I am Still An American

Over the last few days I have really though home much we are product of our culture. Living in Uganda has taught opened my eyes to the world around me.

In just a weeks time I will have worshiped with people from Australia, England, and Lebanon. I will have shopped at a store and gone to a money exchanger owed by someone from India. Plus I work with people from Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan.

This world is small!

I have been able to witness many different cultural preferences. About a month ago Joy was making a smoothie for herself for breakfast. Our house help, Rebeca, came in and saw what she was doing and was said it was odd looking. Joy then offered her a taste. Rebeca made a face and said no way. You could tell she was thinking, “How can you drink that? Nasty.”

Then it comes around.

Rebeca was making some porridge for herself and Joy did not like it and was probably thinking, “How can you drink that? Nasty.”

We are a product of our culture.

Today is SuperBowl Sunday. Around 97 million people will be watching in the US. In Mbale, Uganda…I will be on of the few waking up at 3am Monday morning to join in the festivities. Why? Because I am embracing what I can of my culture.

Welcome 2010

Wow, it has been a long time since I or Joy have written anything in our blog. It is not because nothing has happened or our lack of desire to communicate. It is has more the illusion of how long it takes to actually post an entry or figuring out what to write about.

I know it is easy to think, “but you live in Uganda! There has to be a lot to write about.” Now that is true, and I have nothing to defend that comment with. I guess, I have been lazy. So for that I apologize. And while it is still January and the trend is New Year’s resolutions I will refrain from making any specific public announcement of my intentions for the blog and keep them to myself. Just know that there will be more posts from me in the future.

On to the post.

Last week Joy and I spend much of the week working on Deaf Ministry and GNPI (Good News Productions International, http://gnpi.org). Personally I am getting very excited about the next few weeks and months for GNPI here in Mbale. Below are a few thoughts I have about the new studio/center.

Mbale Center Update

We have some exciting news, we are going to have a baby! My wife, Joy and I are getting ready to welcome a little one into our home in the next year, preparing a room, painting, getting a not-to-girly diaper bag and so on. We are very excited. This will be our first time as being parents I I can say we are filled with emotions or excitement, fear, and an overwhelming sense of this is the right time and right for us. This has really got me thinking a lot about my plans and making plans for a new life in our life.

In the same way we have been making plans and arrangement for our Mbale Center. In 2005 this center was just an idea, a possibility, a twinkle in newlywed couple. In 2007, the center became a reality and there was the birth of a building and the birth of a ministry. Since 2007, the center has been ramping up. We have nurtured the ideas, we have gathered the resources, asked for funding and now we are getting ready to send the Mbale center to first grade. We have been planning and making the arrangements since 2007 and looking back I can see how this ministry has grown and has a lot of growing to do.

We have been making the plans and I am filled with emotions or excitement, fear, and an overwhelming sense of this is the right time and right for us and for GNPI to begin productions. We thank you for your continued support through funding us and praying for us, we would not be here with that support.

History of the GNPI-Mbale Center

2006

• The Mbale Mission Team offered a piece of land for GNPI to build a small center to do projects together with Messiah Theological Institute (MTI).
• Making Bible courses available on DVD as well as other projects is discussed as a core concept for the new studio.
• GNPI prayerfully discussed the idea and raised funds while the Mbale Mission Team developed architectural plans and cleared permits with the municipality.

2007

• Construction began in January with the arrival of Tom and Julie.
• Within three months, Tom was able to pour the foundation, build the walls, roof it, plaster the walls, and begin ceiling installation.
• The building was completed in June.
• Vince and Joy came to Mbale as interns to visit the Mbale Mission Team and to survey the possibilities of returning in 2009.
• In October, Vince put up a wall around GNPI compound and furnished the building with desks and chairs
• Vince and Joy returned to America in December of 2007 to complete their university degrees by May of 2008.

