Elias Rick Vigil

Elias Rick Vigil was born at 7am on June 14th. He weighs 7 lbs and 14 ounces. He is 19 and a quarter inches. Both mom and baby are healthy.

Thanks for your prayers!

Signs in Uganda

Signs in Uganda

Originally uploaded by vinnyocc .

#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!

#48: Visiting Kaworyu

Here is just some videos and picture from my trip to Kaworyu.

Inside the church building.

Vince standing in the village of Kaworyu

Drums warming in the sun and getting ready to be played.

The fields are ready for harvest.

Shawn and James visiting with Patrick.

The church in Kaworyu.

#47: Visiting Makoma

I don’t usually write as much as Joy so this may be a short post. Last week I made a visit to Makoma, Uganda. It is located near Lake Victoria. It was a really a neat experience and very different from Atirir.

For those of you that are not aware, Joy and I live in a cultural diverse area. There is not just one tribe of people in the area, but closer to a dozen. In village of Atirir lived the Ateso tribe and in Makoma it was a different tribe.

During our stay in Makoma, we baptized 17 people! It was really neat to see how someone is baptized in something other then a tank in the church.

I think the biggest thing I learned was the hospitality of Makoma. We were warmly greeted by many people and we even ended our time there with a meal. We have rice and beef served to us. The food was good, it only had a few pieces of rock!

That is it for now, enjoy the pictures.