Meet the Team

We are always telling you about our team so we thought that today you should get to meet them. You may have heard us refer to them as "our boys". That was a habit we got into in 2013 and even though there was one young lady on our team for the last few months of 2013 and Greg's replacement was also a young woman, we still continued to call them "our boys".  There are now three young women on the team and we have tried to get into the habit of calling them "the team", but every so often the phrase "our boys" does slip out. No matter how you slice it, this is a fine group of people who we are privileged to have in our lives.

I wish you could come here and meet them all, but I know that is unlikely so I will bring them to you.
I think we were only missing two team members today- Michael and Duncan. I will catch up with them next week and then you can meet them too.

Jackie- the team leader
Jackie is an architect by training
She took over Greg's job when we left in 2013.
For all my coffee drinkers out there- it is Jackie's family who grows the coffee.  
You still have time to order coffee!

The plumbers
Johnson and Isaac
Isaac is one of the original team members from when we started here in 2013.
Johnson joined the team late in 2013- just before we left Uganda to return to Canada

This one- what can I tell you about this one?
Mama's little brat!
He gets himself in trouble and then just flashes that smile!
This is Grace

This is Emma and we met him for the first time when we traveled to Uganda in 2016.
The first question he asked us was, "Will you adopt me?"
Emma works upcountry at the Watoto Church campus in Gulu.

Fiona is the facilities department administrator
We met Fiona when we traveled to Uganda in 2016
She works alongside Jackie and Saul to see that the place is running smoothly

Ronnie is an electrician and has taken a keen interest in air conditioning.
Ronnie has married in the past year since we were here last and his beautiful bride has the same birthday as Greg (today!)

Joseph is an electrician and seems to coordinate stuff- when the car needs fuel, he is the guy. When we needed passport photos for our Watoto ID last year, he was the guy.
He also is one of the people working from this side to get the container here.

Ambrose is an electrician who joined the team late in 2013
He takes every opportunity he can to learn from Greg and often calls him when we are home in Canada, as well
Ambrose is another of the team members who got married since our last visit

Elton has joined the team in the last year so this was our first time to meet him.
Elton draws pictures (aka does drawings/blue prints)

This is Jonathan (aka Trouble!)
Greg met him on the 2014 trip while working at the Big Party
I met him on our trip in 2016 and knew right away that he was trouble

This is Amanda and she draws things- that is the answer I get whenever I ask one of the guys!
Amanda is at a very exciting time- she is getting married in two weeks.

This is Saul.
What does Saul do? He bosses me around when I'm here!
I don't know what he does the rest of the time, right Saul?

                                           

And this is Edward. He is one of the original team members that was here when we started in 2013
Ed is an electrician who has taken on some leadership responsibilities and is working closely with Greg, Mike and Adam in the planning for the new powerhouse.
Ed and his wife Phina had a baby boy since our last visit- Jajja is excited to get Jeremiah cuddles!

                                                

This is Jack, the Operations Manager for Watoto (I think that is the right title!)
He has been steering this ship since before we arrived in 2013.
He and Greg have become good friends.
The ritual that goes on when they see each other for the first time when we arrive in country cannot be explained- it has to be seen!

So that is the team we keep telling you about. We learn a little more about each of them on every trip. I really can't explain to you what a privilege it is to have a home and a family on each side of the globe- we are so blessed.

Now, all of you who are reading this need to leave a comment about yourself so the team can get to know you too!
                                               