2008

• College Height Christian Church adopts GNPI-Mbale in the Adopt-A-Center program
• A gift of $10,000 was given in order to fund 12 SMC for GNPI-Mbale

2009

• In February, Vince and Joy organized a container in the States with their personal belongs and GNPI equipment for the office.
• The Vigils returned to Mbale in March and began to make a home and do language and culture learning.
• In June the shipping container arrived in Mbale with all office equipment, including 10 Solar Media Cases (SMC).
• iWay Africa satellite internet was installed giving GNPI 80-100 kB/s, one of the fasts speeds for East Africa.
• A media survey began to circulate asking local people in Mbale and surrounding areas how media effects their lives.
• Vince set up the office equipment in August.
• Phillip, Director of Development for LivingStone International University (LIU) installed the SMART classroom in GNPI’s conference room for long distance training.
• In October, Vince began to prepare the studio for recording and also completed the media survey. Among the findings it was discovered that 86% of the people surveyed use radio for more then 30 minutes a day.
• GNPI-Mbale adopts the GNPI-A logo, from Nairobi, as their own to help create a East African identity
• The SMC Program began in November training 8 Church Planting and Discipleship (CPD) Coordinators on how to use the SMC. Over 1,600 people saw Promise of Love in the first two weeks.
• Isaac and Mercy from GNPI-Nairobi came in December to help develop office protocol and offer advice on what was still needed for the studio.

2010

• Tough Choices was put in as an option for the SMC Program
• The first Advisors Board Meeting will be held in the second week of January.
• 2,500 people have seen a GNPI video on a SMC

LivingStone International University

When we joined the Mbale Mission Team, we knew there was a vision of starting a university here in Mbale. It sounded so far off that the vision didn’t seem like a reality at all, just a dream someone had. Perhaps I even doubted that something that huge would ever take place.

Thankfully, God is not allowing my inability to grasp this vision to hinder His work. I have only been in Mbale for a little over five months, and I have already had the opportunity to sit in on a university planning committee, hear the reports of teammates broadcasting the vision to Uganda through a University Debut, enjoy the  fruits of teammates casting the vision at the North American Christian Convention, and today walk the future land for LivingStone International University.

Today a crowd gathered to walk the perimeter of the 64 acre plot of land that may very well  be the future site of LivingStone. As we walked the land, I began to understand more fully just how big this university project is and how real it is. This is not a passing whim. God is going to establish a Christian University in Mbale. He is preparing to radically reach out to the people of this country. Our God is indeed a mighty God.

I am honored to get to be a part of the work that God is doing here, even if it is just a small part. I picture myself standing in the middle of 64 acres and  feeling tiny and insignificant. Then I picture God in the middle of that   land, and the land changes drastically. It becomes a place of hope and a place that has the possibility of impacting a nation.

I stand amazed at the ability of our God to dream and accomplish big things. He knows just what to do to reach His people. Today He reminded me that it is ok to dream big dreams. LivingStone International University is great proof of that.

#54: Mbale Trade Fair

Today I went with some friends to the Mbale Trade Fair, a fair that comes in once a year to the local “football” stadium selling crafts, clothes, new gadgets, etc. Let me tell you, it was quite an experience. We walked into the area and were immediately greeted by several speakers blaring music from all directions, several tents scattered around the field, looking surprisingly American, three carnival rides, and a mobile cinema. At first glance one would think that we had walked into a local country fair in the States, but then I started looking closer.

The rides looked like they came from a reject carnival about thirty years ago. I’m not sure I’d even trust the thing to sit on, much less be flung through the air on. Oh, and you even had a choice of certain death…ride one, two, or three.

The mobile cinema also looked pretty alluring, but I held my ground and decided not to waste my money. For here it is high tech stuff though.

The fast food area consisted of chapati stands (basically thick tortillas, traditionally made in India but adopted into Uganda) and a local butcher offering oh so fresh meat. No Pizza Hut or Chick-fil-a that’s for sure.

Ahhh, what a world we live in. Cultures mix all over the place, and the result is both impressive and a bit comical. I highly enjoyed myself.

#51: The Summit – What is it about?

