Uganda '10

Come to our Teahouse!

2010-08-25T09:57:00.000-04:00

Please join us at Rutgers Community Christian Church this Sunday, 8/29 at 1-3pm to hear the exciting details of the Uganda short term missions trip! We will be meeting in the Agape Chapel, and light refreshments will be served, including East African coffee and Ugandan tea!

Hope to see you there!

Update #9: Coming Home!

2010-08-05T07:01:00.000-04:00

we have returned safely from the north. the team was blessed by the local worship, food and local body of believers. we will be flying back to the united states tomorrow. please pray for a safe journey.

Update #8: On to the District of Apac!

2010-08-01T18:24:00.002-04:00

Today is Sunday. We split the team to visit Pastor Darryl's church and
Pastor Butch's church. Pastor Darryl presented the team with a certificate
of appreciation for helping with the water project.

Tomorrow we will head to the District of Apac. What used to be a 10-hour car
ride will hopefully only take 5-6 hours. The roads have improved
tremendously in the last year. For the next 4 days we will have no access to
email. We will be in a rural area. Please pray for us. We will be delivering
bibles in the Luo language, giving mosquito nets, and ministering to the local
people of Apac.

*Below is our expected schedule:*
Monday: Drive to Apac; meeting at night
Tuesday: Iyra Village and Church
Wednesday: Apac Prison ministry; Apac Hospital
Thursday: Another church visit; drive back to Ntinda

Thank you for your partnership in ministry!

Update #7: Hygiene Classes

2010-08-01T18:21:00.002-04:00

today was the last day of our hygiene classes. the last three days were a huge blessing to the team. we learned to be flexible, patient and sensitive to a different culture. as a team, we have grown a lot and still have a lot to learn from each other.

the three day hygiene classes were broken down into a morning and afternoon session. we had a nutrition, first-aid, clean water/hygiene and disease class. the local people rotated through each class during the last three days. each day we started with prayer and ended with prayer. today, the last day we ended with the wordless bracelet. jane and brenda conducted a morning session for the children which included songs, a bible story, wordless bracelet, brushing teeth and handwashing.

the nakalanda island community was very thankful that we came. more importantly, each of the team members learned amazing lessons from God through this community.

please come to our teahouse, we have much to share!

Update #6: Hygiene Classes + Gospel Sharing!

2010-07-29T15:14:00.001-04:00

Hello!

Today was our first day conducting the hygiene classes on Nakalanda Island. After a hour and half hour ride to the port, then a half hour boat ride and then boda boda we reached the new medical clinic.

It was a long and tiring day for the team but successful. The team had to make several adjustments to our schedule, I am very proud of the team for being flexible.

The first hygiene session went very well, the local people recieved the classes enthusiatically. They asked many questions and were very appreciative.

We have had many opportunities to segue to sharing the gospel, please pray that the team uses the oppportunities to be bold in witness and stand firm in what is right practice versus wrong practice (example: worshipping the water God or consulting a witch doctor).

We were able to walk through the village and tour the area, this was an eye opening experience for the team and made us more appreciative of our comfortable lifestyle in America.

Please pray for the physical well-being of the team. Nakalanda Island is physically challenging as will our visit to the Nothern District of Apac.

Thank you for reading and for your partnership in ministry.

Update #5: Water Filter Complete!

2010-07-27T13:26:00.000-04:00

Hello!

Today was an exciting day! After two days of washing gravel, sand, and fine sand to fill the water filter, the water filter is complete. We are so grateful for all the hardwork and teamwork we experienced during the last several days. It was very exciting to see water flowing from the filter!

Thank you dear supporters for all your prayers and support! We will be heading to Nakalanda Island next for our hygiene classes!

Update #4: Ministry Update

2010-07-26T10:50:00.001-04:00

Oli-o-tiya!

How are you? It is early Monday morning. The team is still resting, this week will get very busy. Already there has been many changes to our ministry. The following is the update:

Monday - Water Project
Tuesday - Sanyu Baby Home
Wednesday - Prepping for hygiene ministry and Loving One By One Centre
Thursday - Nakalanda Island Hygiene Classes
Friday - Nakalanda Island Hygiene Classes
Saturday - Nakalanda Island Hygiene Classes
Sunday - Church/ rest
Monday - Travel to Apac (Northern Uganda)
Tuesday - Apac/ deliver bibles and supplies to prison and hospital
Wednesday - Apac/ Iyra village deliver bibles and supplies
Thursday - Travel back to Ntinda
Friday - Return home

The ministries that we are doing are brand new. The Nakalanda Island Hygiene clases are being held in a brand new medical clinic recently completde. We will be the first team to conduct hygiene classes and to use the facilities. Pastor Butch, has recieved special permision for us to visit the prison, school and village.

