Day 9 - Fashion show, quiet day and dinner

 Today was a fun and chill day. After all of us waking up around 7 to 8 am we had omelettes, fresh pineapple and mango for breakfast. It was a slow morning today which was good after a couple of early and hard days. We had a quick devotion then finished getting ready to go to YSU

At YSU we were presented with a fashion show by the girls who studied fashion design and sewing there. It was great to see all the colourful and creative creations worn by proud women with smiles and dances as they walked the runway. We saw recycled outfits, two peices, skirts, colourful pants and many dresses, each with different designs and patterns. Throughout the show we were also entertained by Alpha and Kirk's  occasional appearance of swagger. ( The two toddlers of the workers at YSU).

After the show we hung around learning some dances, connecting with the women more, hanging out with the kids,  buying some of the amazing clothes and taking measurements so we could get some pieces hand made for us. We said bye and headed back to Suubi with pancakes prepared for lunch. 

With 3 and a bit hours to spare until we left for town and dinner some of us played cards, had down time or sat and talked on the roof 

At 4 we headed off to town for some last minute shopping and a cold drink at the cafe before dinner. 

We had a lovely dinner with the hopebuilders staff with amazing food and good conversations for a couple of hours.

Nadia B

Day 8 - Sunrise, Painting and Slums

 What a big day we all had! Wake up this morning was at 5am so we could start the day with the sunrise on Monkey Mountain. We were walking by 5:40am and just made it to see some of the colours of the sunrise come through the clouds. We walked to a spot where there was a bit of a lookout over the area that we are staying. We could see the Village of Hope, Lake Victoria and the surrounding areas. It was breathtaking! We reflected on how beautiful it all was and how you would never know the hardship and the darkness experienced by the Ugandans looking from the view. It was so peaceful. It was almost deceptive however God has made Uganda beautiful and I think most of us were filled with awe at this stunning view. After some monkeys caught our attention, it was time to quit monkeying around and head to the Village of Hope for some work. 

Today we were painting! We repainted their outdoor space. Before we knew it about 3 hours had flown by and we were done. We got the tick of approval from Ronny (who is a character and a half of an Ugandan and one of the painters that is associated with Hope Builders) and we were headed back to Suubi for lunch and then off the Masese slums. 

This is hard to write. The darkness in this slum is great and overwhelming. When we arrived we were greeted by about 50 children. They were swarming us, all trying to touch us and grab our hands and arms. But the picture was all wrong. Kids what looked to be maybe 5 or 6 were carrying babies on their backs instead of being at school. Some were chewing on pieces of rubbish. Most of the kids had holes in their clothes and so many of them were sick. A small fight even broke out at one stage. These kids were in survival mode and behaved in a way that reflected that. It was sad to see. We were told by the local leader that many of these people had moved here when wars in the North East part of Uganda broke out. We also later found out that there were so many young children because lots of the kids were from teenage pregnancies in COVID. It is a place full of brokenness. We heard the stories of the people that live there. Stories of sickness and not being able to work, stories of hunger, stories of grandmothers being left with their grandchildren when they couldn’t even look after themselves, stories of 9 kids and a mother living in a hut that was far too small and stories of wanting to die but knowing they couldn’t because they have kids relying on them. It was a lot. We gave a small bag of food and supplies to the families that we visited there and were able to pray for them. 

Then it was time to go home and debrief at Suubi. Many of us felt angry and frustrated, nearly all of us felt confronted and uncomfortable, some felt helpless and sad. We even talked about how God would be heartbroken at the state of his precious children in the Masese slums. It is the sinfulness of sin. Although jt seems hopeless, God has not forgotten the people in the Masese slums and is rescuing one life at a time through Hope Builders. So many of the Village of Hope kids have come from there and are not just living but thriving. God’s heart is for people and to bring the lost and the hopeless into His family. He chooses to use us to bring change and shine His light in the darkness.

Grace J

BEFORE

AFTER

Power is out Again due to storms!!

 Please forgive us if we are unable to get the next posts up in time as the power is out again due to a storm and we are not sure when it will be back - 🙏🙏

Day 7 - Home of Hope and the Source of the Nile

 Today, we jumped on the bus for the drive the Home of Hope. Many of us were apprehensive about what we were about to face, and the drive was quieter than normal. We got off the bus, and the gates opened, we were celebrated with great songs, dancing, and joy. You could not help but join the dance and happiness as we were brought into the courtyard of this inspiring place. Once the music and dance died down, Edith welcomed us as a team. Then she told us her story of her son developing a severe disability soon after birth, her and her husband lost family and friends as they turned away from them believing it was due to curse brought upon them. She spent a long time looking for help through witchcraft doctors with no help, and then an older couple prayed for her and guided her to a simple faith. She started looking after a few other disabled kids, but she gave up after 2 years, but God did not give up on her. She now looks after over 90 children with in this home helped by many staff.  I was inspired when she was introducing all the kids. She knew every name and condition, and the children, while they were very severe in disability, were loved and cared for in such a beautiful way. I then stayed in a room and spent time with some kids, and staff. One young boy was nonverbal, but when you don't have a common language, words are unnecessary.  He loved to touch and play with my watch. He was very surprised by my wobbly arms.

