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

So the past two weeks have been spent on preparing to leave for the clinic project in Pallisa.  The windows are made.  The truss system has been giving us quite a bit of delay, but we are progressing.  This clinic is going to be a beautiful sight!

The plan is that on Monday, we will be leaving very early in the morning.  Our hope is to be on site by 10 o'clock.  The first thing we need to do is pour the footing in the foundation holes.  Thankfully, the community has made arrangements, by digging a foundation pit, digging a well, clearing and leveling a concrete mix location, and clearing and leveling a truss construction area.  It seems like a lot of mess, but it is very helpful and will make things easier when we get there.  Anyway, our hope is to have that done before dinner.  Day two will include organizing a team to start the construction of trusses.  There are only 13 trusses for this building.  However, there are two different types.  And it is not like we have some machine cutting boards to length and having the angles cut to precision before assembly.  No, this is back-woods style, but we will make it look good!

As we go along, we will raise up the brick walls pretty quickly.  After about 7 feet above the ground we will stop.  Then we need to make a form and pour concrete above all of the walls, called a ring beam.  This is what supports the top of the doorways and windows.  It is far better than wood.  After the ring beam cures, we will add another 2-3 feet of brick, essentially having a 10 foot tall wall.  Once it is in place, we will lay wood down to receive the trusses.  Hopefully the trusses will be all manufactured in time.  It is quite involving considering how heavy it will be and that we have to treat the wood to prevent insect damage.

Once the trusses are up, we will make some arrangements... we will of course put roofing on.  But first we have to make provisions for the ceilings to be plastered.  This is something that we are hoping to do, but we are waiting to see if funds allow for this.  It will reduce the temperature significantly, making the clinic quite nice.  But it is a luxury that will be weighed when the time is right.  After that, the roof sheeting is put on!

All said and done, we will plaster the interior walls.  Again, we will determine if there are funds and consider plastering the exterior as well.  Once that is done, painting the name "Lakeview Clinic" will be done.  And last but not least, applying the all important Worldwide Christian Schools logo.  I am pretty pumped!

If you are reading this and thinking it sounds all too simple, just think, that is our daytime activities.  At night is a whole other endeavor!  We are bringing video and audio equipment also.  We will be showing the Jesus film and a couple of other Christian movies.  Other nights, we will take turns presenting the gospel.  Yes, even I will be up there preaching!  Honestly, that is the scariest part of the trip.  That is even taking into consideration that the food options will be quite limited... gotta love beans!

Anyway, March is the busiest month we have seen.  It is good to be used to serve the Kingdom.  But it is tiring too!  Please pray for Liz and the kids in my absence.  Also pray that we can find a new housemaid to help around the house.  Lastly, just like Jesus served in word and deed, pray that we are good disciples and can also serve in the same way, effectively.

Chad Neeley

Volunteer Construction Coordinator - WWCS USA/Uganda

http://youtu.be/v4m9F-ESN_U

WWCS USA has a program where schools in the USA are approached about buying bibles for schools in areas of need, in our case, Uganda.  So just a few weeks back, we were told that this has happened for a project that we are working with in Kasawo, Edusabu Junior School.  There was money raised to purchase 103 bibles!  Believe it or not, that is not the only good news in this blog entry!

We were tasked with the responsibility of finding and buying the bibles here in Uganda.  Man!  That is no light task these days.  Apparently, according to the Bible Society in Uganda, there is a bible shortage in Uganda.  For English bibles, there is roughly a two week wait (for 103 bibles).  For Luganda bibles, there is an estimated 2 MONTH wait!  Thankfully, English is the first written language taught at elementary schools.  So the latter did not scare us as much as it could.  However, having to "wait" two weeks did not sound fun either.  So we did some shopping... if anyone knows us well, that is what we are good at... finding a deal!  After some searching, we found a missionary that has bibles shipped to Uganda for sale to fund her ministry.  She had lots of bibles!  Not only that, but with the money we expected to pay for 103 bibles, we were able to buy 200 bibles!  Not just that, that woman felt "lead" to give us an extra 8 bibles, but she could not explain why.  So now we have 208 bibles!

