Innocent, Chris, and Grace for Education

We so enjoyed getting to know our new friend Innocent who lives in Seeta on the side of a hill that overlooks Lake Victoria. His story is remarkable in how it is woven into God's story of inspiring work being done in the name of Jesus here in Africa. Innocent was born in northern Uganda - the 10th of ten children in very poor conditions. His first pair of shoes were given to him at age 16. That was also the age he began secondary school, finishing at 21. He was working as a security guard at an orphanage when he met Chris Hinson, a teacher at the Bedford School in Fayetteville, Georgia. Chris asked him the simple question "Do you like being a security guard?" Innocent knew that if he was honest he might lose his job, but he believed in telling the truth. That was the moment that began a great relationship. Chris helped fulfill Innocent's dream of getting his University degree to become a teacher so that he could positively affect young men of Uganda to make a difference for Christ in their country. We spent a day and a night with Innocent at the home built through Chris' non-profit organization, Grace for Education. The vision is for twelve young men to live in the home as they complete university or vocational training. They will be discipled by Innocent and will join him in reaching out to widows and orphans in their community. At the moment, Innocent encourages high school boys with whom he is developing relationships. We were able to introduce Andrew Kalungi to Innocent and put the wheels in motion for Andrew to be mentored by Innocent at his new high school.

The house is amazing!! We were the first to spend the night there. The progress was faster than expected and the result is beautiful! Chris will be overjoyed when he arrives next week!! We painted a ceiling, helped with a few details and painted some Bible verses on boards for him to use. The view of Lake Victoria from there is breathtaking. Innocent lives there with his niece Mackline. His fiancé Dorothy helped host us. There is electricity and running water, with beautiful tiled showers.

Innocent and Dorothy are ready to marry but there is the problem of the "bride price." In US dollars it is at least $2400 (or the equivalent in cows and goats) for him to pay her Muslim parents. He also has to come up with money for the wedding. This amount is far beyond what he can do on his own anytime soon and so he is trusting God to provide. They are honoring Christ while they are waiting, but of course they want children! The culture around them is much different, though as we have found. Most people go ahead and live together and have children without marriage or the bride price. We are praying for cultural change as well as the money for Innocent and Dorothy!!

The address for Grace for Education, a non-profit, 501c3, is 6130 Hampton Overlook Court, Cumming, Georgia, 30041.

God has done great things for us!!

We are so thankful!!! Our prayers and your prayers have been answered! Andrew and Innocent were able to meet as we spent the night at the Grace for Education house in Seeta. They connected well together and Innocent was able to suggest an excellent Christian school for Andrew in his area. Their connection was one answer to prayer and then we were able to overcome several obstacles and enroll him in a wonderful school with high standards and Christian principles. Innocent will oversee his education and mentor him on holidays. Seroma is the name of the school and it is all boarding. His mother and grandmother are thrilled and a young cousin will stay with them to help with the garden and animals. The school is three to four hours away from home depending on traffic. The great thing is that he will be with his friend Simon, pictured at the school with Andrew. Innocent is pictured with Otis. He himself has quite an amazing story I would love to tell. He will be an excellent role model for Andrew who really needs a man in his life. Andrew's father was a muslim who had three wives and abandoned them. Multiple wives are common especially in the past generations. Andrew's family is Christian. They walk one and a half hours one way each Sunday to the nearest church. The nearest school for him was a Muslim school and that's where he was before. He walked ten to thirty minutes to school depending on how fast he walked. There were no other students in his village who valued education like he does and so he has little support and no one to help with homework questions. Now he is fully supported at the new school and will have much more study time. Before, he arrived home around six p.m., ate his only meal of the day, helped with the garden and animals and then tried to study before dark. After dark there are only candles. He did not even have a flashlight! On top of that there was the worry of rain raining into your bedroom in the night. We are so thankful for all God has done to get him to a better place!!!!! Thank you to so many of you who have prayed for him and for us. We are all well! Our very long trip home starts Friday afternoon and we would appreciate your prayers for patience, sleep, and flexible attitudes. Thank you!!!!

Buziga Country Resort

We loved the awesome hospitality from our friends at Buziga!! Our hostesses Florence and Judith were great and Huntington was the greatest driver ever!!!

Andrew's Home!

We were so honored to be able to visit Andrew's home in Kakiri. It was a good distance out in the country and it was so beautiful!! His garden has banana, cassava, yam, beans, sweet potato, corn, and avocado. The soil is so rich and there are no deer to come eat the crops! One of the pigs has piglets that live in the chicken house. They don't have chickens now but want to start a business. The have a tank for rainwater and only need to go to the well when the dry season comes. Half of the roof is new but half has holes, so Andrew's room and his mother's room get rained on and they stand all night in the living room when it rains. There is no power so they use candles. He has rigged up his radio that you see beside him in his room. He showed us his clothes which are in one trunk. The kitchen is a hut outside and they cook over the fire. They are beautiful people and we were so honored to be there. Because of the distance it took to get there we did not have much time to visit but we loved every minute of it!! Jaja is the name for grandmother, and we loved seeing her. Harriet is his lovely mother, and Alvin and Anita are his little brother and little sister. Hope to see them soon!!

Lunch at church

Every day we have feasted due to the hospitality of our hosts. Mama George has treated us to some great Ugandan dishes! You can see the way they are cooking. The beans take several hours and they are under the banana leaves. There is also a pot of rice. Yesterday was rice and beans with avocado and pumpkin. Today was rice, ground nut sauce, yam, matake, beans and cabbage. David has learned to eat the lunches more as we go along, and he and John usually have the plain rice. David is now asking for beans as well!! John has thought it delicious from the start.

The ladies make their own charcoal and use it for cooking. They save the fire on the sticks for use again. Many people help with the preparation. The rice has to be sorted because of small rocks being mixed in. Other vegetables are prepared and shredded and shelled, etc. it is a lot of work! Yesterday Mama George gave us some fried treats that were like donuts. She is always smiling! She is George Williams's mother. So warm and gracious!! Today she sent us home with hot corn on the cob. Just imagine the trips someone has been making to the well for all the water needed. Then there is water to wash all the dishes. It is not easy to look at that wash water, is it?