Please continue to pray for us. The team has adjusted nicely to Uganda. The Ugandan people have been taking very good care of us.

Update #3:Safe Arrival Jen and Jane

2010-07-26T10:49:00.002-04:00

Hello! This morning Jen and Jane arrived safely to Uganda. We are now a team of 8. Yesterday's carnival was a success, Brenda was able to share a bible story with over 500 children. The water project is going well, the boys hope to get it done by tomorrow. The rest of the team has been busy preparing for the hygiene classes which will take place this Thursday, Friday and Saturday on Nakalanda Island.

Please continue to pray for the team, they are in good spirits. The weather has been very cool with occasional rain, this has been a huge blessing. Please pray for Jen and Jane who are getting over jet lag and some motion sickness from the plane ride.

Thank you and God Bless!

Update #2: Jane Behan and Jen Jen are on their way to Uganda!

2010-07-24T00:33:00.002-04:00

Hi all!

I'm excited to update that Jane Behan and Jen Jen are en route to Uganda. Their flight left at 10:55 this evening. Please remember them in your prayers!

RCCC Uganda Family

Update #1: Safely Arrived!

2010-07-23T10:05:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone!

We have safely arrived in Uganda with all 18 pieces of luggage intact! Though a little tired, we are excited to be in Africa. We have already begun our ministry, in the afternoon we visited Victory City Church to discuss the water project and to determine what supplies we may need. We also visited New Creation Home, a family home started by Sherry Roberts from California.

Tomorrow, we will be helping with a carnival at Victory City Church. Over 500 children are expected to attend. Please pray for Brenda, she will be sharing a bible story with the kids. Daniel and Vince will be starting the water filtration system tomorrow.

Please also pray for Jen Jen and Jane Behan who will be in transit over to Uganda.

Thank you!

Pics from the Send-Off

2010-07-22T00:03:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures on how they started things off tonight!

Schedule

2010-07-20T23:27:00.000-04:00

Dearest Friends and Family,

This time tomorrow we will heading to Uganda. We thank you so much for your support and love. Just to give you an idea what our schedule will look like and how you can continue to pray for us:

7/21
Depart Newark 10:55PM >> Arrive London 11AM >> Depart London 9PM

7/23 Arrive Entebbe, Uganda 8AM

7/24 Ntinda >> Victory City Church >> water project

7/25 Ntinda >> Carnival for the children and water project

7/26 Ntinda >> Church and visit family home

7/27 Ntinda >> Victory City Church >> water project

7/28 Apac >> Drive to the northern village of Apac

7/29 Apac >> Village ministry, give out Lao bibles, mosquito nets and seeds

7/30 Apac >> Drive back to southern side, Ntinda

7/31 Nakalanda Island >> First Day of Hygiene Class

8/1 Ntinda >> Church and visit family home

8/2 Nakalanda Island >> Second Day of Hygiene Class

8/3 Nakalanda Island >> Third Day of Hygiene Class

8/4 Nakalanda Island >> Fourth Day of Hygiene Class

8/5 Ntinda >> ministry wrap up, packing

8/6 Return home

Send off info!

2010-07-16T10:24:00.001-04:00

the countdown continues!
and this STM team is getting excited

for those of you who graciously want to come send us off, here is the info:
DATE: Wednesday 7/21
TIME: 7:15pm
PLACE: RCCC building A parking lot (i don't know the name)

please join us for a time of joyful prayer and praise.
and lots of hugging.
there always seems to be lots of hugging.
more so for girls i suppose.
oh and "before" pictures.

you get the idea.

from there, we'll be leaving around 7:45 or 8 to drive over to Newark (Liberty???) International Airport.

if we don't get to see your lovely face, keep on praying on.
especially for planning and organization, even after we get to Uganda.
and for lots of Spirit-fed love. to better pour out onto others.
(even our own team members :D)

8 days... WHAT?!

