But the people in Masindi and the market call me
“reverend” no matter how I’m dressed. So if they become intrigued with the good Lord because of
the agricultural development, maybe that’s a good thing.
A friend in Wisconsin calls this “earthy spirituality”. I take this as a compliment, because he put
‘spirituality’ together with ‘earth’. But didn’t Jesus talk about birds of the air, sowers and seeds, lilies
of the field, the farmer and his barns, and other things of the earth? Doesn’t the Psalmist delight in
the things of creation? Maybe the Gospel becomes dulled as we remove ourselves further and
further from the things of the earth?
The word ‘Adam’ means a man, some one, men or the first man created in the Hebrew language.
But the word ‘adama’ means humus, arable land, earth, or soil. Was Paul thinking of this when he
wrote to the Corinthians
The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from
Heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust…. Just
As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image
Of the man of heaven.
May our good Lord bless all of you who made this ministry possible! We now await the fruits of His
harvest with hope.
E Designs Workshop
I have enlarged Phili’s workshop, and added another “garage” on the back for storing tools,
jerrycans, generator, Chinese tractors, engine hoist, and so forth. Phili has so much business with
her men that it became impossible to work out of the garage any longer. So we knocked out a side
wall and added on another room. The words “budget” and “estimate” don’t have the same meaning
in Uganda as they do in “The West”, so this ‘little’ project has been a dry run to see how the locals
handle things, in anticipation of the big project (DTC main building) next year. For example, I
ended up using 50 bags of cement, instead of the 25 that were “estimated”, a small difference!
Who goofed, the mason or the carpenter or the “general contractor”, as he calls himself? I will
never know, since this is Africa. But I will also make sure that I do the estimations myself on future
projects. Cement in Uganda is $13 a bag right now, so it pays not to guess wrong!
Rakeli
I conclude by introducing you to Rakeli, or Rachael in English. She is almost 80, no mean
accomplishment in a country where life expectancy is 46 for females. My mom is almost 83, but in
vastly better health than Rakeli, and looks much younger than her age.
Rakeli had fourteen children, twelve sons and two daughters. Her husband was blind, and is now
deceased. Eleven sons have died, leaving only a son and the two daughters, one of whom is a
catechist. Rakeli is an evangelist and revivalist in her own right, and goes around with a local
megaphone that she made out of USAID cans. She is a strong believer, and a real blessing to
Bwinamira Church, where she prays.
Rakeli shows why I believe that the Church in Africa will survive and prosper, in spite of the lousy
leadership and corruption of its leaders. As long as we have prayer warriors like Rakeli, and
catechists like those about to be commissioned, then the Good News will go out to all the ends of
the world, and not return empty-handed. “They all contributed out of their abundance; but she out
of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living”. Mk 12.44
Philista and I thank you for your ongoing prayers and support throughout this past year. May the
Lord bless you in a special way during this Christmas season.
See now what God has done
Sending his only Son,
Christ the beloved One
Darkness defeated
And Eden restored
Since returning from California at the end of September, it seems as though we have been on a
Red Queen race. (The Red Queen in Lewis Carroll’s Through The Looking Glass was the one who
said “In this place it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.”)
“Now! Now!” cried the Queen. “Faster! Faster!” And they went so fast that at last they seemed to
skim through the air, hardly touching the ground with their feet, till suddenly, just as Alice was
getting quite exhausted, they stopped, and she found herself sitting on the ground, breathless and
giddy.
It is almost Christmas, and I am sitting on the ground, breathless and giddy, so much has happened
since returning: eight trips to Kampala, three weeks sick in bed, finishing up the training of the
second class of catechists, obtaining the new tractor, working with Richard on many agricultural
projects, the Moyo boat project, the Buliisa project preparation, preaching, teaching, constructing
Phili’s new workshop for E Designs, and then the usual missionary life in Uganda – changing flat
tires, endless repairs, counseling with those in need, helping other missionaries and the expatriate
community, going to the market daily, and drinking tea.
“In our country,” said Alice, still panting a little, “you’d generally get to somewhere else – if you ran
very fast for a long time as we’ve been doing.”
The extraordinary thing is how much you can get accomplished here is a short amount of time, and
not get ulcers, as you would in “The West”. It’s true we are running, but we are getting somewhere!
Second Group of Catechists.
