November 20, 2013

  • Is arm hair attractive?

    A child was touching my arm on Saturday. Usually it is awkward and uncomfortable. However, having been in the village enough, I am not bothered by it any more. In fact, I think I would rather have them do that then hang around the car and potentially damage it by writing their names with stones. Anyway, it happens so often, that I don’t actually even notice the sensation of the touch. But this weekend was different… as I was having a conversation, children were gathered around me, roughly six or eight. As usual, they were touching my arms, caressing the hairs (mostly because Ugandans do not usually have arm hair). But that was not what caught my attention, it was the whispering amongst themselves that got my attention. And so as I was having the conversation, I paused, and asked the guy whom I was speaking to, to translate what they were saying. And two things were said… “Touching this makes me feel better.” “I feel rich touching these hairs.” I don’t know what to say about that, but it surely caught me off guard!

    Recap on the weekend…

    I was just in the village on Friday, returning on Monday. We were mobilizing for the construction of the second floor on the school in Kayango. We arrived Friday morning and left Monday afternoon.

    Friday was full of organizing the work force to start the tying of iron bars for concrete reinforcement. Because pouring concrete on a second floor requires such precision (because failure results in collapsed ceilings!), there was/is a ton of conversation and instruction leading to the actual pour. Half of the conversations this weekend were merely figuring out boring engineering calculations (which if you don’t know, nerds REALLY LOVE that!). Planning materials, organizing people and tasks… you know, productive stuff!

    On Saturday, that was when I had the opportunity to really revel in the sheer magnitude of what the Lord has us doing in Kayango. As I usually would talk about it, I guess I internally minimize the impact unconsciously. Knowing that I don’t have the power to do such good things. But Saturday, I got to see all of it, all of what the Lord is doing through us in Kayango. On Saturdays we hold the discipleship program for the kids of Kayango. Where as of late, we are averaging over sixty kids per week! Well as I was walking back from one corner of the property, I stopped and noticed, noticed what the Lord wanted me to see, Him. I looked around; I saw a group of twenty kids singing praise to Jesus, I saw another group of kids sitting quietly as a teacher was telling a story of Jesus, to my left, a group of four men digging holes for footings for columns to support the veranda, behind me was twenty plus kids playing a game, directly in front of me was fifteen men working together tying beams and learning about how concrete requires reinforcement, and behind all of that was smoke billowing behind the building from food cooking to feed a hundred people! It was genuinely breathtaking! Seriously, it was like a sunrise or rainbow, just a little tid-bit of seeing what the Lord appreciates us doing.

    Sunday was really nice! We attended church in the village where our friend Pastor Martine Owor preaches. He has been trained for a few years now by Global Training Network (GTN), specifically under the mentoring of Bill Wright. By far, the best understanding of theology and how to present what the Holy Spirit has to say (specifically in the village setting where the teachings are usually way far from the Truth). I applaud you Bill and your students in the Bugiri District!

    The rest of Sunday was spent just hanging out with the guys. We spent a couple of hours just talking about the work for the week. Really, what was meant to be relaxed and sabbath, turned into a learning experience for all of us. It was reassuring to see the level of interest from all of the workers where we could just bounce ideas off of each other and build relationships. It was fun and fruitful!

    Monday… like any other Monday should be, was spent starting up the week. We spent nearly three hours of our morning in the car. Had to go to one town to organize for aggregate purchase and delivery (which big purchases are usually quite stressful), then back to finalize the work plan in our absence. One last trip back to Bugiri to get some last minute odds and ends to send back to site. And finally, our five hour journey back to Kampala. But returning home to my beautiful family just before bedtime was a real treat. There is nothing like having your kids run up and hug you exclaiming that they missed you and excited to tell you about their weekend.

    All in all, the weekend was pretty good. I am glad to be a servant of Christ!

October 20, 2013

  • Idolizing Chuck Norris

    This morning, as I brushed the coarse stubble on my face, I began idolizing Chuck Norris again. I like having the “Norris beard” so much, that though Liz despises the beard, I still want to have it. I am convinced that if the need arises where I need to light a match, I can strike the beard. Or if a squabble starts, and a dismantling round house kick is needed, I would be able! (believe it or not, this is going somewhere…)

    This past weekend we helped lead a youth trip to the beautiful Sipi falls (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/uganda/sights/waterfall/sipi-falls). The focus of the trip was to discuss idols. And coincidentally, one of my favorite authors, Kyle Idleman, had written a book on that very subject (Gods at War, Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart). So I had a brilliant time reading and studying the subject prior to the trip. Partnered with biblical reference, I felt well equipped to discuss the subject with the kids.