2010-07-13T21:27:00.004-04:00

It's like I blinked and 3 weeks went by.

So much has happened and so much has yet to happen!

It was so overwhelming to see the generosity of the body these past months.

For one, when it came to fundraising, which I approached reluctantly, even if some team members were short, others had more than enough to cover.

Even more so, we had more than enough donations to pack and bring. And more still kept coming!

We spent one afternoon sorting, and another packing.

It just reminded me of the way the early church was depicted in Acts 2. Where everyone gave to fulfill the needs of others, because their things were really God's things, and they recognized that we were merely called to be good stewards and pass God's stuff around to those who really needed it.

The generosity in care and prayer has also been felt. Especially with the recent news of the bombs going off in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. It is still safe to travel to Uganda, so our trip remains unchanged. Especially in these times, every moment is an opportunity to demonstrate what it means to trust in the Lord of Lords.

So what are we doing now?

We are preparing activities and visuals to use in our hygiene classes!

We will be teaching outside, so there are a lot of elements that we cannot control, but we know they are in far better hands.Please pray that we can plan well, yet also be flexible in Spirit if manmade plans need to bend to God's will.

We leave Wednesday, July 21st. Return August 6th.

are you ready? God is.

Team Uganda Update

2010-06-16T19:01:00.005-04:00

Team Uganda is now exactly five weeks away from our departure date, and as plans start coming together, we're super excited for our journey to Nakalanda Island. We've officially launched our fundraising campaign for the Amazzi Challenge, and even after only one week, we're well on our way to reaching our fundraising goal of $1,500!

The Amazzi Challenge is one of the projects that we will be conducting during our stay in Uganda. The aim is to provide safe drinking water for residents in the region. We've partnered with Pastor Darryl Woodson, of Victory City Church Ntinda, and have determined that the most feasible option is to collect rainwater coming off the rooftop of the church, store it in holding tanks, and then purify it with a biosand filter before drinking. More information about how the filter works can be found on the image above, or by clicking [here] for the full size image. We recently got the great news that all the materials required to build the rain collection system and the biosand filter could be obtained locally and quickly.

Also! We've built a small scale prototype of our filter and it worked! If you were at Rutgers Community Christian Church this past week, you may gotten a chance to see our filter. Unfortunately, we had a leak in the system and couldn't do a live demo. We'd like to note however, that we filtered some of the water from the stream that cuts through RCCC campus, and the water collected from the leak was clear and odorless! We hope to have the issue resolved by this Sunday, so stop by our table after E1 and M2 services this week to see it in action. If you happen to miss us, don't worry! We'll be sure to post photos and video shortly after.

Please do keep us in your prayers; we're so excited to be partnering with you in God's mission.

Peace and God bless!

what's going without being sent?

2010-06-03T10:13:00.001-04:00

Uganda.

is where we (Anita, Dan, Brenda, Vince, Jon, and Jen) will be for 2 weeks in July and August.

oh, and it's in Africa. :)

why go?

because God cares for the well-being of his children. thousands of deaths that occur in countries like Uganda could be prevented if people practiced simple hygiene, like washing hands, and if they had access to clean water. we hope to go educate people and build a water filter.

now, what's going without being sent? we do not go as ourselves, but as part of a bigger body, a network of love, understanding, and prayer to share experiences with, to help through struggles and to keep things in perspective.

so please come to the send-off!

the send-off will be this Sunday, 6/6 at RCCC

Agape Chapel (aka Building C), 1pm

and do, pray on.

periodically updates will be sent through email and on our blog.

if you know anyone who wants to receive these updates, let me (Jen) know! I can add them to the mailing list.