Happy Birthday Brian

A few days ago I told you about how we had surprised Brian last Friday night when he didn't even know we were in Uganda. Well, today we surprised him again. Today is his 20th birthday and he had a birthday like never before.
In Uganda, people (particularly people with very low incomes) do not celebrate birthdays (or Christmas or other holidays, for that matter). Every day is a struggle to keep children fed and to pay school fees- there is no extra money for celebrating birthdays. Many children in Uganda don't even know when their birthday is. Many mothers don't know the birth dates of their children. It is just a reality here where, for many, life is a struggle every single day.
Brian was raised in a home where his mother worked very hard to provide for her children. He did not grow up knowing that children were supposed to have birthday parties. Cake, candles, balloons, goody bags- all foreign to him and his siblings.
However, since Joanna has been in Uganda, she has found out the birth dates of the children in her organization and she has done something special to celebrate them on their day. A few days ago Greg asked Joanna if we could take Brian out for supper for his birthday. She gladly accepted on his behalf, but when she tried to call him to tell him, she was unable to get ahold of him for more than a day. Finally, yesterday she walked to Brian's house to find him to tell him about supper. It turns out Brian's phone had gotten broken and was no longer usable.
It is amazing how God works! You see, just the day before yesterday, Greg had called Joanna and asked if it would be ok if we give Brian a smart phone. We have so many generous donors at home that give us phones that we can bring here to bless people. Joanna was excited that Brian would have a good phone and Greg was excited that the two of them will now be able to communicate everyday via Whats App.
So tonight Joanna picked up Brian and met us at Cafe Javas for supper. We all ordered our food and once it arrived, we started eating and chatting away. Brian had a very large plateful (he is a big, strong young man), but when the rest of us were done eating, he had only eaten a very small amount. He asked if it would be ok if he had the rest packaged up to take home and we all told him yes. He then said that he wanted to take it home for his mother and his brother. We just looked at him, with tears running down our cheeks- what an amazing young man who always looks out for the more vulnerable around him.
After supper, we ordered cake and the Cafe Java staff sang Happy Birthday to Brian. Of course he saved most of the cake to take home as well.
Then came the moment when Greg gave him the phone. I am having trouble even describing this moment to you. Initially, there was a look of utter disbelief on his face and he kept asking repeatedly, "Is this really for me?" Then he got up and hugged Greg, sat down for about a minute staring at the phone and got up to hug Greg again. He was absolutely speechless. As we sat and chatted for quite a while longer, Brian would put the phone away in the bag, but only for about a minute before he would take it out again and stare at it. The only words he kept saying were "I can't believe it."
Things that are "throw aways" to us in North America can be such a huge blessing to people here.
With each new part of the evening: the meal, singing Happy Birthday, the cake, the gift, Brian kept saying, "This is a first for me." He kept thanking us over and over and over.
Little did he know, we had already been blessed to overflowing at the privilege of spending his "1st birthday ever" with him.

That is one happy young man there...and his very proud Pop!

Tuesday Morning

On our drive into the office today, we were talking about how exciting it will be to bring a team to Uganda with us next year. Most of the team have never been to Uganda and I am not sure what their experience is in other majority world countries. It is always fun to have someone new join us and we start to look at things here differently again- with fresh eyes if you will.
Things that were so foreign to us on our 2010 and 2012 building trips have now become "everyday" to us. However, there are still some things that are not comfortable for us and never will be. The "red hats" fit into that category. What on earth are the "red hats", you may be asking. Well, in Uganda there are several different types of police who wear different uniforms and have different functions. The traffic police dress in white and we see them every single day directing traffic and handing out traffic tickets. There are others dressed in brown and the ones dressed in blue who are often outfitted in riot gear. Then there are the "red hats". They are in a league all of their own.
Uganda often has riots, usually minor, and can be controlled by the guys dressed in brown or blue. They wear riot gear and, when necessary, use water cannons, tear gas, etc to subdue crowds. Our Ugandan friends were very surprised to learn that we had no idea what tear gas felt like- nope, that one is still very foreign to us. If crowds continue to escalate, even with the above measures, then the "red hats" show up and things usually disperse rather quickly. They carry serious weapons and it is my understanding that they have the authority to "shoot to kill". Yikes- that is serious business.
So you say, what does all of this have to do with your title "Tuesday Morning". Well, the main court building is just over a block from where we hang out everyday at Watoto Downtown. Normally we drive by the court building en route to our destination. However, this morning the road was blocked off (by the water cannon) and on the lawn were more "red hats" than we have ever seen in one place ever before. There were tents set up where they slept overnight on the lawn of the courthouse and as we drove by, they were lined up, presumably getting instructions for the day. There is a very important court case going on right now (regarding changing the maximum age the president can be) and it is expected there will be rioting. This is our first time seeing more than 50 "red hats" at one time and I am told there are several others posted throughout the city.
Now you are probably all thinking that this is a crazy place and we are unsafe. No- that is not the case. Even though seeing the "red hats" is never a good thing, we just know to avoid that area for the time being. We are safe. God is still God and He is in control of everything- He has far more power than a million "red hats"!
After our little detour, we arrived to begin our Tuesday. And let me tell you, Tuesday is an amazing day at Watoto Downtown. The whole Watoto team (around 300 people) gather for team devotions, an amazing time of worship and teaching. If you have never been here for a Watoto worship time, I wish you could be here to experience it. If you have been at Watoto before, I know you are envisioning it now and you are very jealous. So, for both groups- those who have never experienced it and those who are missing it, I tried to attach a little video, but that didn't work. I will try putting it up on Facebook.

Photos to go with the previous blog

Must have been my poor wifi connection that was causing the problems- now we are in business!