    Kyle Idleman writes, “Idolatry isn’t just one of many sins; rather it’s the one great sin that all others come from. So if you start scratching at whatever struggle you’re dealing with, eventually you’ll find that underneath it is a false god. Until that god is dethroned, and the Lord God takes his rightful place, you will not have victory.”

    Earlier this spring, when I purchased the book, I did not realize the relevance that idols had in my life, and everyone’s for that matter. I was excited to read another of Kyle’s books, as his writing is always quite convicting. But as I finished the book on the bus trip (7 hours!), I realized how great this was as a subject to discuss with youth. I know that the ability to absorb information by teenagers is amazing. I also know that teenagers only want to absorb information as it relates to there current situation. And I think that this subject could not have more relevance. So my prayer is directly to them…Lord, expose the idols of their heart. Push the Holy Spirit into the place of those idols so that you may overwhelm them and grow in a relationship with them. Lord, please do the same for me. I am not strong enough to do it alone. Replace the substandard focus of our heart and strengthen us to focus TOTALLY on you.

    I have to say, the trip was amazing! There was miles of hiking in some of the most beautifully created landscapes on earth. Though there was mud, treachory, fear, and COLD, there was also FUN, FELLOWSHIP, SPIRITUAL GROWTH, AND SELF REFLECTION. I am thankful for the opportunity. I am also very proud of the kids who lead discussion times. Each of you were able to study and see the importance of this topic and through your own experience relate it to everyone else. Thank you guys!

    At the end of the trip, as we exited the bus and parents quickly came to retrieve their loved ones, I made a joke. I said, “Well, we are still alive. That is success if you set the bar really low!” And thinking about it, that bar was not too low. I genuinely was afraid at times. There were eight inch, mud trails, that were sloping down sometimes at greater than forty-five degrees. Where the drop off was immense and possibly life threatening. And yet, we all managed to pass and appreciate creation. All in all, I am grateful for our safety.

    As always, we were able to enjoy the situation regardless the circumstance. The Lord has blessed our group with a variety of personalities and interests. We had new-ish youth join us for the first retreat, and I would say they are hooked. Welcome to the group “Canadians!” We had twelve kids, all willing to participate in different ways, and all leaving with a new perspective on what idols may be trying to control your lives. So kids, if you are reading this (and it may be relevant to others), Idols are defeated not by being removed but by being replaced.

    Psalms 86:8 puts it this way, “Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours.”

    So at the end of the day, Chuck Norris lost. My beard is gone, and possibly so is the ability to have the perfect round house kick. And thinking about it, I can’t say that there is probably a place for that ability in the Kingdom of God anyway.

October 2, 2013

  • After thought of the summer

    I can honestly say that I spent over five hours publicly speaking about the ministry here in Uganda, while in the US. And if you know me in the least bit, you would know that I am not one to speak seriously in front of people. I am one hundred times more act out a comedy in front of a group, rather than be serious. So five hours, could have felt like an eternity. But thanks be to God for using my mouth for five hours. When I would have rather been making people laugh, I was being used by the Lord to give testimony to His work. (the funny thing is… if you were there for any of the presentations, you would have seen me try to reduce the time taken to meet the allowed amount because I could have talked for twenty hours!)
    Even though I had that opportunity to talk, I often found myself at a loss for words. It was so common to be in one on one conversation and with no regard talk about sports, the news, and even pathetically, the weather. When I could have been talking about why the Lord still wants us… How often I get to see Him… Why He wants us in Uganda. I am a bit angry with myself. I had so much opportunity to give glory to Him. But instead, I gave honor to Miguel Cabrera, the current hunting conditions, my lasting passion for Crispy Cream Bacon Cheeseburgers, and so many other pointless things!
    For some reason, in the land of plenty (aka the US), I decided to leave God (partly) at the terminal in Grand Rapids International Airport (GRR for those of us who speak that language). When people expected me to talk of His works, I was able. But when I had to muster up the mind/courage/excitement to talk about it, I couldn’t. I think I had spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder (sADD)!
    Ok kids… what do we call this? Idolatry! Weirdly enough, five years ago I would have never noticed such a thing. Idols are not just statues or people we look up to, they are culturally developed, personally developed, satanically developed ways of getting the focus off of Christ. Things that will never stop tempting us, and can only be subdued by the Holy Spirit.
    This isn’t just meant to be a confessional. I am not pretending to be in a booth and talk to some strange man through a mesh window at a catholic church (at least that is how Hollywood portrays it). I am just trying to point out that we need to return our focus to Jesus. It doesn’t have to take five years for you to recognize that Jesus is sitting next to you. He is listening to your conversations. He is watching what you watch on television. Don’t ignore Him, engage Him! He wants us to praise Him or there is no reason for us to be alive.
    Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” That is what my prayer is for myself, and everyone else. If we are going to invite Jesus as God in our heart, we have to stop paying attention to all the others. The challenge is for me and for many of us, and it is that we need to choose to follow Jesus; we cannot do that while our focus is on everything else.