update #5

2009-03-15T16:41:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone,
In our last update we were nearing the end of our first week in Kenya. We have now completed our time in Kenya have arrived in Uganda, marking the half-way point of our scouting trip. As we did in our last update, we’ve included
1) Reflections
2) Brief description of ministries visited
…
We have witnessed drought and starvation, AIDS and orphans, poverty and destitution. As we think about the plights we’ve seen we’d be completely remiss to not reflect on the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In coming to Earth, the Son of God became impoverished so that we might become rich. He poured out His life so that we could drink from the fountain of life and never go thirsty again. He faced the wrath and rejection of the Father so that we might be adopted and never be orphaned again. He was broken and crushed for our sins so that we could be restored and renewed - clothed in His righteousness.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Anita, Dan, Wen & Wilson
….
Thursday
• HEART – AIDS/HIV care for women (medical care and vocational training), orphan care and orphan prevention initiatives, slum and rural ministries
• Comido Embasaki – slum ministry for children, school, feeding program, and spiritual nourishment
Friday
• Travel to Uganda
• Wycliffe Bible Translators / SIL Uganda – Bible translation center in Uganda, working on multiple languages with various people groups to develop their language, teach literacy, and translate the bible
• Loving One By One Ministries – orphanage and school for Ugandan children
Saturday
• Finalize and confirm appointments with ministries in Uganda
• Visit Ugandan church service at Kampala Pentacostal Church

Update

2009-03-11T21:37:00.003-04:00

Hello all,

We hope you are well. We are writing to give a brief update on our trip.

As you would expect from a missions scouting trip, our time has been focused on meeting with various ministries to explore opportunities for partnership / support. We are spending one week in Kenya followed by one week in Uganda. We are nearing the end of our time in Kenya. We have met with around 8 different ministries. During these meetings we have spoken with various leaders and observed their ministries. At the end of this email I've included below a brief day by day summary.

From a more personal perspective, over the past several days, we've been deeply affected by all we've seen and observed. The physical, spiritual, and educational needs are nearly beyond comprehension. Though we've only been here a short time, our perspective on the vast need has been indelibly changed. One example: walking through the slums is an incomparable experience - the sights, sounds and smells are overwhelming. There is a mix of disbelief, heartbreak, and pity. We wanted to cry. We wanted to hug the children and bring them home. We wanted to heal their sickness and mend their brokeness. We wanted to stay and enter their world. We always left longing to do more.

Love,

Anita, Dan, Wen & Wilson

Update/summary:

Day 1:

Huruma Children's Center: Christian orphanage that provides healthcare, education, housing
Maasai Education Advocacy for Change: During the current drought, the Maasai (a nomadic herdsman tribe) have faced incredibly difficult circumstances as their livestock have suffered and died. Their is significant need for sustainable water supply as they walk over 25 KM just to get water.

Day 2: Visited a national park to view the amazing wildlife of Kenya.

Day 3:

Wycliffe/Bible Translation and Literacy - Visted headquarters of BTL, which focuses on bible translation into African languages.
Anchor of Hope - slum children's ministry, providing academic and spiritual education, and food when available

Day 4:

Faulu - established Christian microfinance institution
Lutheran slum ministries - church and children's ministries targeted at residents of Kibera, Kenya's largest slum
Chonesus (Christian Hope Network and Support Services) - children and widow's ministry in Kibera, providing healthcare, literacy and vocational training

Kenya/Uganda STM-#1

2009-03-02T23:16:00.005-05:00

Hi!, Dan, Wilson, Wen and I are very excited! It seems a little surreal that we will be in Africa in less than a week's time. Thank you for your support and love. We are so excited to embark on this journey to see what God will teach us and show us. Prior to our departure our team has a lot to accomplish. Our prayer requests prior to departure:

1) Wilson will be heading out to Los Angeles tomorrow for a business school interview. Please pray that he will be safe. Pray that when he returns on Thursday he will have the energy to finish packing and prepare for Africa.

2) Daniel, has a mid-term for one of his classes due this Friday, pray that he works on it diligently and that he will have time to pack and rest.

3) Please pray for the final logistics, packing, financial support issues we need to deal with prior to our departure.

4) The four of us will be working the whole week and then taking a half-day on Friday to leave for the airport, please pray that we get to the airport on time and that we finish all our work related activities prior to departure.

5) Attached is our two-week itinerary, we included the schedule so that everyone can see what we are doing each day. Please pray for us and for each activity that we partner with.

God Bless,
Anita

(click to enlarge)

2009-01-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

Teahouse!

2008-07-31T12:11:00.000-04:00

Next Friday night, Joanna and Anita will be sharing on their STM trip to Uganda earlier this summer. Please come and join us as we spend some time in worship, view some slideshows, and hear their awesome testimonies. Some light refreshments will be served as well.

