Video

Stephen

For anyone who read the story about our visit to the orphanage, I told you about Stephen - my special little buddy there. Well, Kayla managed to catch a photo of him, so I needed to share it!

Pictures

We're HOME!!!

Hey Everyone, we made it home! It was more of an adventure than we would have preferred, but we made it.

British Airways - in all of their competence - somehow managed to come up with a discrepancy in the baggage that took them 2 hours to fix in London. The result of this was a missed connection in Seattle for our flight to Portland. Alaska/Horizon has flights between the 2 cities every half hour, but it was 4th of July weekend, which meant their were no available seats.

So who wants to spend the night in Seattle? No hands go up. I then started hitting the rental car counters to find out who would rent us a couple of large vehicles to go one way to Portland. Ended up with Avis - and picked up a Ford F-150 double cab pickup and a Cadillac DTS. Ken drove the pickup, I took the Cadillac. Unfortunately, the Caddy didn't have a bench seat in front, so that left us with only 10 seats for 11 people. Lance valiantly chose to wait and standby for a flight at 11 pm.

So we headed out on the last leg of our trip. I woke up at 5 am London time Sunday morning. By the time we headed out of the Seattle airport, it was 4 am Monday London time. By the time we got to the Ridgefield rest area on I-5, it was 6:30 am Monday London time, an I was one tired puppy! Got out of the car and the cool air revived me enough to make it on home.

There is much more to say, much more to process. I'm not going to promise daily updates to this blog, but I know that we're planning on getting everyone together again in a couple of weeks, at which time I'll add more comments.

I would like everyone to know, however, that this trip had a profound impact on everyone. As for me, I have a mission and objective. It includes a specific passage from James, 2:14-18:

What use is it, my bretheren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled" and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say "You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works".

I have much to do.

I pray that God will bless all who have been reading this blog, and especially my brothers and sisters in Africa.

4th of July in London!

Hey Folks! Well, we just got back to the hotel from spending the day in London. We attacked this one from the standpoint of looking around, seeing what we might want to explore more thoroughly on a return trip. And yup, there's a TON of stuff to explore more thoroughly!

We took a bus tour through much of Westminster & Old London. This afforded us an opportunity to see pretty Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Cathedral, St Paul's Cathedral, The Tower Castle, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, and so much more, but we didn't do anything in depth. Call it an appetizer.

Mostly I think all of us are just excited to get home. As in REALLY excited to get home! I know I sure am.

So our love goes out to all, and our thanks for all of the prayers. Tomorrow evening Portland time and we'll get to see all of you again!

Still more pics

We're in London now with a relatively quick internet connection so here's some pics. There's also a post below this and more pics & a video below that. Enjoy!

July 3

There's more pictures and a video below this.

Today is the first leg of our journey home. I got to drag everyone out of bed early this morning – as in 4:30 am – so didn’t really have time to write anything prior to our departure for the airport. Right now the plane is over the Mediterranean and according to the moving map it appears we’ll be flying directly over Palermo, Sicily. Someday I’d love to see the area – and the rest of Italy, and the rest of Europe – on the ground.

Yesterday was nice end to our stay. After a leisurely morning, we went to a local hotel that had apparently agreed to let us use their pool briefly. Ken had decided that he wanted to be baptized in Uganda, so along with the KIU students we all attended the event. Branden, Cameron and Kennedy participated in the baptism. Once they were dried off, we shared Communion with the students.

Then it was off to do some shopping. Since I’m posting this prior to our arrival home I’m not going to tell anyone what they’re getting for gifts. I did purchase a traditional African shirt for myself. And no Alex, Nick and Cameron – T-shirts that say “Mzungu” on them are NOT traditional African shirts!

We spent the afternoon with the students and it was a very bittersweet time. Many stories and perceptions were shared. Every one of us have developed very strong friendships with these folks. They have truly touched our hearts. When your travelers get home, ask to see pictures of Kennedy, Antony, Aaron, Patrick, Vivian, Sophie, Manu, Grace, Evelyn, Jackson, Brian – all of them. Let us tell you about them, about what wonderful people we have discovered, about their remarkable love for the Lord.