One week in

One week ago right now we had just boarded our final flight in Amsterdam and were about to start heading south to the equator. Our time here always goes so quickly- it is hard to believe it has been over a week since we left home.
Our first weekend here consisted of some social activity- meeting up with old friends and getting to know some new friends.
On Friday night we went out for supper with our friend Joanna. If you have been following our story since 2013, you will be very familiar her. She arrived in Uganda in 2013 with the intention of staying for one year. God had another plan for her and she has remained here and has started her own organization. She is an incredible woman and a dear friend. What a joy it was to sit and catch up with her. She is such a strong and passionate woman who loves the Lord with all her heart and also loves the vulnerable children of Uganda. Many people come to Uganda (or other majority world countries) and go home again to go about living their lives. Joanna has said, "How can I go back home and live in my nice house, knowing what I know about the need here?" Yet her attitude is one of such humility and she insists she is not doing anything special. It is so humbling to sit with her and listen to all that God has done as she has trusted Him through some really trying times. What a huge blessing to spend the evening with her.
The oldest boy (actually he is now a young man) in Joanna's organization is called Brian. He was raised without a father figure and over the last few years, he and Greg have become closer and closer. Brian has told him, in the past, that Greg is his role model and that is the man he strives to be. We are continually humbled by the people and situations God has placed in our lives. Brian is an amazing dancer and he is now coaching/mentoring a group of young male dancers who will have their first competition this weekend. They were practicing on Friday night so after we finished supper, the three of us stopped in to surprise Brian. He didn't even know we were in Uganda so he was a very surprised and excited young man when Greg walked through the door. After the hugging was done, he told the young dancers, "I want you to meet my best friend Greg." Tears welled up in Greg's eyes. Friends, it doesn't cost a lot to build into someone's life. Genuine care for another goes a very, very long way. Who needs your caring today? If your answer is "No one", just pray and I know God will send you someone.
Saturday supper was spent with some of the Watoto leadership, discussing plans for the organization and just getting to know each other better. It was a wonderful evening filled with many stories, lots of laughs and good food. We met at a place called Cassia Lodge, which boasts the best view of Kampala.
Again, I wish I could share those pictures with you, but blogger will not allow me to attach photos (I know my kids think I am the problem, but I do know what I'm doing, on this one at least!) I will post photos on Facebook so you can see them there.

All the Beauty

Hi All

Finally we are caught up on sleep enough to write a post that may actually make sense!

We have had a wonderful first few days here in Uganda, but the weather is “very cold” today.   Of course everything is relative- it was 17 degrees this morning and is warming up nicely now.

We are staying with dear friends who have a lovely view of Lake Victoria from their balcony. Their compound is full of beautiful flowers and plants- none of which could survive the harsh reality of a Saskatchewan winter!  This country is so very beautiful- when Watoto choir sings about “Beautiful Africa”, they are not kidding!

Watoto Church is a busy place loaded with new activities everyday. We continue to run into “old friends” and have had the opportunity to make some new ones.

Greg has been very excited to see the growth in the facilities team since our previous visit. During our last trip to Uganda, he did an “everything you wanted to know about air conditioning in three weeks” bootcamp. There was a lot of information packed into a short period of time.  It is so encouraging to come back a year later and see how that knowledge is being put into action every day. The team is doing an amazing job maintaining the air conditioning and continuing to take on new challenges all the time.

We are so thankful to our Canadian supporters who have donated money, equipment and tools to be put into the hands of these very capable tradespeople.  Without your support, none of this could be taking place. You are making a lasting difference in this country.  We cannot ever thank you enough.

Uganda 2017

We are very thankful for an uneventful journey to Uganda. All went well and we arrived on time on Monday night. Several members of the facilities team were at the airport to welcome us home. We are so blessed to have two homes and two families- one on each side of the globe.
Friends of ours recommended some jet lag tablets that they take. They travel all over the world and never experience jet lag anymore. We were very hopeful and felt really good while on the flights (the tablets are taken every 2 hours while traveling). Unfortunately, it seems the benefits were limited to feeling good while flying. Last night we were hopeful when it was 8:00 and we needed to go to bed. We slept so soundly...until 10:45 PM. The rest of the night was spent praying, tossing, turning with a few short naps mixed in. Oh well, as they say, this isn't our first rodeo! This too will pass and our bodies will adjust. We just need to power through these first few days.
Not much to tell you about yet. We spent yesterday wandering around and hugging lots of people.
Today we need to get our phones up and running. Greg is off helping with a problem already this morning. We will see what else the day brings...