April 13, 2013

  • Lydia is 10 = we are old!

    As it seems to be the norm lately, we have been ridiculously busy!  Work in the village, youth group, and our own family all seem to consume all of the daylight lately.  (not meant to be a complaint)  It is nice to be busy, because we can enjoy the time of rest that much more!

    Its funny, if you asked me if I believed in evolution, I would say yes.  If asked I would not refer to Darwin’s theory, rather our own ministry here in Uganda.  We came with the intention to work with construction teams and now, somehow, we have a ministry mentoring and discipling village kids!  What once was a massive construction project has now turned 95% of its focus on building up the community around it.  And the foundation of that building is in the children.

    For the past few weeks, we spend everyday thinking about Saturday.  Though everyday, children come and are fed a meal.  They are met and played with, building relationships.  On Saturday, it culminates to an equivalent of a VBS day in the states.  From 9 am until 4 pm, we manage a full blown VBS for 50 kids.  The plan is to get 100 by the end of summer!  Each day, we feed them breakfast, play, study, play more, study, eat lunch, study, play some more, and do crafts.  This is more attention than what the kids see in an entire week, let alone one day.  Most of these kids, if they attend school, are there all day long, in pretty bad conditions, come home, and if addressed have to work.  Otherwise, they are left to run around and do whatever they please.  Our aim is to encourage those kids in the Holy Spirit.  Right now, they are ALL doing horribly in school.  Most of them have one illness or another.  They have NO discipline.  Our hope and prayer is to change ALL OF THAT!

    While that is our main focus, we are still continuing construction…

    So far, the school is 4,800 sq ft!  We have raised the walls up to 9 feet.  We are now waiting on direction from donors on whether to build a second story, or put a roof on it.  Either way, this is going to be a massive building!

    Our plan is to totally reorganize the program at this campus.  What once was a meager feeding program, will now be a full fledged feeding program.  We will feed their stomachs and their spirits.  Currently, while orchestrating the transition, we are writing the program and hiring the right people to see it done.  There is a lot of work to be done.  We have to get the right discipleship program, the right teachers, proper cooks, and many other things in place.  Though there is quite a bit of travel involved in this, the payout is great.  I am praying for total rejuvenation in these kids!

    On a separate topic…

    Last week, we also had a youth retreat at the sailing club.  We had almost 40 kids attend and had 5 adults (if you can consider them adults).  We camped for four days and learned how to sail.  We had youth led discussions and productive times of self examination.  It was really nice!  I can honestly say, though, I am not a sailor.  I tried and it was awfully embarrassing.  At first chance, I was given the rudder and sail control.  Even though I had a ‘mermaid’ named Milly knew how to sail, she’d rather have replayed the scene from Titanic over and over again!  While she stood on the bow, arms spread open, I was getting punished by the boom (aka metal pole that swings with the wind) repeatedly in the head!  Then the more experienced youth thought it would be a good idea to act like pirates and try to capsize each others boats.  More fun that involved injury for the inexperienced sailor such as myself!  We only nearly sank one boat, which I regretfully was aboard.  But that is another story…

    Moral of the story, don’t try this at home!

    Then we went from camping… to camping.  We celebrated Lydia’s 10th birthday camping in Jinja, the official Source of the Nile (regardless of what Top Gear says!).  She is the best ten year old daughter one could wish to have!  We swam, played, swam, fished, swam, and shopped.  Then just today, we took her to get her gift… two baby rabbits.  They are thumper and shadow.  To me, they are Adam and Eve.  Because Lydia has chosen to start a rabbit breeding program for the village of Kayango.  She will manage the breeding of her rabbits and give rabbits to the village for their own rabbit project!  She is happy to have pets, and more happy to have baby bunny factories!  So even Lydia has a ministry here in Uganda!

    And if you haven’t heard, we are going to make a trip home this summer.  We arrive in Grand Rapids on June 20!  We will stay until September 4.  We hope to sit down and talk with everyone about what is going on here, encourage them to keep up with what is going on.  We are really excited to see our friends and family.  Something that is much needed to refuel our tank, so to speak!  So in two months, plan on having some really annoying Neeley’s at a home near you!

    Chad Neeley

    Volunteer Construction Coordinator – WWCS USA/Uganda

     

     

March 26, 2013

  • Coming to America!