Location: RCCC - Building A, Rm 214
Date: Friday, 8/8
Time: 8:00pm

In the meantime, check out Joanna's flickr for some pictures from Uganda!http://www.flickr.com/photos/dimsum807/sets/72157605804359253/

See you all at the "teahouse"!

-Team U

reflection #1

2008-07-03T23:32:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy journey and I'm still in the middle of processing everything. Praise God that Anita has gotten back to the US safely. Especially since she didn't have to go through some ridiculous transit like moi. As Anita has said in the previous email, I just moved to Baltimore and started my graduate studies in public health. It is truly amazing to be able to witness the state of Ugandan health care firsthand. And now I'm very excited to be back here and learn about different ways to identify and tackle various public health concerns, both domestically and globally.

One thing that I remembered the most is the lack of simple health care and basic hygiene. When we visited Nakalanda Island, Pastor Butch told us a young boy had just died of typhoid at the age of 6. It broke my heart to hear that children are dying of diseases that can easily prevented through either vaccination or simple hygiene. God definitely reminded me one of the many reasons that He called me to go to public health school. How can an economy survive or prevail if people can't even have access to healthy living conditions? Or how can a country be raising future leaders when children are dying so young? It humbled me to treasure the simple blessings that God has given us, like clean water back in the US!!! Nakalanda Island is simply just one example of where help is needed in Uganda. As Christian, I believe that God not only called us to lay down our lives to spread His Gospel so that people would believe in Him. But He has also called us to dedicate ourselves in helping those who are the poorest, forgotten and fatherless. God has opened up my eyes even more on this trip to remind me why I should go into public health.

As a MPH student, I would need to do a capstone project in order to graduate. it's one of those monumental projects that I'll be living with for most of my time here in Hopkins. I am really hoping that I can do something in regard to vaccination or health education in Uganda. Please pray that God would give me wisdom to know where and what He would want me to do.

I have posted some pictures on my flickr. Since I didn't have much time on my hands, I just posted the pictures straight from my camera. Hope you enjoy! I will add captions very shortly :) http://www.flickr.com/photos/dimsum807/sets/72157605804359253/

Again, thanks for all of your support. We coudln't have done this without your help!! God Bless!

Prayer Huddles

2008-06-28T11:55:00.000-04:00

We held our last medical clinic yesterday in what is considered the "slum" area of Uganda. We saw about 250 patients in 4 hours. Amazingly, God gave me the strength to continue to see patients and give them medication. What was a four hour clinic quickly flew by and it only seemed like one or two hours.

One of the newer additions to our clinic has been "prayer huddles." Patients can go over to get prayer and ask questions. In the last clinic we had 6 people recieve Christ. Of the 6, one was a former Catholic and one was a former Muslim. Praise God.

Today we went to an Acholi "IDP (internally displaced people)" camp. Approximately 5,000 Acholi Ugandans live outside of Kampala on a piece of land that the king gave for the Northern Acholi people. We de-wormed about 2,000 children, gave them sweets and biscuits. It was amazing to have all the children singing together about baby Jesus, our Savior.

God Bless! Love Anita

Chapel

2008-06-25T09:58:00.000-04:00

One of my highlights have been playing with the children at the school, New Creation Centre. Many of them are Sudanese refugees and or children that can not afford schooling fees. Every Wednesday they have a Chapel time. They sing, dance and pray. During the two hours that they perform, it never ceases to amaze me the passion that is exhibited by these children. Each has a unique story to tell of there hardship, personal strife and life.

God is moving mightily in these children. It doesn't matter whether they are three or thirteen. When they praise and pray, they put me to shame. My prayers and praise are so timid and reserved. The love they have for God is very evident in there faces and movements.

It is inspiring to witness these children giving themselves to Christ. They are giving what matters the most, themselves.
My personal struggle is giving myself and my time for Christ, something I constantly struggle with and learn to do.

The next few days will be very busy. On Friday we will be conducting our final medical clinic in the "slum" area of Uganda. We will also be visitng a "IDP" camp on Saturday and will be conducting a deworming clinic there.

Please pray that I have enough energy, I am definitely fading a little as I have not gotten much good rest.

Love, a

Pray for David!