From the celebration with them, we have found that we are not the only ones who have been touched. Patrick, Brian and Sophie told us how they had not been particularly active in the campus church, but joining in with us has shown them a new meaning, a new fervor for their faith. Aaron and Antony told us how Ken and I have given them a new role model for parenting. Kennedy told us that he has never worked with a team that they’ve grown as close to, that they’ve been able to develop the relationships with like they did with us.

And on my heart this morning (or afternoon or whatever time it is now!), I am still praying for their ministry. I’ve mentioned a few times over the past few weeks that the KIU students are primarily Kenyan, with some Tanzanians and Rwandans mixed in. There are very few Ugandans in their group. If one thinks of the logical conclusion to this, you’ll realize that the majority of them will return to their home countries. Yes, there will likely be others to take up the mantle behind them, but I’m praying that they would gather more Ugandans into their group – people who not only love God but who are truly devoted to their country. I would like to ask those reading the blog to pray for this as well.

Michael – our wonderful driver – showed up at the guest house at 5:30 am to pick us up. Accompanying him were Kennedy, Antony, Aaron, Manu, Patrick, Jackson & Vivian. As we’ve become used to, we were not allowed to carry our own baggage out to the bus, nor were we allowed to unload it at the airport. Once the unloading process was complete, there were numerous hugs and a virtual flood of tears as we said our goodbyes. As Sam said yesterday, it was like saying goodbye to your best friends.

And now we’re off to London to play for a day. I’ll likely give everyone a report of that as well before we return home, but in the meantime I’d like to tell you a little about what I told the group yesterday afternoon. I told them that I had originally accepted Christ as my savior at age 7, but that since there was no support for that around me, the faith was allowed to dwindle to almost nothing. The Lord pursued me, however, throughout my childhood and early adulthood until I came back at age 23. I told them that my enormous, overriding concern before leaving on this trip was that we would come over to Uganda, lots of people would be saved, and then they’d be left on their own. I worried incessantly that there would not be a support system to teach them, to disciple them.

I then told them how overjoyed I am that these KIU students ARE that support system, that the people who have sought a relationship with God through Jesus do have a support system. I also told them that we will be coming back, making a return trip to Africa. The fact that I said “we” was quickly grasped by Branden – he interrupted me to make sure he was hearing correctly. “Excuse me Dale, but by saying ‘we’, you’re including yourself, you know.” I told him that I was very aware of that.

So we’re “Out of Africa”, ladies & gentlemen. I know that each and every one of us left a piece of our heart there.

Kayla’s Comments

Hey everyone it’s Kayla and I am writing to you from the airplane in low spirits. Coming on this trip to Africa has been the single most exciting moment of my life. I had no idea that God was going to work as much in my heart as he did these past few weeks and I am so grateful for this experience. From the moment of stepping off of the plane in Entebbe and talking with Matthew I knew that this was going to be incredible and sure enough it was.

To me and I know for almost everyone else, this trip required me to step out of my comfort zone. I was shocked at some of the things that I did such as sharing my testimony at three different schools and going around in the slums sharing the word of God to others. Let me be the first one to tell you that this wasn’t easy but I am so glad that I had this opportunity to evangelize and grow in my relationship with the Lord. Another thing that I didn’t expect was to create the kinds of relationships that I did with the KIU students. They are absolutely amazing people that just give off this genuine love for each other and for Christ that it truly inspires me. I have bonded with them so much in particular with Sophie, Patrick, Brian and Emmanuel that I know I have created lifelong friendships with them and can say that I am going to miss them so much and they will always have a place in my heart.

I have been having a hard time ever since saying good-bye to all of the KIU students at the airport and I truly just didn’t want to leave Uganda. If I could, I would have wanted to stay for the whole summer. This is just the beginning of my journey with God and I have so much more to learn and grow from. Uganda does hold a special piece in my heart as Dale mentioned earlier and I would absolutely love to return with this team and ministry and I’m praying that it is Gods will for this to be a reality soon.

Katie’s comments

Hello America, this Katie writing from the plane.  Dale just caught me as I was reading scripture and really processing this mission trip so it was great timing to write you. To be honest I don’t even know where to begin and how to sum up this mission to you. Words will never do justice to the work of the Holy Spirit. Pictures (2200 I’ve taken) will never show the true work of God, the extreme poverty, or even the beautiful people of Uganda.