    A week ago yesterday, we had been violated by having someone break into our house.  They literally had spent as much time as they wanted as they had had time to munch on some snacks.  Just the thought of that would make someone uncomfortable.  But having it actually happen, made me a bit uneasy.  However, even as we realized it and stood there ALL TOGETHER we realized that it wasn’t that bad.  Satan is around us, in our house, in our car, trying to ravage our life everyday.  It just so happened we saw his cookie crumb trail that morning.  Quite honestly, from that experience, we have truly been blessed!  Beyond the tangible loss, we got to see the Lord’s provision.  This last week, we not only recovered our loss through donations and friends lending us things, we got to see Jesus!  There is really nothing better than hearing one of your kids say to you, “Wow!  Jesus has really blessed us this week!”  Only six days after having burglars come into our home!  That right there is seeing Light in the darkness.

    Really, that has been my problem for the past six months… I have not seen the Light in the darkness.  I have only been so scared/worried/name your reason here/stressed that I have not been able to even see the Light.  Yes, I went to church.  Yes, bible studies were great.  But application… do I rely on God?  Have I seen God even when people cheat/lie/steal/etc?  And I would say, “NO.”  All I saw was the sin.  I saw the darkness in people and wanted to run away, like Jonah!

    For those of you who are reading this, and helped in the nickname of Jonah, thanks.  For a while, I thought you were all biased and just wanted Lizzy and I (and a couple kids) to be here in Uganda longer.  For what was originally derived as selfish reasons in my head.  But now I realize that you see what I didn’t see, the Light in our darkness.

    A couple of weeks ago, friends of ours told us to make a list.  Make a list of things that God is using us for.  If the list of things that we are being used for here is longer then what it is in Michigan, then maybe that is an indicator of where we are supposed to be.  So Liz, the good girl that she is, made the list and it was a quarter mile long.  She was and is excited for what there is going on and for what the Lord could have in store for us!  Me, I just wanted to go back, and was hopeful that the Lord could use us there.  I wanted to get out of the ‘live on hand out’ scenario.  I wanted to get back to see and be with those who love us.  I didn’t even want to think about anything else.  We committed to two years!  We already extended that with hopes of accomplishing some things!  We did what we said we had come to do!

    Did we?

    I was reading this past week… I know, that sounded funny to me too!  But I really was reading.  And what I was reading about was the man who came to Jesus and said that he would follow Jesus whenever and wherever He was going.  That was a lot like how I felt two years ago!  I was on fire to serve Jesus, wherever and whenever He wanted.  Did I ever read the passage in the gospels about this over zealous servant before?  Probably, but the Holy Spirit decided that this past week was the time to apply it.  Jesus said to him, well paraphrased, ‘I am homeless.  There is no certainty.’  In fact, I am no Hebrew expert, but I am sure he probably said something also like, ‘its not just for two years, its for as long as you live.’  “What!?!  Jesus, did you mean me?”  That was my epiphany this week.

    The stupid thing about this is that Lizzy has known all along.  In fact, it is like the classic story of Megamind and Minion.  Megamind (me) gets distracted with Roxanne Ritchie (the idea of going home) and is actively screwing up the plan that had been laid out before them.  Minion (Lizzy) saw that distraction in the plan and tried her best to get me to see correctly… you gotta love when children’s movies have application!!!  Anyway, Lizzy has been incredible.  She has known what we NEED to do for months.  She has seen how the Lord can use us.  She isn’t afraid, she is excited!  Her fire that has been blazing while mine has been slowly burning out, has finally reignited mine!

    My single focus of getting back to where we were has distracted me to see where We can be.  (for the anal retentive folk, I intentionally used a capital ‘W’… me, liz, our kids + Jesus = We)  There are dozens of things that we are already connected with that our gifts can help with.  Things that our enthusiasm can rejuvenate.  Places where just our presence can encourage.  Now I know that people who want us home can say the same thing about there.  And if you ask me, then you see a place where you are needed to.  If you can see the need, then you can see the answer too.  Everyone that I know back home has the same opportunity that I would have.  All you have to do is step up.  If there is so much to be done, then I know churches full of people who can do it.  The same cannot be said for here.

    So my decision for my family, and for the sake of our walk of faith with Jesus, we will be coming back to Uganda at the end of the summer.

    There is a lot yet to be discussed logistically, but as I have seen this past week, if we focus on Jesus he will focus at us!

    So the biggest challenge for us is to get our blazing fire to ignite yours!  Even if you are 8,000 miles away!  Pray for us.  Encourage us, please.  We are very aware that time and distance challenge relationships.  So please be encouraged and have faith in our decision. 

    The down side to this decision… now we need more money.  The best scenario that I can see… we come home and talk to everyone about it.  To do that, we need to raise about $10,000 for round trip tickets for six.  Please pray about this also.

    All in all, be thankful that my focus is more on Jesus.  Be thankful that through obedience we are able to continue a ministry that is becoming very productive.  I welcome ANYONE to come and see as the Lord has blessed us to be his servants.