Of course I soon made my way to the art room, many of the older kids were making bracelets, one girl Teddy was showing me how to weave, I did not need to know the language to know when she was saying I got it wrong, but she was patient and very impressed and joyful when I got it right. I said she was a great teacher.

Some of the team went into see the amazing hospital facilities that could be used by the community as well.

After an emotional morning, we headed into town for lunch and shopping. 

Then, off to the Source of the Nile boat ride. As we pulled up, the rain came down. We were all so happy to not be hot anymore. The life jackets actually kept us warm. 🤣. It was a nice boat ride with the rain coming in sidewards,  one team saw otters. 

We returned home to no power again as a huge storm had come through while we were out. Could be a quiet few days ahead, but we have solar lights and gas cooking.

Praise God for so many experiences were are having  and the resilience of the team. This is Africa (TIA) and we are loving it.

- Lara W

Day 6 - YSU Court and Harvest Community School (formerly Jinja Christian School)

Wow another beautiful day in Uganda! Starting with a delicious breakfast of pancakes, banana pancakes and pineapple! 

The morning was spent at YSU helping with the continued laying of the volleyball court!  

Fun and hard work!  The Ugandans worked very hard in the heat and under the pressure of getting the job done in a day. Some of our team were on sand duties, others on stones, while others moved wheelbarrows full of concrete. Our team worked tirelessly and we have the blisters and sore backs to prove it! At midday, the UG30 team tapped out to allow other workers to come in and finish the job. Robert had literally gone to the streets to get workers to come and help. 

I was working with Allen, the youth worker for YSU on the stones and I kept saying to him ‘remember it’s for the volleyball, remember it’s for the volleyball’. This court that is being made is going to be a game changer for YSU ministry. This is going to allow all sorts of things to happen through the Holy Spirit's working to transform lives through volleyball. 

At "smoko", Lara offered  some soft lollies, and it was interesting to see the workers reaction…they had never seen the “snake” lollies!! Things we have all the time.  Needless to say, he took a handful for his children!! 

Back to Suubi for a much needed lunch of salad rolls and sodas!

We visited Harvest Primary School - Wairaka (was Jinja Christian School) in the afternoon.  It was an interesting experience to see the students at this school.  Their day starts at 8:00am - 4:30pm!  Long days compared to our children!  Morning tea and lunch are provided for the students, and they love being at school! They sang and danced for us, and some of our team played a game of soccer and netball with them.  We bid them farewell and headed back to Suubi house! 

After a delicious dinner, we headed to the Village of Hope to share in their children’s devotion time, which is led each week by Pastor George.

What an experience we had!  The VOH praise and worship team led led us in a beautiful time of singing, dancing and praising the Lord with just voices and African drums.  Seeing the way the children praise the Lord so openly with their whole hearts and voices was incredible.  Johann gave a word of encouragement from Revelation - I’m making everything new! God is making everything new! Then Pastor Andy spoke on Ephesians 4 - challenging us to be patient with one another and to love each other; and the the Encouragement that we are all one in Christ - even though we live in Australia, and the children are here in Uganda - we are all one in Christ Jesus!  Hallelujah!! 

Roy and Tamie

Day 5 - YSU volleyball court and Hope Community High School

Today started with a return trip to Youth Support Uganda (YSU), to help build what will be a state of the art volleyball court (by local standards). Emmanuel, Robert and their team showed us how to mix mortar, and how to level bricks with an improvised African spirit level.

Kirk and Alpha, 3-year old sons of two of the women in the YSU dressmaking course, helped us enthusiastically, and kept us entertained with their relentless and joyful laughter.

The volleyball court will be used by YSU volleyball team, and will help bring more boys from the region to YSU, where Alan and his team will have an opportunity to minister into their lives, and provide them with the kind of positive social network that they would likely never know otherwise. 

Some of us questioned whether our 'help' was really help at all, given the proficiency of the local team, the time they took to teach us how to help, and the oversight that we required to get it right. But this was a reminder for me that a trip like this is not so much about what we do while we're here, but what we do next. Here we connect with and invest in the local community; they invest in us; we grow in empathy; and we learn first hand about how we can help people in places like Uganda in more tangible ways.

I'm reminded of a quote that Johann shared with us on the first night here: "What my eyes cannot see, my heart struggles to grieve over". On this trip we are seeing, and at times we are grieving. But the rubber hits the road when we get home: what will we do with what we have seen. We can only affect real change through sustained effort, courage, and faith.

In the afternoon, we had an opportunity to visit Hope Community High School. We learned that the schools in the district with adequate facilities to properly prepare students to excel in their final school exams, and therefore progress to higher education, cost more than the vast majority of families can afford. The fees for one student are generally more than most households' total income.

Hope Community High School gives hundreds of children the kind of education and opportunities that they would otherwise never have access to, because of these prohibitive costs. 35 of the current students there are from the Village of Hope and are funded by HopeBuilders.

After a game of volleyball against some students (the students won), we spent some time with the Village of Hope kids at the school and then walked back to Suubi House with them (as it is on the way back to the Village).

As we walked, I spoke with a boy who told me about his dreams to study at Harvard or Cambridge after he finished school. Regardless of whether he realises this dream or not, what a gift it is that he even has these kinds of dreams. Compared to what he might have otherwise hope for, had he grown up in the slum where he was born.

Steve