June 11, 2009
The Downside of Cultural Issues & Misunderstandings
Ok if anyone asked me what are some of the interesting downsides of your long term missionary trip I’d have to say cultural issues and misunderstandings. Unfortunately cultural issues get in the way of ministry and lately for HWP they have got in the way a lot!
In the last three weeks all these things have happened; a nasty termination of our house Daddy/Social Worker, accosting of myself by an elected official, the robbery of the Door of Hope house and extraction from the house of a young man we were assisting temporarily. Does it sound like spiritual attacks? Is Satan alive and well in Masaka? Or is it cultural issues and misunderstandings. I think all 3!
The vast majority of the African population has grown up with the “hand held out” mentality. This mentality has been predicated by American, UK and other foreign NGO’s and Government organizations giving, giving, giving! From child sponsors for school fees to food handed out in lunch lines from the government. Many don’t have to “work” for any of their provisions, expect muzungos to be rich, give them money or things and/or then be all loving and non-confrontational. I’ve had Ugandan pastors say that the things we are experiencing are cultural misunderstandings. They say that Ugandans don’t have the same work ethic or understanding of business as Americans. They also say things like, we need to understand that Ugandans weren’t raised with an open communication to people like Americans are, that Americans are “too free” with their way of communicating and with their lives. Cultural differences, yes, but not able to work with the people? I don’t think so! How is it that Ugandans can be praising God, with hands held high, and be in reverent prayer and then an hour later be yelling at you and trying to extort money from you?
This may sound harsh coming from a missionary and someone that is supposed to love and care about the people of the nations. I guess living and seeing this mentality in most of the people in Uganda makes you re-think how you have to approach a 3rd world culture like Uganda. All of the cultural classes, the short term mission trips and mentoring from pastors doesn’t completely prepare you for “living it”. Don’t get me wrong, I love the people here!! Really not all the people are this way. You’ve all read my other Blogs. I’ve been so Blessed and I’m continually excited by all of the things God is doing here, with the children, the people and in me. It is just hard to go through the trials we have had in the last three weeks. Please keep us ALL in prayer; He Will Provide Ministries, Robyn, Jim, the 15 children and me. Thanks all and God’s Blessings!!
1 Peter 3:17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, then to suffer for doing wrong.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Touch of England in Uganda
June 09, 2009
Touch of England in Uganda
Today is National Heroes Day in Uganda so the children were out of school, so we planned a "field trip" for them. This morning we had the pleasure of going to see an English Garden in Uganda. Beryl and Allan Went are from Essex, England and are full time missionaries here in Masaka. They have a ministry called Love in Action; primary schools, training young men and women for life and running a internet cafe in Masaka...they aren't busy at all :)
Anyway, they have lived here for 6 years and in the last 4 years have bought a house, a plot of land and have developed it into a beautiful English garden. I say developed because when the plot was purchased it was nothing but weeds, rocks and rubbish when they purchased it.
At 10am all 18 of us walked over to their home and had a tour of the gardens. We saw every kind of vegetable, including strawberries which you don't have in Uganda. We saw beautiful flowers both exotic and English, sugar cane, bamboo, and fruit trees like mango, guava, pomegranate, and apple. It is amazing how God can develop something of rock and rubbish into a garden of beauty and peace.
Touch of England in Uganda
Today is National Heroes Day in Uganda so the children were out of school, so we planned a "field trip" for them. This morning we had the pleasure of going to see an English Garden in Uganda. Beryl and Allan Went are from Essex, England and are full time missionaries here in Masaka. They have a ministry called Love in Action; primary schools, training young men and women for life and running a internet cafe in Masaka...they aren't busy at all :)
Anyway, they have lived here for 6 years and in the last 4 years have bought a house, a plot of land and have developed it into a beautiful English garden. I say developed because when the plot was purchased it was nothing but weeds, rocks and rubbish when they purchased it.
At 10am all 18 of us walked over to their home and had a tour of the gardens. We saw every kind of vegetable, including strawberries which you don't have in Uganda. We saw beautiful flowers both exotic and English, sugar cane, bamboo, and fruit trees like mango, guava, pomegranate, and apple. It is amazing how God can develop something of rock and rubbish into a garden of beauty and peace.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
DOH Outreach with Gospel Truth Ministries in Rakai District
May 24, 2009
DOH Outreach with Gospel Truth Ministries in Rakai District
Door of Hope had an amazing village outreach yesterday in the Rakai District. This district was the 1st place that AIDS was found in the world so there is still a lot of pain suffering and loss of hope there. :( But we brought them the faith, hope and love of God!