A group of 24 catechists completed the training, and will be commissioned in January. I was
appointed the Principal of the Diocesan Training Center back in the summer, and it has been a real
“Red Queen Race!” We had no building, no accommodation, no equipment, and no money. This
is a real “do it yourself” project, but we have made great progress. We now have one renovated
classroom building, another one secured for storage of all the construction materials, and a third
one about to undergo renovations next year. This will be the main building, with a chapel, library,
real plumbing and electricity, and classrooms. Best of all, the graduates of our little school are all
very appreciative of their time here, in which they have had to suffer the ignominies of lousy food,
leaking accommodations, a classroom in total disrepair, and a teaching staff that was very cavalier
in its attitude towards attendance, until the Principal turned into a tyrant.
There will be a hiatus in the training next year, while the Principal catches his breath and
concentrates on the renovation of the main building.
Agriculture
Thanks to the generosity and prayerful support of friends in California, we have been blessed with
a new four-wheel drive tractor, Massey Ferguson 440, and implements. It is already in service, and
has caused quite a stir among the locals. In good farmer tradition, some of the local children have
taken a ride for “general happiness”, as we say here.
One of my catechists calls these church agricultural projects “physical preaching”. I don’t think of
myself as very spiritual anymore, running around in t-shirts and rubber boots instead of a nice suit
and clergy shirt, like all the other clergy. But the people in Masindi and the market call me
“reverend” no matter how I’m dressed. So if they become intrigued with the good Lord because of
the agricultural development, maybe that’s a good thing.
A friend in Wisconsin calls this “earthy spirituality”. I take this as a compliment, because he put
‘spirituality’ together with ‘earth’. But didn’t Jesus talk about birds of the air, sowers and seeds, lilies
of the field, the farmer and his barns, and other things of the earth? Doesn’t the Psalmist delight in
the things of creation? Maybe the Gospel becomes dulled as we remove ourselves further and
further from the things of the earth?
The word ‘Adam’ means a man, some one, men or the first man created in the Hebrew language.
But the word ‘adama’ means humus, arable land, earth, or soil. Was Paul thinking of this when he
wrote to the Corinthians
The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from
Heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust…. Just
As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image
Of the man of heaven.
May our good Lord bless all of you who made this ministry possible! We now await the fruits of His
harvest with hope.
E Designs Workshop
I have enlarged Phili’s workshop, and added another “garage” on the back for storing tools,
jerrycans, generator, Chinese tractors, engine hoist, and so forth. Phili has so much business with
her men that it became impossible to work out of the garage any longer. So we knocked out a side
wall and added on another room. The words “budget” and “estimate” don’t have the same meaning
in Uganda as they do in “The West”, so this ‘little’ project has been a dry run to see how the locals
handle things, in anticipation of the big project (DTC main building) next year. For example, I
ended up using 50 bags of cement, instead of the 25 that were “estimated”, a small difference!
Who goofed, the mason or the carpenter or the “general contractor”, as he calls himself? I will
never know, since this is Africa. But I will also make sure that I do the estimations myself on future
projects. Cement in Uganda is $13 a bag right now, so it pays not to guess wrong!
Rakeli
I conclude by introducing you to Rakeli, or Rachael in English. She is almost 80, no mean
accomplishment in a country where life expectancy is 46 for females. My mom is almost 83, but in
vastly better health than Rakeli, and looks much younger than her age.
Rakeli had fourteen children, twelve sons and two daughters. Her husband was blind, and is now
deceased. Eleven sons have died, leaving only a son and the two daughters, one of whom is a
catechist. Rakeli is an evangelist and revivalist in her own right, and goes around with a local
megaphone that she made out of USAID cans. She is a strong believer, and a real blessing to
Bwinamira Church, where she prays.
Rakeli shows why I believe that the Church in Africa will survive and prosper, in spite of the lousy
leadership and corruption of its leaders. As long as we have prayer warriors like Rakeli, and
catechists like those about to be commissioned, then the Good News will go out to all the ends of
the world, and not return empty-handed. “They all contributed out of their abundance; but she out
of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living”. Mk 12.44
Philista and I thank you for your ongoing prayers and support throughout this past year. May the
Lord bless you in a special way during this Christmas season.
See now what God has done
Sending his only Son,
Christ the beloved One
Darkness defeated
And Eden restored
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