So for the past two days we have been driving around with 208 bibles in our back seat.  I know, catch your breath, we were actually able to drive for two days without a breakdown.  That alone is a miracle!  Anyway, on the reverse side of that miracle, I have become a traffic police target.  For some reason I have been stopped twice in the past two days.  That is twice as many times as I have been stopped in the past year.  The plan when getting stopped by TP is that they will look for one minor issue with the vehicle and claim you are driving illegally.  Sure enough, they both found something stupid to claim I needed to get a traffic violation ticket... or the implied bribe.  So I gave in... I paid a bribe!  Each time I get stopped, I bicker and tease, argue and laugh.  But each time, our transaction ends with a bribe.  I have to give each of the officers a bible before they will allow me to leave.  How about that?!?  I get to minister to folks who would otherwise want a "good weekend."  So now I have 204 bibles, but there are 4 traffic police officers who are now equipped with something other than a ticket!

Also, today we were able to pick up our first building materials for the Pallisa clinic.  I bought 90+ pieces of glass and 10 window frames (louvers) to pre-manufacture windows for construction.  Doing so, we easily saved $700!  The most expensive materials for construction are those that require manufacturing:  doors and windows.  So my buddy and I, are planning to get those things made before we leave, on March 19.  Not to mention that we are going to pre-make gusset plates for the trusses.  This is a practice not commonly adopted in Uganda.  Ugandans usually make trusses that are a huge waste of timber.  I am not sure how much we are saving with this, but it is going to be a good measure as being good stewards.  Add that with the fact that the community has made their own bricks, and there is likely a two thousand dollar cost savings with these three things!  We are acting as examples in a ministry where money is often thrown around "willy nilly."  I am proud already and we have not even started building!

However, like I said, I am leaving on March 19.  I am going east about 5 hours with a crew of 5 other men.  We will join a team of up to 15.  Our plan is to spend two weeks working our tails off.  It will likely be really wet, then really hot, and really wet again.  We will be eating a step up from John the Baptist.  Except he was lucky enough to get honey!  Just kidding, we will be eating a corn starch porridge and beans for each meal.  But we will be glorifying God with praise, worship, and love!  I am so thankful and excited to be doing this.  Please pray for our preparations.  Please pray for our traveling mercies.  And please pray for Liz and the kids as I am gone for so long.

Chad Neeley

Volunteer Construction Coordinator - WWCS USA/Uganda

So February is ending... for those of you in Michigan or somewhere else in the US, it is still probably mild with no expectation of change for another month or two.  However, here the dry season has abruptly ended.  It has rained everyday for the past 4 days.  The hot, dry, and dusty dry season is finished.  Now it is time for planting and growth.

Speaking of growth, we are growing too.  We are still growing at the waist, like usual.  We are also growing in our faith, and in our ministry.  We have just said goodbye to our last expected visitors from abroad, Rachel and Cherith.  They left on Monday, leaving a little bit of emptiness in us.  We have been anticipating our visitors with huge excitement having been separated from the "normal" for so many months.  Now that they are gone, we have no more visitors to look forward to.  So we have to find something else to look forward to. 

Thankfully, the dreaded "first year" is almost complete.  Everyone we talked to said that the first year is always the hardest.  Specifically because there is little accomplished in the first year of a ministry.  Now we believe that we accomplished many things.  But they are definitely different from what we had planned in coming here.  So we look forward to our ministry growing even more this year.

A huge growth of our ministry... we are going to build!  We are in the planning phase of building the clinic in Pallisa.  I plan to leave Kampala for two weeks and stay in the village.  I will be going there with some experience masons and carpenters and we will go and build the clinic.  We will join with the local community and build a clinic that is 25 feet by 40 feet, roughly.  When we leave we hope to have a operational clinic building.  We also hope to complete a wash house with a pit latrine and shower facility.  This will be the first shower in Chelekure-Agule ever!  We are ambitious in planning to build both structures in just two weeks.  So please pray for our quick progress.  Also pray that the finances stretch to accomplish all that we hope.

On Sunday, we budget out the building materials and start buying all of the stuff.  We will pre-manufacture trusses before we go.  Then we will mobilize with a half dozen men or so and get to work.  I am really looking forward to getting my hands nice and dirty.  I am not so much looking forward to the lack of running water or electricity for two weeks.  I am even less looking forward to the beans and posho (corn starch porridge that is really thick) for most of my meals.  But... it is for the sake of the Kingdom, so I will survive!