The Door of Hope partnered with Gospel Truth Ministries which is lead by Pastor
Moses Umar Zzimbe. Pastor Moses has a church in Masaka and a daily morning Christian radio program on Equator Radio 93.0- Masaka. I’ve worked with Pastor Moses before on the 2006 Believers World Outreach (BWO) evangelism team outreaches in Masaka. He is a great man and has an amazing testimony from being a Muslim to becoming a Christian, but that’s another blog! :)
Our day started out at 10am when all 15 children, 4 adults (Jim, Robyn, Julie and I), and Pastor Moses boarded our hired “mini-bus” taxi. As we drove through Masaka town we picked up Dr. Mawana and another Pastor. Gees I thought the “bus” was crowded already then we packed them in too! So down the road we all went with the packed mini- bus of people and supplies for the outreach.
We arrived in the village of Rwamba in the Rakai District about 45 minutes later full of energy, excitement and anticipation of what the day was going to bring. We pulled up to the village church and all climbed out thankful for the safe journey and to be able to move our legs again. Immediately we were introduced to some of the church members and the people that were going to guide us on our door to door evangelism. We broke up into four groups, each going north, south, east and west, to cover the whole village area. The Pastor prayed for God’s favor and then we were off to spread the word of the Lord!
Our team was Pastor Moses, Shadia, Rock, little John, Barbra and me. As we walked down the dirt road I couldn’t help but notice the natural beauty of the area. Laid out before me were lush green hills, the village gardens of; matooka (banana) trees, g-nuts (peanuts) and tomatoes and the beautiful wild flowers. How could an area of such beauty have had so much death surrounding it? I pondered that as we walked to the first house.
To Be Continued……..Look for the 2nd part of the posting tomorrow
DOH Outreach with Gospel Truth Ministries in Rakai District
Door of Hope had an amazing village outreach yesterday in the Rakai District. This district was the 1st place that AIDS was found in the world so there is still a lot of pain suffering and loss of hope there. :( But we brought them the faith, hope and love of God!
The Door of Hope partnered with Gospel Truth Ministries which is lead by Pastor
Moses Umar Zzimbe. Pastor Moses has a church in Masaka and a daily morning Christian radio program on Equator Radio 93.0- Masaka. I’ve worked with Pastor Moses before on the 2006 Believers World Outreach (BWO) evangelism team outreaches in Masaka. He is a great man and has an amazing testimony from being a Muslim to becoming a Christian, but that’s another blog! :)
Our day started out at 10am when all 15 children, 4 adults (Jim, Robyn, Julie and I), and Pastor Moses boarded our hired “mini-bus” taxi. As we drove through Masaka town we picked up Dr. Mawana and another Pastor. Gees I thought the “bus” was crowded already then we packed them in too! So down the road we all went with the packed mini- bus of people and supplies for the outreach.
We arrived in the village of Rwamba in the Rakai District about 45 minutes later full of energy, excitement and anticipation of what the day was going to bring. We pulled up to the village church and all climbed out thankful for the safe journey and to be able to move our legs again. Immediately we were introduced to some of the church members and the people that were going to guide us on our door to door evangelism. We broke up into four groups, each going north, south, east and west, to cover the whole village area. The Pastor prayed for God’s favor and then we were off to spread the word of the Lord!
Our team was Pastor Moses, Shadia, Rock, little John, Barbra and me. As we walked down the dirt road I couldn’t help but notice the natural beauty of the area. Laid out before me were lush green hills, the village gardens of; matooka (banana) trees, g-nuts (peanuts) and tomatoes and the beautiful wild flowers. How could an area of such beauty have had so much death surrounding it? I pondered that as we walked to the first house.
To Be Continued……..Look for the 2nd part of the posting tomorrow
The Door of Hope Families is Doing So Much! by Jessica Winblad
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The Door of Hope Families is Doing So Much!
I just wanted to share how impressed I am with all the amazing things Robyn and Jim are doing at the Door of Hope. Until I started getting involved in updating the website recently, and receiving pictures from Jim for the website, I had no idea they were doing so many projects!
They're really doing an amazing job of not only providing for the physical needs of these kids, but providing a house of discipleship. They're teaching the kids servant-leadership by example, taking the kids out into the community to pray for the sick at the hospitals, to clean up the trash on the road, and many other things. I couldn't get over how many smiles I saw on these children's faces at Door of Hope, because I'd spent a lot of time with some of these children when I was in Uganda, and yes, I've seen them smile, but now, I see radiant smiles. And it makes me so happy to see photos and updates that they've been going on outings to visit the relatives of the children when they are able! They really act like a family!
By Jessica Winblad- Technical Assistant to HWP Ministries/DOH
I also wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of Door of Hope and their ministry actives:
Look at the Dormitories at Door of Hope:
Those bright pink beds in the girl’s dormitory look so inviting! And no only are the beds new and not in disrepair or otherwise dangerous, the beds are properly outfitted with sheets, blankets, and pillows. Maybe that doesn't sound so amazing from an American mindset, but I saw more than enough beds that did not have so much as sheets that could be washed on them, and pillows were quite few and far between.