Going into this mission I knew I would leave changed and challenged. But never did I believe I would have my life flipped upside down. God has really stirred my heart these past few weeks in ways that have frightened me. To be honest I don’t know what this looks like but I know it includes Africa in some way. My prayer is that each one of you who has been reading this blog gets the opportunity to hear the amazing work of God from the team. God took a small team from Portland and a team from Africa and together made miracles happen. God took the obedience and willingness of us all and used us to His glory!! From the demon-possessed girl, to the Muslim converts, to feeding the people in the slums God was at work. I sit here in awe of a Mighty God we serve. This mission was an opportunity that I pray each one of you has the chance to do. The harvest in Uganda is RIPE!

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.- Matthew 9:37,38

The people are in need of a Savior. The people are thirsty for hope, life, Jesus! I am challenging you as I have been challenged. These people are desperate. These people have faces, these people have names, these people are children of God! They deserve clean water, food, and to hear the good news of Jesus! I apologize if I seem overzealous but I am writing from a deep passion, real experiences, and the call of Christ in my life.

I thank you all for following us on this journey! Next time I pray you join us in loving Africa! It will change your life! :)

PIcs & Vids

July 2

We’re back in Kampala. Things are back to normal – the Kampala Philharmonic Canine Choir is in full throttle this morning. Yesterday was a long, miserable trip from the lodge back here interspersed with a couple of moments of levity. I remember distinctly hearing Lance telling Cameron that it would take about 4 hours, Kennedy saying 5. It took 8.

We left the lodge at 10:45 am to catch the 11:00 ferry. Of course, this being Uganda, the ferry didn’t actually leave until 11:30, so we were hanging out around the ferry slip for a while. The Lodge, however, had provided us all with box lunches to take along. There was a bunch of other people, a troop of baboons and a few warthogs hanging out as well. Most of our gang got out to hang out rather than being cooped up in the bus some more.

Pretty soon I hear a couple of the kids talking about “where’s that one going”, then
“Somebody should close the windows.” Too late. One of the baboons leaped up into the window beside where Erika & Nick had been sitting , reached right over Erika’s and grabbed Nick’s. Turned around and jumped back out. I’m quite sure now that baboons can read – Erika had a vegetarian lunch while Nick had a steak sandwich.

A couple of the baboons then went through the various items in the box. At one point a warthog wandered over to begin rooting around at something they had left and the baboons moved off. One of the baboons took the box of mango juice over to a little concrete pad. We were rather surprised that he couldn’t figure out how to insert the straw into it and just bit into it instead. He was rather smart, however, to take it to the concrete since he was then able to lick up whatever spilled.

Once across the Nile for the last time, we headed up to Murchison Falls. We had seen it from a distance on the boat trip, but you can drive up to the top and get a much closer view. Once again, mere words cannot describe it. Think of a river as huge as the Nile being forced through a little crevasse of rock about 20 feet wide and you’ll get some idea. Absolutely awesome!

That little detour led to The Great Tse-Tse Fly Hunt. For some reason I always thought they were tiny bugs, but they’re about the size of a normal house fly. And they have a nasty little mouth, with which they bite mammals and suck blood. Those mammals would include humans. And they swarm the bus – even follow it down the road. A bunch of them followed us down to the Falls parking lot, and by the time we left several of them had moved into the air conditioned comfort, I suppose looking for a leisurely lunch. Ken nailed one on his window with the Uganda guide book. Aaron was chasing others around with an old rag. Lance took off one of his flip flops and splattered one who had already had lunch on his window, which brought a chorus of “EEEEEWWWWW!!!” from all – there was a rather large blood spot on the window in its wake. Cameron grabbed Branden’s pillow and tried to nail one, at which point Branden grabbed Cameron by the neck tightly – I’m assuming to pray for his success. Lance detached Branden before Cameron lost consciousness. (just kidding about the neck grabbing, of course). Hunting them all down took quite a while, but it did help to break up the tedium a little.