With leaving for that long, we need prayer for the family.  As of last week Friday our house maid, Azeda, moved out.  We parted ways permanently this time.  But we hired another person, who starts today.  So additional prayer is needed for a transition with Milly.  She is not used to our culture and our ways of doing things.  As most of you know, we are strange Americans let alone Ugandans.  So she will need to adjust to our "style of life."

So as you can see, there is much growing this rainy season.  Really looking forward to seeing the fruits, both in the garden and in our ministry, as time passes.

Chad Neeley

Volunteer Construction Coordinator - WWCS Uganda/USA

So today, like a lot of the days lately, was really busy.  It started early with meetings regarding one ministry.  Then I was asked to drive some people to another meeting, but also escort some people to the mall to equip them with internet.  I was just trying to be a little helpful.  Who would have thought that I would see one of the coolest things ever!

As I was at the mall, I was sitting in a pavilion eating breakfast, at three in the afternoon.  I was waiting for my lovely wife and daughter, who accompanied me on this errand.  As I was waiting there, I did what everyone does, people watched.  So as I sat there, I looked to my right... there was an older teenager, a flashy kid.  Dressed in designer clothes, listening to his music.  Had his hat on sideways with the flat brim... you know the type.  He is just trying to be as cool as he possibly can.

Straight in front of me was a woman with her son.  They too were enjoying a snack.  It was nice how they sat there completely involved in each other.  You could really see how much love they had for one another.  Even though it was brief, it was sweet to see how much they enjoyed just sitting and relaxing together.

To my left, there were two guys... one was a foreign man, a white guy (not racial profiling here!).  He was vigorously playing with his iPhone.  I was a little jealous.  Next to him was a small Ugandan man.  He was sitting their quietly.  I could not tell what he was doing.  Frankly, he did not really demand attention.  Just an ordinary guy...

As time passed, the foreign iPhone lover, whom I still envied, got up and left with his friends.  Not paying much attention, I still continued my scan of the people around me.  Inconspicuously, that same man pulls out a little book.  It was really small.  I recognized it as a little New Testament bible.  It reminded me of the ones they used to give out at the GRCC campus way back in my college days.  He casually read it.  Judging by his placement in the pages, I would say he was reading Revelations.

I have no idea how much time passed.  But after a little while, by cool teenage buddy showed signs of leaving.  He got up, but instead of turning and exiting the pavilion, he walked toward the guy to my left.  Nothing really struck me until I watched their exchange.  Now keep in mind, they were far enough not to be heard.  Even if I could have heard,  it was probably in a language that I did not understand.  However, the body language was quite clear... the boy stood next to him.  As he spoke, he pointed to the book (believed to be the Bible).  Then the man, still seated on the bench, looks down at the book, and nods his head.  I can only guess, but looked quite clear.  The boy asked the man, "hey dude, is that the bible you are reading?"  The man replied while nodding, "you bet, just getting a little encouragement before I keep on with my day."  (I am sure that is how it went down!)  But that is not the part that I love.  That part was to come.

As the boy finished his exchange, he smiled really brightly.  He clearly indicated he was finished with the conversation, it was that that struck me.  He looked at the man, and with his bright smile, he lifted up his hand to give the guy a high five.  How freaking cool is that?  How totally different is that to what we are ALL used to?  Could you imagine for it to be "cool" to be Christian?  Needless to say, I was absolutely astounded.  God put me in a place that made no sense to be in that day, for any other reason.  But he wanted me to witness that.  I am not sure exactly why, but I know that I was encouraged by that.  I am not sure why, but it was awesome!

Anyway, that was a little deviation from the normal update blog.  Just a cool experience of how it is cool to be a Christian.  Awesome!

Chad Neeley

Construction Coordinator - WWCS Uganda/USA

So if you have been keeping up with our blog, you see challenge after challenge that we have.  More often than not, it is a problem with the vehicle that we purchased.  If your not familiar, let me summarize...

A few months back, we realized that we were limiting our reach of the ministry here in Uganda.  It was apparent that our kids were just as much a part of our ministry as we were.  So we debated for a while whether or not we should get a vehicle.  The alternative was taking our kids on the public taxis (really a 16 passenger bus that should really only have 8 people on it.  It included late nights and having the kids in the city after dark.  Needless to say we were not too comfortable with that.  So we decided to purchase a vehicle for the sake of our minds and ministry.  Because with the aid to ministry, it also ended the limits we had as far as transport went here in Uganda.