Last week between April 28th – May 2nd there was a large event, called The Summit, that took place in Mbale, Uganda. This event represented five years of work and also is the beginning of many more years of work to come.

Five years ago the Mbale Mission Team, which Joy and I are now apart of, decided to pursue a project that would change the face of East Africa for Christ for generations to come. This project is LivingStone International University.

Now you may be wondering how is a university going to effect East Africa? It is because of the need here in Uganda in many ways.

1. There is not enough colleges or universities for all the the graduates from high school.
2. The schooling that is available is often under-funded and some people have to an Islamic University because there is just no other option for high education.
3. Ugandan and East Africans alike, place a major emphasis on education.
4. As Christians we are called minister to people, but to also provide training in everyday skills. For the people here that means agricultural and even business education.

Last week Joy and I got off the sidelines and dove into the project. We have begun to help organize and shape the university. We were joined by 30 other African Delegates from Uganda, Kenya, Congo, Ghana and the States to help form an African Council to help advise the university. It was such an honor to rub shoulders with many African Christian Leaders. Many of these delegates had PhDs and were very well schooled.

After the week, the team has been praying and seeking the which members will begin to sit on the advisory board.

We ask your prayers as we join a major project that will be incorporating my ministry of Good News Productions, International (GNPI) and Joy’s ministry to the Deaf in East Africa.

Again thank you for your partnership and for joining us on this wonderful journey God has called us to.

Journey with Us.

Please check out http://livingstone.ac.ug for more information about the university project. Also if you would like to be more involved or find out more information about this particular project send us an email from the Contact Us page.

#49: Village Visit to Makoma

Enjoy the tour of Makoma. This is a small village near Lake Victoria. We went out there with Phillip to observe the culture. This was my second time for going and Joy’s first time. We had a blast! I had my first chicken heart!!!
It was very interesting. I will spare you any other details!

#46: Visiting Atirir

Yesterday we went on our first village visit in Uganda since being in the country this time, to a place called Atirir. The drive out there was about 1 ½ or 2 hours long partly due to road conditions. The first ¾ of the trip, the road was tarmac, but it felt like we were traveling by boat hitting lots of waves rather than a smooth road. The last leg of the journey introduced us to road construction. We somehow missed the road “diversion,” or as we would call it detour sign, and ended up driving on the part of the road that was under construction. We took a little video of what it is like to ride in a car in Uganda. If you’re interested take a look, but be warned, it is a bumpy road.

The area is not super lush and fertile like some areas, but the people still seemed to be surviving well. There were not many big trees around, mostly there were scraggly bushes. There were a few trees for shade, though. I saw a few mango trees and others I am not yet familiar with. The main crop right now is cassava, which is a starchy root that is sometimes eaten like a potato.

The houses that we came across were all square, one room houses made out of mud and had thatched grass roofs, most of which looked like they had seen better days. The houses had no windows and only one door, made out of wood. Each house had a pole in the middle to support the roof. This apparently is not customary in all villages. Our “tour guide” (a Ugandan friend of ours named George) made it a point to show us the pole and if we could not see it in a house for some reason, he would ask the owner of the house if they had a pole.

The church where the discipleship course was held was actually really nice to many we have been in. By looking at the picture I’m sure many of you are thinking, that’s nice? But the fact that it is a long term building with a tin roof, doors, and windows makes this a very nice building.

We had fun wandering around the area before the discipleship meeting started and were able to learn a lot of things about the way the people in the village live. We learned how they make their own charcoal, how they make their roofs for their houses, how to know when the kasava is ready to be picked or if it has already been picked, how to know where the boundary for each family’s land ends, and that they separate their bath house from their toilet area. The most interesting thing to me was that we found out that a bicycle is like the most important thing for somebody to own. It is the first thing someone will get. Some people even sell their land to get a bicycle. Can you imagine selling all your property or a chunk of it to buy a bicycle? That just baffles my mind, but then again, a bicycle is a lot faster than walking and cheaper than any other mode of transportation.

We really did enjoy our first experience in the village this time around and look forward to the next time we go out.