    Chad Neeley

    Volunteer Construction Coordinator – WWCS USA/Uganda

     

March 18, 2013

  • Consider it great joy…

    Yep, we had thieves running around in our house last night!  How great is that?  Makes you feel nice and safe, doesn’t it?  Thankfully though, everyone is safe and had really really good night’s sleep last night!  Considering the circumstances, we made out alright!  Yes they walked away with our dilapidated TV and our wonderful DVD player.  And they might have taken out new-ish deep fryer that was given to us two weeks ago.  Its also an issue that they stole the two gas cylinders that don’t actually belong to us, but from church.  But more importantly, they ate a bag of cheese curls (aka Gorillos) and a fun pack of Skittles!  Thankfully, they had the decency to put the empty bags in the rubbish bin (aka trash, translated from American English)!  Oh yeah, and they stole Isaac’s school bag, being the manlier one of the three, and remembered to leave the library book so we did not incur late fees!  Thanks robbers!

    ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when ever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.’ (James 1:2-3 NIV)

    I can honestly say that this morning, after assessing the extent of the thieves, we were actually immediately peaceful.  We were blessed with the ‘pure joy’ as said in James.  We saw the obvious good in what had come from the bad, and that is that we were all safe!  Some may find discomfort, fear, or even panic in the situation.  But by the grace of God we were excited for what was NOT taken.  Thank you Jesus for keeping my family safe!

    I can remember a little over a year ago where I had the same epiphany.  It was around the time we were going to be building the clinic.  Our first car, Satan’s chariot, was giving us every headache that a vehicle could possible instigate.  That one vehicle was able to discourage me in the physical, mental, and spiritual realm.  I wanted the car to spontaneously explode!  I wanted every Ugandan mechanic in the country put in jail!  And I wanted to punch Satan in the face for lending us his mode of transportation!  But then I realized that we were about to do some really good work, and that was just the thing that would distract us enough and discourage the crap out of us.  And we persevered!

    Now, we are making GREAT headway in the project in Bugiri.  Lizzy is seeing remarkable opportunity with the girls in the youth group.  People are getting encouraged by our willingness to help in any way we possibly can.  And Satan does not like that!  He does not like the Kingdom work he sees us doing.  Though not everyone can see tangible good of the work, the Prince of Darkness sees the threat!  Praise God for his failure to succeed at this time!

     

    Change of topic…

     

    Its now mid-March.  Happy birthday Izzy (yesterday was her birthday, she turned 3).  And we now have to find provision to get us home.  We have been faithful servants and open to the direction of God.  And now we are faithfully looking for money to buy plane tickets for home.  Keep in mind, we have NOT made up our mind of whether we are coming back yet.  But we for sure need to get home this summer.  Two and a half years is too long to keep the family away from everyone who faithfully loves and supports us.  So please consider helping us out and helping fund the plane tickets home.

    I am prayerfully laying the decision out before the Lord.  It has and will be the main thought in my mind until it is final.  I am giving Jesus a deadline, if that is even something I can do.  By March 25, a week from today, I am going to make a decision.  Does God have us living back in the USA or back here in UG?  Please pray for us!

    Serving a gracious King,

    Chad Neeley

    Volunteer Construction Coordinator – WWCS USA/Uganda

     

January 15, 2013

  • Welcome back Muscles!

    First, let me say… thank you Muscles!  Now let me explain…

    It started a few months ago as we were preparing the project in Bugiri for the construction of a school and orphanage.  As always, I try and learn the names of the people I work with.  I think it is important to relate with the guys and better work with them.  To do so, I have to remember names by association.  Mostly because there are so many ‘muslim’ originating names that are very foreign to me.  If I cannot associate the name with something to help remember, I often give nick names.  Well ‘Muscles’ is a nick name.

    There was this guy who showed his character by working harder than any other person at the site.  Actually, I never really gave him an opportunity to tell me his name.  I immediately started calling him Muscles.  It is mostly because he is an average sized Ugandan (5 foot 7, maybe 150 pounds), but the strange thing about him is the implanted softballs he has on his arms and shoulders.  The man has worked HARD his entire life!  And his physique is evidence of his hard work.  He is definitely not someone I would want to arm wrestle!

    Still referring to some time ago, I had a big issue with theft at this site.  It was really breaking my spirit.  I was so angry that I even brought my anger home and took it out on the family, unintentionally.  It was a really rough patch for me, I admit that.  There were a half dozen tools stolen and deception getting brewed for the purpose of cheating us out of money.  Let me just tell you, it was REALLY REALLY hard!