Well, just yesterday, we had our tenth day of trial (catchy phrase).  In ten days, our vehicle broke down 5 times.  We have actually been putting a lot of money into the vehicle so that it is reliable and trustworthy to take on long trips.  Partly because most of our projects are far into the bush, but also because we had visitors coming and we planned on taking them on a safari.  Well... this ten day period has really broken us down, literally.  Most of the problems were minor, and easily repaired, still costing money.  But yesterday, the engine seized.  Not because of low oil, or misuse.  I regularly check all the fluid levels because the conditions here are so rough.  Nope, this time, it is serious.  We are being given hardship to test us.

I feel horrible.  I actually exclaimed to the mechanics who continually drain the money, "I hate Uganda!"  Sadly, it was emotional, but a little true.  I cannot stand the corrupt systems of daily life.  Yes, corruption is apparent in the government, and people acknowledge it and shrug it off.  But the corrupt system of treating one another and taking advantage of everyone, that is the problem that is not acknowledged.  I will apologize to those gentlemen tomorrow.  I need to repent of my aggression.  It is not one person's fault for the situation we are in.  So I should not have taken my emotions out on them.

As you can tell from my posting, this situation was not too long ago.  I am angry typing as I write this.  That is my way of venting and feeling better (a little).  Liz, on the other hand, is having to be alone.  She could very well be crying, but she doesn't want me, the kids, or anyone to see her as she is angry.  We are hanging on by a thread... please pray for us.

We are VERY close to just leaving that stupid vehicle un-repaired as an ornament to our front yard.  We can turn this place white trash even though we are the only white people!  However, they are going to repair the vehicle once and for all.  Tomorrow, after the test drive, when it appears that the vehicle is repaired, we are done.  We are selling that horrendous money pit.  We are going back to the good old, bad days.  But it is less painful than the constant depression and challenge of keeping it.  So please pray for us as we will be seeing how our ministry is affected again.

Sorry about the downer blog posting.  But serving abroad is not always bright and shiny.

On a good note, everyone remains healthy.  The kids are growing like weeds... Lydia 3/4", Grace 1 1/4", Isaac 1 1/4", and Izzy 4".  The roads have been repaired a bit, which was another issue, but has recently seen some resolve.  Though the water has not been on in 4 days, it should come back soon.  So that will be good... soon.

Anyway, we are obviously seeing challenges.  We have much to be thankful for.  But for some reason, its hard to focus on those.  So please pray for our strength and perseverance.

Chad Neeley

Volunteer Construction Coordinator - WWCS Uganda/USA

In Michigan, I would have called someone I knew but was not close to, an acquaintance.  For some reason, I discounted having acquaintances.  I don't know why.  Probably because I had my friends whom I was close to and I did not need to care about having acquaintances.  (I know you are all surprised that such a big word is in my vocabulary!)  However, here I have developed some pretty good acquaintances, ones that I think are going to accelerate our ministry and improve the impact that we will have here in Uganda.

I have had quite the experience lately, meeting with different people.  I have been encouraged by the people the Lord has for me to meet.  I mean, how is it that one would meet a guy from South Carolina, a couple from Nebraska, and some more from Grand Rapids... in UGANDA!  There are literally around 1,000-1,500 white people in Uganda, spread across the entire country.  And that count includes visitors!  It is four one thousandths of a percent of the population (0.004%).  Granted one white person in a group of chocolate (a favorable skin color description in Uganda) people kind of stick out!  So it is obvious that they are Spirit led introductions.

It is relevant, all of these meetings, to me because of my concern for progress.  I have been praying two things specifically about the ministry lately:  1) will we have physical evidence of our ministry when we leave?  2) how will our ministry manage the HUGE gift of the block making machine gifted?  And through the meeting of these people from across the US, I have seen answered prayer!

Not many of you know the relevance and importance of the machine we have been gifted.  If operated correctly, the block produced will revolutionize the construction of the projects that use it.  The block is comparable to a cinder block.  However, instead of being made of concrete, our blocks are made mostly of dirt.  So the cost of production and the resources needed to make the block are EVERYWHERE.  Now the block requires more cost for production than the traditional, kiln fired brick that is in most construction here in Uganda.  But the construction cost for building is extremely reduced when you do not need mortar to lay the block for construction.  It reduces the cost of construction from 20-50% depending on construction methods.  So you can see why we are excited for the blocks to be used in our ministry.  They are a great tool to be better stewards!