2008-06-22T00:40:00.002-04:00

hello everyone!

joanna left yesterday morning for newark, it was a crazy transition for her, the flight leaving entebbe was delayed and she missed her connecting flight into newark, she stayed over in london.

today our team went to a village devastated by HIV/Aids, the village has many older individuals and very young children. the working class has been wiped out by disease.

we conducted a medical clinic, it was probably one of our most efficent and tame clinics. we saw about 150 patients in 3 hours and even had multiple chances to pray with people and share with them about Jesus.

i am excited to see what is in store for the last 10 days as God continues to work in me and through me.

one special prayer request is for this little boy named David. I met him on a de-worming clinic on Nakalanda Island. He was abandoned by his parents and a kind old woman has been taking care of him. Unfortunately, the lady can only feed him porridge and water, he is severely malnurished.

sherry really wanted to take him into her family home and was in the process of getting the correct documentation. the father of David suddenly appeared and wanted money for David if Sherry was going to take him. It really saddens me that the father would sell his own son. Please pray that the father would relinquish David into Sherry's care without asking for a price (it is also illegal to sell children) and think about the well-being of this very cute 3 year old child.

i am really praying that i can return to the island within the next 10 days to pick up David and bring him into the family home and give him the proper care, education and nutrition.

thank you everyone for your continued prayer and support...

love, a

God is GOOD!

2008-06-14T08:58:00.006-04:00

jay-ba-li!!!

we are in uganda for almost 2 weeks now. how crazy is that?? God has been blessing us so much this past week!!

Things are moving along since we came back from Apac. We visited Uganda Jesus Village and Mercy Home for Children. In addition, we have also spent a lot of time with the children from Sherry's orphanage (New Creation Family Home). Since Team 1 left Uganda on wednesday, there are only 5 of us left. We got to take the children from New Creation Center (sherry's school for sudanese refugee children) to swimming! We had so much fun teaching the kids how to swim!!! We also spent an afternoon with the school children AND the home children together!! it was such a blessed time. we spent time praying to our God and singing worship songs together. it was the first time that the children from both of Sherry's ministries come together. it brought tearful joy to all of us to be able to witness these children to worship our Lord Jesus Christ passionately!!!

We spent the rest of the week visiting our sponsored children. Thursday we visited Joanna's child, Annet, in Rakai (almost at the border with Tanzania!!!) And Friday we visited Anita's child, Emmanuel, in Kasangombe. It was amazing to see how World Vision operates here in Uganda. Under WV's care, each child is cared for by a helper. THey are the ones who lives in the community and care for each child's spiritual and physical health. They are also the ones who are responsible for the communication between each sponsored child and their sponsors.

We would love to tell you more about our trip. Internet has been erratic. but please continue to pray for our health and energy! we will be conducting more medical clinics next week as a new team arrived!!!

God Works All Things for Good

2008-06-08T20:11:00.004-04:00

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for not sending more frequent updates. It has been very, very, busy here in Uganda.

Over the past several days we have been up North in an area called Apache which is right beneath Gulu and Lira. Apache is an area that has been affected by the LRA. But, because most of the attention has been focused on Gulu and Lira, not much help has been given to Apache. The trip was incredibly tiring, long and very draining... but God is so amazing.

During our first full day in Apache, we distributed the supplies that we had obtained (hoes, seeds, flour etc.) About 5,000 Ugandans showed up and welcomed us. They had a ceremony to welcome us and we were able to sing for them and Pastor Butch was able to speak to them. It was amazing. We had dinner with a local pastor who had given up all his livestock to build the church, he told us there was a desperate need to get the translation of the Bible in LANGO... so many people are thirsty for the word. Please continue to pray for the North.

Joanna and I are doing well. It has been busy, waking up very early and getting back between 9-10PM every night. We have gotten into the swing of things and adjusting has not been bad at all. The local food here is delicious and we are amazed at how God has worked in Uganda in the last year.

So far we have conducted one medical clinic yesterday. We saw about 200 patients in about 3 hours.. whew... we have done multiple de-worming clinics and visited multiple orphanages and hospitals.

Tomorrow we go to Nakalanda Island. We will be visiting a school on the island with about 300-400 students. To get to the island we need to take a boat (the old rickety fishing boats... hehe) and something called a boda boda ( very fast all-terrain motorcycle). This week we will also make trips out to several World Vision sites to visit our sponsor children.