Going from the Lodge back to Kampala is in the neighborhood of 250 miles. 150 of that is on dirt road. And the dirt road was badly washboarded and rutted out in numerous places. Made for a very long trip, and we were bouncing around enough that it was next to impossible to sleep. It was a little interesting to watch the landscape transition from savannah at the park back into more jungle like as we got closer to Kampala and there were a few troops of baboons. Otherwise, it was a very long trip. If you’re interested in looking it up on a map, we went from the Paraa Lodge in Murchison Falls National park, via dirt road to Masidi, and then paved road on into Kampala.

Then we got to Kampala. We arrived at the outskirts about 6 pm. We finally pulled into Momma Mumbasa’s for dinner a couple of minutes before 8. The traffic here in the evening is a thing to behold. Actually, if you can avoid beholding it, that would be preferable. I told Michael that it was a good thing he was driving because if it had been me I’d be in jail after having run over about 500 boda-boda’s (motorcycles) . There are no rules in traffic here except for “the bravest one wins”. And let me tell you – some of them are pretty danged brave! To quote Branden “I think I’m ready to get back to a little order.”

But I also noticed how alive the city was at that time. In addition to the motorcycle and vehicle traffic, the streets were packed with throngs of people. I think of the US and doubt highly that you would see that many people walking down streets that were pavement-dirt-storefront. It has a vibrancy that is pretty cool. It also has air that had all of our eyes burning and our throats raw by the time we got to dinner.

So today is another play day – hanging out with our brothers and sisters from KIU and going shopping. It’s our last full day in Africa. Where has the time gone? As we prepare to leave, I find myself dealing with some very mixed emotions. I miss my wife and son terribly – I don’t believe I’ve been separated from Linda for this length of time since we started dating around 25 years ago. I miss the food, my home, my routine. But I’m also going to miss this place, the people. I’ve made what I consider to be some very good friends here, people who I will cherish. And there is so much more that needs to be accomplished. So leaving also brings a sadness.

Once again, I’ll try to wrangle someone else to add some thoughts, but to be honest it’s very much like herding cats. Let’s see, the priorities are taking pictures, talking and laughing, listening to ipods, reading, sleeping, swimming, showering, putting on makeup, and pretty much any other activity other than writing something for me to post in the blog.

By the way, in case I haven’t mentioned it, Alex has now officially been dubbed “Pastor Alex”. When he’d get up to share, it floored all of us and the young man has blossomed (just as many of us had predicted).

Kam & Ken’s comments:
A quick story from our Sunday trip to the IDP camp. We have delivered food and shared the Good News of Jesus to several households (tiny shacks). Virtually all are single mothers, at least there are no men around. Up until we meet Becky none have spoken English. They all graciously accept the small amount of food we leave and accept Jesus. Sometimes, at least for us when we have to rely on an interpreter we just don’t know for sure that the message truly was accepted or understood. It was very difficult to deduce whether the individual had wanted Jesus or said they did in order to ensure that they received food. We have to remember that we are the hands and feet of Jesus delivering the message of salvation and the Holy Spirit takes over from there.
Then we meet Becky. She is a lovely young African mother with a small baby. She speaks very fluent English. She is very hospitable. She brings out several chairs and takes us to the hut next door where there is a large mat. Dad & I share the Gospel and pray a blessing over her family. She eagerly accepts Jesus as her personal savior. As we prepare to leave we notice another young mother at the adjacent hut. One of the most amazing experience’s of our trip to Africa is that Becky, who just received Christ 2 minutes earlier helps us share Jesus with her neighbor. In fact Becky does most of the talking. Her neighbor receives Christ and we see the Holy Spirit already at work in Becky. What a blessing it was for us!
We have truly seen God at work in Africa, over and over and over again. We have learned not to let the little things get to us, and we pray when we return to the USA that we don’t get reprogrammed to the American way. For example, the traffic in Kampala is totally indescribable. It truly is the law of the jungle. Mothers nurse their children everywhere including when we are sharing the Good News of Jesus. Forget about refrigeration, a butcher shop is a small shack with the meat just hanging out in the not so fresh air of Kampala. The list of things that would bother many Americans goes on and on. We Americans get so caught up in being politically correct or we want everyone else in the USA to do things our way. Africans just live their lives, trying to raise their children and survive.