    There was one situation where I had had four guys doing a task that had specialized, expensive tools that were required.  And on that day, I had left earlier than usual to return home to Kampala.  Well on my way home, not even 50 miles from site, I was called and told that one of the tools were ‘missing.’  Needless to say, I was furious!  But I reacted collectively and told my super to inform those four men that they are expelled from work, never to return (assuming there was no hope in changing their spirit).  Since then, Muscles and three other guys have been from the outside looking in…

    That was in September of last year.  Since then, every time I come to site, I would see Muscles.  And usually if I saw an adult man, it was because they wanted me to offer them work.  Which was the usual case.  But I refused to hire Muscles.  However, I did not refuse to shake his hand and smile (seeing English was not a language he speaks).  He would return the greeting with a smile and grudgingly stand around.

    Well yesterday, oh man was it awesome!  Muscles came to the site trying to help us out.  He saw that we were in need of a mallet to break big stones to fit underneath the slab.  Which coincidentally had gone missing earlier in the project.  He said nothing, but returned it and went to help locate some more material.  I had no idea, nor had I ever considered that tool ever coming back.  But I was happy to see it returned.  Then, when he returned from helping find the material, he went to his hut, and came out with the tool that had caused me so much grief.  The tool that really was hard to find, but easy to steal.  And Muscles, with every ounce of courage he had, returned it!  I know it seems stupid, but I have not been this happy, or proud of a man in a long time.  It seems like a long correlation, but I now see the lost son coming home. 

    I am pretty sure it was not the tool that I was so happy to see.  And my Ugandan friends could not believe my response in giving a ‘reward’ for the return.  But I was quick to explain that I have to reward honesty.  I have to encourage fruit of the spirit to grow!  And I am SO excited to have Muscles back!  He is a beacon of hope for me!  He did something that I had never thought possible and did exactly what Liz said to me, “restored faith back to me from humanity.”  Thanks Muscles!

    Chad Neeley

    Volunteer Construction Coordinator – WWCS USA/Uganda

November 20, 2012

  • Thanksgiving (I love food!)

    Two days away from turkey day!  Though I have to admit, it is harder to enjoy eating turkey just after slaughtering the wretched thing that morning!  On the flip side, I will not miss the gobbling at 6 in the morning!  It is lucky that it has not died yet!  Though it reminds me of the fond memories I have of sitting in the woods, attempting to call birds in, then falling asleep in a camping chair.  Yep, that’s turkey hunting!  But I am really looking forward to hanging with our ‘Replacement Family’ and enjoying butt-loads of food!

    Honestly, I am very thankful for the people here who support us.  It would be impossible to manage this whole endeavor without a release of normalcy.  Though no one has ever called me normal!  But seriously, chilling with people from all over the world and getting along like family… that is obviously a blessing given from God! 

    Speaking of chilling with friends… I definitely had a weekend that I will not soon forget!  Nothing big really happened, but one small activity… Scottish Dancing!  Liz and I took the fam out to Kaazi, the sailing club, which is the closest place to have peace and quiet near Kampala, to go camping for the weekend.  On Saturday night, after the barbecue (notice the full revolution to food, only a writing genius could transition from dancing back to food!), the group decided to flip on their mix tape (i.e. ipod) and turn up the Scottish beats.  I have to admit, just hearing the music made me chuckle.  Then one of the guys yells out “It’s time to strip the willow!”  I instantly felt bad for whomever this willow person was.  But then I realized that that was a dance move (obviously nothing like the Carlton!).  Of course, Liz (my other wife, from UK) asked me to dance (cue line from Dirty Dancing!).  And seeing Lizzy and I were the only ones left sitting (she hurt her back) I could not refuse without looking like a tool.  So I got up, proceeded to learn this dance where men and women literally spin and throw one another about.  I know it looked ridiculous (which Lizzy was quick to tell me) but I had a freaking blast!  I am certain that I did not stop smiling the whole time.  Then when it was my turn to be thrown about, oh yeah, that was fun!  Two women in particular, man they threw me like I was a school girl.  That made me giggle and squeal!  After that, I learned the ‘White Sergeant Dash’ which was a little more formal, but still entertaining.  There I got to show some of my rhythm (yes, that was a joke!)!  All in all, that was the highlight of my last weekend!  Just in case you wanted to know.

    **I might have accepted the opportunity at the next Scottish dancing night to wear a kilt, commando style!  Pictures to come!**

    I am happy to say that we are making progress on the project that is on hold.  I am very thankful that the parties are open to our ideas here and are pursuing them heavily.  I have stepped out of my normal job description, but I am pretty positive that we are going to get that project off hold by December!  Pray that we can setup the organization necessary to get all of this done (Community Based Organization [CBO]) quickly.