And did you notice the beautiful painting on the walls inside and outside the dormitories? Volunteers painted the walls in the girl’s dormitory with butterflies, flowers, and scripture. It looks so inviting and welcoming!
Volunteer art teacher came to paint the girls dorm Volunteer artist came to paint the girls dorm
The kids are all receiving a quality education at local primary and secondary schools. They look so sharp (or "smart" as the Ugandans would say) in their school uniforms!
Kids at the school with Daddy Brian Shadia, Winnie, Sara, John, Jennifer, Barbara, Rock, Imelda, and Moses
They celebrate birthdays at the Door of Hope. Can you see those bright smiles? I think many of those kids have never had their birthdays recognized, let alone gotten treats like blowing out candles on a birthday cake!
Happy Birthday Winnie'
Some more favorites:
Robyn is the cheerleader Barbara family pictures 055.jpg
And the kids even go on outings, such as this one to the beach. They look like they are having soooo much fun!
Door of Hope family Cleaning trash of the street for an outreach project:
Babra praying for the sick at the hospital:
The Door of Hope Families is Doing So Much!
I just wanted to share how impressed I am with all the amazing things Robyn and Jim are doing at the Door of Hope. Until I started getting involved in updating the website recently, and receiving pictures from Jim for the website, I had no idea they were doing so many projects!
They're really doing an amazing job of not only providing for the physical needs of these kids, but providing a house of discipleship. They're teaching the kids servant-leadership by example, taking the kids out into the community to pray for the sick at the hospitals, to clean up the trash on the road, and many other things. I couldn't get over how many smiles I saw on these children's faces at Door of Hope, because I'd spent a lot of time with some of these children when I was in Uganda, and yes, I've seen them smile, but now, I see radiant smiles. And it makes me so happy to see photos and updates that they've been going on outings to visit the relatives of the children when they are able! They really act like a family!
By Jessica Winblad- Technical Assistant to HWP Ministries/DOH
I also wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of Door of Hope and their ministry actives:
Look at the Dormitories at Door of Hope:
Those bright pink beds in the girl’s dormitory look so inviting! And no only are the beds new and not in disrepair or otherwise dangerous, the beds are properly outfitted with sheets, blankets, and pillows. Maybe that doesn't sound so amazing from an American mindset, but I saw more than enough beds that did not have so much as sheets that could be washed on them, and pillows were quite few and far between.
And did you notice the beautiful painting on the walls inside and outside the dormitories? Volunteers painted the walls in the girl’s dormitory with butterflies, flowers, and scripture. It looks so inviting and welcoming!
Volunteer art teacher came to paint the girls dorm Volunteer artist came to paint the girls dorm
The kids are all receiving a quality education at local primary and secondary schools. They look so sharp (or "smart" as the Ugandans would say) in their school uniforms!
Kids at the school with Daddy Brian Shadia, Winnie, Sara, John, Jennifer, Barbara, Rock, Imelda, and Moses
They celebrate birthdays at the Door of Hope. Can you see those bright smiles? I think many of those kids have never had their birthdays recognized, let alone gotten treats like blowing out candles on a birthday cake!
Happy Birthday Winnie'
Some more favorites:
Robyn is the cheerleader Barbara family pictures 055.jpg
And the kids even go on outings, such as this one to the beach. They look like they are having soooo much fun!
Door of Hope family Cleaning trash of the street for an outreach project:
Babra praying for the sick at the hospital:
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Speke Rd Clean Up Outreach
May 5 and 9, 2009
Speke Road Clean Up
On Tuesday and Saturday last week the children and staff of the Door of Hope did another community outreach program! We started the morning off with an introduction by Jjaja Jim of why God wants us to keep our world clean. Genesis 2: 15 states The Lord placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it. He said, “This world has been given to man to take care of and us as a family need to do our part in our neighborhood and in the community to take care of it.” Jim also talked about how one little “sweetie” wrapper that you throw on the ground starts to grow into all the rubbish that we see on our road today. So look for the smallest thing and pick it up!
Speke Road Clean Up
On Tuesday and Saturday last week the children and staff of the Door of Hope did another community outreach program! We started the morning off with an introduction by Jjaja Jim of why God wants us to keep our world clean. Genesis 2: 15 states The Lord placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and care for it. He said, “This world has been given to man to take care of and us as a family need to do our part in our neighborhood and in the community to take care of it.” Jim also talked about how one little “sweetie” wrapper that you throw on the ground starts to grow into all the rubbish that we see on our road today. So look for the smallest thing and pick it up!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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