April 2, 2012
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8 days in Pallisa
I have spent eight consecutive days in the village of Chelekure Agule, near the town of Pallisa. I was there working with many men building a badly needed clinic. We had 13 volunteers/workers that were there giving up some time and working hard at improving their community. In an effort of benefiting the area and the people, I made an arrangement with the volunteers. If they would volunteer 2 days a week, I would pay them for the remaining 4. That way they have a reason to work hard and still have a sense of service for the sake of the Kingdom.
We arrived there to find the foundation fully dug, as requested. Also to see that there were thousands of brick made and properly fired. So we were happy to start knowing that the structure would be sound. We immediately started to arrange for the necessary materials to come on site to do the work. Being in the middle of nowhere, it took time to get the sand and stone for the concrete and mortar. Unfortunately, there were some hiccups with getting the correct size stone (a.k.a. aggregate) for the concrete. But none the less, we were able to get started on the first day.
Having so many guys on site, I had a hard time getting my hands dirty all the time. It was very important that the men were properly supervised for efficient construction. Unfortunately, the culture in Uganda allows for slow work and unproductive standing around. So Scott and I spent a bit of time "inspiring" the men to work. We also spent a lot of the time making sure the building was built in the correct way. I can tell you that plan reading is not a prerequisite for masons out in the bush! When we were not supervising, we were planning and organizing for the work to come. We took several trips to the town to arrange for the materials that were needed daily. By the time we left on Sunday, we had bought two hundred 50kg bags of cement! We had arranged for twenty loads of either sand, stone, timber, or random materials to be delivered by an industrial truck.
Even though I did not spend my minutes each day laying bricks, I was still exhausted at the end of the day. This village has not received rain since November! I would say that the average temperature was near 95 degrees daily. The house we were sleeping in was an oven after a full day's worth of sun shining on it. So sleeping was difficult. Waking up in a puddle of sweat was a common occurrence. But the relationships we developed are something that makes me smile. We really connected with some people there. In fact, they were actually sad to see Scott and I leave.
I think that until now, I have forgotten to describe who Scott is. Scott is my faith builder. He resembles a younger Paul Doctor. Even his temperament and outlook resemble my favorite father-in-law. He is a man of FAITH! He lives his life as best he can to follow the direction prescribed by the bible. While still being a fun, fiery construction superintendent. I can tell you that Pallisa will not forget these two Mzungu's! You all know how I get when I am bored... I just want to have fun. Well multiply that desire by four and that was how Scott and I conducted ourselves. It was common for us to drive in town and make 100 people laugh. Just one time, I recall having to buy some machetes for cutting the scaffolding on site. But as we had them in the town we were crazy samurai's yelling and screaming like Bruce Lee. One time, I jumped out of the truck with two machetes and started screaming like an angry Asian karate master. About 10 people jumped and ran in fear of the crazy white man with two "swords". One woman actually screamed and hid. Once they realized that we were harmless and giggling like school children, we all congregated laughing hysterically.
The running joke after about three days was that I was going to run for Mayor of Pallisa. I am not joking when I tell you that I could very likely win the election! Even the District Police Commander said he would vote for me. And he is the most influential figure in the area. We tried our best to solicit the project so that people knew how the Lord was working in their area. We tried our best to "spread the wealth" for the sake of supporting the business in the area. People will be talking about us for a while. They will remember why we came, and what we came there to do. They will especially remember the faces of the two crazy white guys that came to Pallisa to build a clinic!
We plan on going back in a few weeks. Right now, Scott's wife is pregnant with a child. Unfortunately, Faith has a history of preeclampsia. So they have to be very careful in managing her health and the baby's health simultaneously. Scott needs to be near home so he could help his wife manage her volatile health. Please pray that she and the baby remain healthy. Pray that they can get proper medical care and advice that suits the health of not just the mother but also the baby. Pray that the baby can fully develop (28 weeks along) and that mom can manage her blood pressure and protein levels long enough for that to happen and remain healthy herself. It is a very stressful scenario.
We realized that the full stay in Pallisa, in one stint, was too much. Managing the heat... scorching hot days and nights, working from 7 in the morning until 7 at night, and occasionally preaching/movie productions in the evenings, we just got tired. It is best that we left to get a break. We did leave the men there with some work to do. So there will be progress for one week while we are gone. Please pray that they follow the detailed directions we left them with. If they do, we should only have a weeks worth of work left when we return. We will have to build the remaining trusses, finish building the gable walls, roof the building, and plaster. It does not sound like a lot, but it is a lot of work to do in a week with the limited resources we have in the bush.
Anyway, we have a mission set for us. We have a plan to accomplish it. Pray for health, strength, and wisdom for us to do it.
Chad Neeley
Volunteer Construction Coordinator - WWCS USA/Uganda