    So as I understand it, the block machine has totally cleared customs and is available for pickup!  Hallelujah!!!  Though we had prayed that we could get it tax free, we were not that lucky.  The equivalent of the IRS (Uganda Revenue Authority) was pretty nice in not charging us the potential 35%+ of the product’s value and we got away with around $2k.  WWCS USA was quick to support us there and covered the expense!!! Praise God for partners in ministry!  So now, our new found friend, Bob Wright, will be assessing how he can build a trailer for the machine to make it easily portable.  Thanks to Uganda Orphan Relief Fund (UORF) that will be possible!  And they will be using he machine to build a vocational training school!  Win… win in my book!

    Even though some days are tough, as you can see there are some pretty good things happening here.  I saw yesterday, on a bumper sticker, the phrase, “Where God guides, God provides.”  So that has really hit home and I am glad to see that affirmation in our ministry.

    Another cool thing… the project in Kasawo, Edusabu Junior School, this is the place where earlier in the year we went to do a fund raiser.  I am pretty sure I made note of that success already, but in summary, this project is the poster child of Kingdom development here.  They have taken the initiative to start construction of a large elementary school (AKA Primary School).  They started the construction of the foundation and skeleton, but ran out of money.  Through the grace of God, we were able to assist them with a small contribution, and do a match type fund raising (community donate a bag of cement and we will match it).  Anyway, fruits of that were evident this past week.  We mobilized a work team and got two classrooms constructed!  This is huge considering there are 400+ students without one permanent classroom structure previously.  Even without that, this is a top performing Christian school in Mukono District!  So we are very hopeful for this to continue so that they can thrive in spreading the gospel to these kids in Kasawo!  Well done Pastor David and Chris Mabiru for supervising the work there!

    Lastly, a pleasant surprise to us.  Just days after the work halted on our ‘big project’ in Kayango, we were informed that the school where our kids go (Acacia Classical Academy) is planning to build.  So as a way of saying thanks and being able to use our gifts, I have offered to help them there.  We have just started acquiring materials to build another two classrooms there!  It is awesome that the Lord is providing there.  The school is doing a good work in having sound teaching and loving teachers.  I am happy to see the Lord bless them!  I am also happy to be blessed to work there while in the transition phase of the ‘big project.’  Again, where God guides, God provides!  Praise Him!

    Anyway, that is all for now.  We are considering another Christmas ministry this year.  Last year we handed out 21 gift baskets and 4 goats while presenting the message.  So if anyone has ideas or interest in doing that again this year, let us know.  Goats were around $40 for a semi-mature, bleating, urinating, eating machine.  The gift baskets were just over $10 a pop, but provided basically a full Christmas meal and a nice Ugandan decorative bowl.  So again, if you have interest give us a shout.

    Serving Him as best as I am able,

    Chad Neeley

    Volunteer Construction Coordinator – WWCS USA/Uganda

November 2, 2012

  • Updates

    Liz reminded me that I was a failure for not mentioning anything about the camping trip with the youth group.  And honestly she is totally right!  It was a reminder that we have a gift for dealing with young people. 

    So it was about three weeks ago now.  We piled 13 kids into a small bus (cue joke about short bus… no I was not licking the windows!), us two as leaders, a driver, and a driver’s assistant/translator.  Then we jam packed enough camping supplies for 30.  We headed out at mid-morning to head west to the Fort Portal area.  Now if you know very little about Uganda, Fort Portal is something you probably don’t know.  But you should google it.  It is an area with views of the Rwenzori Mountains with tons of crater lakes.  Not to mention the rolling foothills, random wild animals (like olive baboons that interrupted our morning bible study), and stunning views every way you turned.  Anyway, without going into crazy detail the place is stunning and easy to see how majestic creation is.

    So we headed off on our five plus hour drive.  Right from the get go we had some fun and serious conversations.  Sadly, something I really miss, talking to people who have the same mentality level as me!  If anything, talking was the best past time for the whole group.  It was like playing 1,000 questions, but they were mostly directed toward me.  Lets just say that the kids really appreciate my humor and creativity.  Some fun examples… ‘would you rather’ questions (which resulted in my preference of being a big headed leprechaun with short arms, atomic farts, a bowler hat, permanent sun glasses, and a tongue attached like a tail and resembling one as well).  Then there was the video time… so it rained a lot.  And surprisingly, when it is raining in Fort Portal it is actually cold too.  And at some point a laptop was brought out with bad speakers.  And as the movie played, no one could hear.  So I decided to narrate the movie for the kids.  It was basically an hour plus of non-stop laughing, literally.  At one point, as I was also trying to prepare the grill and cook the food, the kids would pause the movie to allow me time to come back.  They said they could not enjoy the movie otherwise.  And you know that I cannot pass up an opportunity where word vomit can flow and people will actually listen!