Ok, now you know why we are excited, and why other ministries are excited to hear of this resource coming to Uganda.  Now you need to understand why we needed to pray on how to "manage" the gift.  The machine, as you can imagine, is quite expensive, as most good tools are.  So the gift entailed the purchase of the machine, with some added training and maintenance parts.  We (Neeley's and WWCS) had to figure out how the machine was going to get to Uganda (estimated cost of $10k).  We have to figure out how we can get the rest of the training (another $2k).  That just gets the machine here and teaches us how to use it.  We really have no idea of where to put the machine.  Land could be expensive if the machine and block were put in a retail setting.  Not to mention that that complicates the production severely by having to haul in dirt everyday.  So that could add another $5-15k to the mix!

The machines capabilities for production is insane!  It can make over 2,000 block per 8 hours!  That is four times the production rate of the traditional brick.  Now that is awesome when you think about how quickly you can make the blocks needed for your project.  Take a second and think of it in my rationale... what is the cost to make the daily amount of bricks?  That is something that took me a little time to wrap my head around.  It costs a little over $500 per day, assuming that the soil and water used is free.  If not, 17 yards of soil would be needed daily (think of it as filling your living room with dirt and that gives you an idea of the volume needed).  So that is concerning, when we have struggled to figure out how we can get smaller amounts of money just to build. 

So now all of you are getting an understanding of how this gift, though it is very exciting, has become a little scary.  I knew/know that the only resolve was through prayer.  And guess what?!?  God answers prayer!  Through all of these meetings, if they are finalized like we have been talking, will answer all our prayers!  The men from Nebraska want to cover the shipping expense in exchange for block (they will cover the production costs) to be used on their project (a school and 10 orphan homes).  The man from South Carolina wants to join with us.  He has volunteered to store the machine, but also move it from site to site in exchange for use of the machine occasionally.  He also volunteered his team of builders to help in the production of block and construction of buildings when he delivers the machine.  This answers more than just the prayer above, this relieves my concern of poor construction to cut corners across the board.  This is HUGE!

So now you see that I have a new perspective on acquaintances.  I am pumped to see how the Lord works.  He has put together a plan that will not only answer our prayers, but will help so many ministries and building projects all across Uganda.  Don't tell all the other ministries that want the block... but in return for them using the block, I get to build!  So I am doing what I came here to do.  Praise God!

Chad Neeley

Volunteer Construction Coordinator - WWCS Uganda/USA

So Friday, January 6, was the last time I ever plan on going to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Immigration office in Uganda.  I left the premises with one work permit, two student passes, and three dependent passes.  I have never been so excited to see 6 stickers in my life!  It is a crowning achievement knowing that we did not pay one bribe.  Pretty impressive and encouraging if you ask me!

Unfortunately, last Monday was not as encouraging.  We had our January WWCS Uganda board meeting.  We were supposed to discuss how we plan to manage the Palissa project and the clinic construction.  Instead, we were witnesses of evil tackling a man of God.  Our director, Rev. Paul Ssemwanga, had a mental breakdown.  He is struggling with grasping reality versus very negative things that his mind is creating.  We are now working on how best to help him and get our leader back.  The only effective measure that we can have is prayer.  So I am asking all of you to pray for this man.  He needs spiritual encouragement and strength.  In the meantime, we are trying to continue our efforts, but it is not easy without him.  His recovery is very important to our ministry.

Our vehicle, the Pajero, had an overhaul last week also.  We have been menaced with poor mechanics that take and take and take.  So now we are back pedaling to resolve the issues caused by them.  We had to put a new transmission (aka gearbox, in Uganda) in it.  I spent two straight days in the sun supervising a team of mechanics working on our vehicle.  Thankfully, it was fruitful and we can now get out of second gear!  Unfortunately, we realized that not all of our problems were because of the transmission.  We also noticed that the rear differential is heavily damaged.  I am convinced that one of our earlier mechanics towed a 15 car train with our Pajero.  So the drive train was annihilated.  So now, we will eventually have to put another small Ugandan fortune into the vehicle when the rear axle binds and leaves us stranded somewhere.  Yeah!  But for now, the car is definitely running better!  I had high hopes for the repairs, and some of my expectations were met.  I cannot complain about that.

