November 2, 2012
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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