    On the more serious side, we had several study times.  And I really saw some awesome interactions and development/clarity in some kid’s faith.  Liz is amazing at conversing with youth and helping them better understand what our faith is like.  We are the perfect combo… entertaining and informative.  I would say that we have fit in quite nicely with those kids in a brief time.  Praise God for that.  Not too mention this is a part of the ministry that Liz and I really enjoy and bond together with.

    On the other side of the ministry, we kind of hit a road block.  So please pray for us.  The BIG project that is planned for Bugiri has been halted as of Tuesday.  There are some issues state side that need to be resolved.  So until that is done, my work building for that project is on hold.  Its really too bad, but the Lord has a plan and will allow progress as He wills.  So just pray that this can be done quickly and that we can go full steam ahead again.

    There is really big news on the side of the block machine!  It has hit Ugandan soil!  The machine has arrived in Mbale, a major town just inside the Kenyan border.  There the ‘customs’ (aka tax man) will assess what taxes need to be paid so that it can be transported to its first destination.  Pray that this goes well.  Our goal is to get the whole container tax free!  So we need prayer that greed and corruption does not deviate that plan.

    In case none of you knew… I love being a dad!  Sitting down helping Lydia with homework, I got the chance to see how awesome she is.  It was a rough start, but as we progressed there was high fives and laughter!  Thankfully it was math homework, otherwise I am pretty much useless.  It is often simple little tasks that we overlook, but yesterday was really nice.  I am so thankful for these kids of mine.  They are four of the five greatest blessings in my life!

    Chad Neeley

    Volunteer Construction Coordinator – WWCS USA/Uganda
     

October 27, 2012

  • Living with Gibeon

    I know that at least one person reading this thinks that I have found a male roommate for while I am a way in the village.  Well that is gross and not funny!

    Actually, this is a more serious subject.  Lately we have been doing a study in our church about the book of Joshua.  Everyone knows the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho.  But that is not what made me want to write today.  This week we have been talking about the people of Gibeon.  If you don’t know this story, you should read it.  Basically, Joshua was told by God to decimate all of the people who currently resided in the promise land.  The people of Gibeon (a group who lived in the promise land prior to their arrival) had a decision to make… live or die.  Well they chose the likely option, they wanted to live.  So in doing so, they chose to disguise themselves to appear that they had traveled great distance to get to Jericho.  They then convinced the Isrealites that they were from a long distance and that they needed to have a treaty with the Isrealites.  Long story short, it worked and Joshua found out.  So rather than breaking a promise of the treaty, he chose to punish them by basically making them slaves.

    But that is not the part of the story that struck me this week.  My thoughts have been about the sequel to that story.  What was it like to live with the people who openly lied to you and caused you to sin?  What was it like to be constantly reminded of how you failed to follow the direction of God with liars, con men? 

    For the first time in my life, I have finally connected with a bible character.  Now I am not saying I could lead the chosen people in any way.  I do however relate with having to live with people who deceive and lie.  Now I imagine that the Gibeonites gave up on their outright lying once they were chosen to live.  But I would imagine that the Isrealites were a bit bent and bitter toward them for a long time following, as if they were still lying to them daily.  And that is the one of my huge struggles here.

    It is a constant personal battle mostly.  How do you react to lying and still represent God?  Do we correct them?  Do you accept that it is the WORLD and that evil is always present?  My personal problem is properly reacting and knowing when its necessary.  There are times when the lies need to be addressed and there are times when you need to just accept that it is something that is harmless and allow it to pass.  I know that.  But honestly, its only human to get stressed and bothered about it.  I really need prayer about this.  It is not horrible most of the time.  But there are moments when you just want to get angry and yell.  Man, this is a hard one!

    I will admit, not everyone is a pathological liar in Uganda.  There are some good people here and praise God for them!  But the percentage of people commonly cheat to prosper is so much higher than what I am used to in good old, conservative Grand Rapids, Michigan.

    On a separate subject, Halleluiah we have a new house!  We moved in two weeks ago and are absolutely loving it!  The space is the part that is most enjoyable.  Not having to worry about the weather and knowing we can travel regardless, is absolutely priceless!  It is all around improving the kids’ moods, Liz’s and my own.  Just driving home is a wonderful reminder of how the Lord provides.  Thanks to everyone who supported us with prayers.  It was a bit stressful, but totally worth it in the end!

    The kids are excelling at school.  I am so proud of them.  They are really trying hard and it is really paying off.  I want to give props to the teachers and administration of Acacia Classical Academy.  They were a blessing poured out to us from above.  I am quite certain that it would be impossible to continue the ministry with the burden of home schooling still.  Their willingness to work with us financially and their heart for quality education is life changing to us!

    Chad Neeley

    Volunteer Construction Coordinator – WWCS USA/Uganda