Lately, things have been going like a roller coaster.  There are highs, there are lows, but with faith we can appreciate God's grace in both.  I can imagine that Jesus was overjoyed when making miracles (highs).  I can also imagine that there was extreme personal conflict dealing with the persecutors and attacks by Satan (lows).  So we appreciate that we get to experience the same journey as Jesus, in a distant, less extreme way.  I have been certain of few things in my life, but I am certain that I will be a different person because of this experience.  My children will have a different father.  My wife will have a better husband.  My work will be better.

We have a few things lately that are in the works, or could be... the block making machine is soon to be purchased.  WWCS USA is trying to raise funds to cover the shipping expense.  WWCS Uganda is trying to figure out where the machine will be planted and how we can fund the purchase or lease of property for its home.  We have a couple of small projects that we would like to see happen: a classroom in Kasawo (home of 430 students and no actual classrooms constructed, $3,000 per classroom), a two classroom block in Kalasa (school of 150 with great academics and supreme potential, $5,500).  These are just some things that have been impressed on us lately.  For some reason, I have a feeling in my heart that we can accomplish these.  I am not sure why, but I know that there is some way that these things will be accomplished.  Please pray for these endeavors.

Ok, this was supposed to be a short blog entry.  I have spiritual ADD!  Everytime I get on here, I just have things that pop into my head.  I think I am the first person to thank God for Attention Deficit Disorder!  Thank you Jesus!

Chad Neeley

Volunteer Construction Coordinator - WWCS Uganda/USA

Well, there was no sparkly ball dropping in Kampala.  So the glamor of New Year was a little absent for us.  But the old year left and the new year came.  It makes you think about the year past and the year to come.

The year past... probably the biggest life change to happen to Lizzy and myself, except for having kids.  In the beginning of the year, I was working in a job where I had good potential to do well.  I was blessed to have moved up a couple of rungs in the corporate ladder.  Then I gave my resignation... In March, we separated ourselves from EVERYTHING familiar.  In April, we started to grow roots in the Pearl of Africa.  In the following 8 months, we spent quite a bit of time reviewing and adjusting our plans for our ministry in Uganda.  By the grace of God we have kept our sanity.  It is definitely due to the adjust-ability of our children.  Not only were they the biggest life change for us, they are the biggest blessing.  Honestly, without their presence we would have self destructed by now.  Thanks to technology, we have been able to keep up with our relationships abroad.  We have been soooo blessed and encouraged by all of our friends and family that support us in so many ways!  God has chosen us to serve him, that was made pretty evident throughout the past year.  I will admit, there had been some times where I thought we were making the wrong move.  Thankfully, the doubt did not find root in our hearts and we were strong enough to continue.

The year to come... my biggest hope for 2012 is that we can stay strong.  Uganda is not the home for the weak.  If you cannot manage constant temptation, discouragement, and attack from every which way, you cannot manage living in Uganda.  Now this is not something that you set as a New Year's Resolution.  Well, I guess it is... my NYR is to be more prayerful.  It is the personal relationship and dependence on God that will protect us from destruction.  We have had LITERALLY countless blessings since we have been here.  That has been the artillery God has used to encourage us and defeat the devil in our lives.  I am hopeful that those blessings continue into the year of 2012.  We are going to have some new experiences, that is for sure.  We have to root hard for the US in the 2012 London Olympics.  We have to figure out how to vote for a president from 8000 miles from home.  We have to serve our Lord with all of our heart when times look good or bad.  We have to stop focusing on when we leave and do what we can for the Kingdom while we are here.

I would imagine that there will be fifty plus more entries in this blog before I write about the next new year.  So please stay tuned.  I know that we are not as interesting as the new sitcoms on ABC.  But when you read this blog, understand what and where we are, and choose to keep in contact with us, it is encouraging.  So with that, please keep in touch.  Your kind words of encouragement, small gifts sent, big gifts to the ministry, and prayer keep our hearts and minds strong. 

I have a prophecy, well, actually a confidence and hope, that we will have our first construction team in 2012.  Please pray that that is the case!

Chad Neeley

Volunteer Construction Coordinator - WWCS Uganda/USA