Please continue to pray for our physical healthy, spiritual health and safety. We miss you and love you. Thank you!

-Anita and Joanna

we are here!!!!

2008-06-02T03:59:00.003-04:00

Just 3 hours ago, we have finally arrived in Uganda. We were greeted with some serious rain!!! but also many many beautiful and familiar faces!!!

But overall, our flights went on pretty smoothly. :) Praise God that we were able to check in all 6 pieces of our luggage. It was only back home in Newark that our flight was delayed for 2 hours due to the rainstorm. It wasn't a big deal since we have a 12 hour lay-over in London. We used the time to visit Hillsong Church in Central London. Even though we were tired from the lack of sleep, the lightings were CRAZY and the worship kept us very much awake!!!

to eric, diana and grace - everyone said hi! and wish you guys are here as well. both anita and i got the 5 pound fish and chips again :)

we will be heading up to GULU tomorrow. continue to pray for us that we'll keep safe. we were told that we will be visiting an IDP camp and also meeting with some former LRA rebels/child soldiers. Please pray that God will keep us safe and open doors for us to share the gospel!!!

we are leaving today!

2008-05-31T11:36:00.004-04:00

the long awaited time is here! anita and i are leaving for uganda tonight!! we are very excited and we are all ready to go! THANKS to all the people who came out on thursday to pray for us and helped us count out the medicines. YOU GUYS TOTALLY ROCK!!!

Here are a few prayer items, please keep us in your prayers!

1. each of us have 3 luggage to check in. one personal and 2 china bags that are filled with donations! we hope british airway won't give us any problems and let us check in all 3 for free. yikes! and that we didn't exceed the baggage weight limit.

2. energy - our trip demands lots of energy as we go from different places all the time. uganda can be hot sometimes and there's no AC! haha. so pray that we will keep ourselves energize as we minister to the children in uganda!!!

3. health - the air in uganda is quite dusty. last year both of us got some sort of upper respiratory congestion. and the children love coughing on us. so pray that we can keep ourselves HEALTHY!

4. loving and compassionate heart - pray that we may model ourselves after Jesus in His ministry. that we will not only minister to the physical needs of the Ugandan people. But we will also share the good news and pray for them as well.

5. team dynamics - very lastly. pray that anita and i will focus our gaze upon Jesus. especially in moments when we work together!

**we will be meeting our sponsored children from WORLD VISION and WATOTO!!!! soo exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we'll be constantly updating on the blog!!! so next time u read the update, we'll be UGANDA!!!

2 more weeks!

2008-05-14T11:47:00.002-04:00

anita and i have been super busy lately! but first of all, congrats to anita for graduating! now she's officially a Physician Assistant!

even though our lives are filled with ministry committments, school, work and such. God has been blessing us so much!

Praise God that we have raised more than our required amount of $8000! Thanks to everyone for your generousity!! In addition, we are still collecting donations!!! what we need the most right now is CHILDREN CHEWABLE VITMAINS!

Many people have asked us: Why Chewable vitamins and not gummy ones? haha. we know it's an unusual request. but last year we had an incident where someone donate a costco-sized gummy vitamins and they melted in the heat, into a gigantic CHUNK of gummy! YES! gummy bears melt in heat!!! so we don't want to risk the precious vitamins again. :)

we are also looking for HANGERS. more specifically, hangers for children clothes.

other than that, i would like all of you to continue to pray for us. that in the midst of our crazy lives. Please pray that Anita and I will spend quality time dwelling in the presence of our Lord, so that we will focus on the real reason why we are going to Uganda. And be open that we will be molded by our Lord.

Prayer Cards are here!! :)

2008-04-30T18:17:00.005-04:00

yay! they are finally here. it's soo odd to be seeing and holding one in person!

we'll be giving them out!!!! or ask us if u want one! :)

4 more weeks!!!

OLIO-TYA!

2008-04-08T14:21:00.007-04:00

Hi Everyone!

So this blog is up and running again. This time, anita and i will be going back to uganda with loving one by one ministries. we are very excited about this upcoming trip and we look forward to serve the Lord through ministering to the poor and the orphaned in uganda.

This trip is extra exciting in that we will be going to northern uganda! we will be conducting medical clinics throughout gulu. most likely we'll be going to several IDP (internal displaced people) camps. There are millions of people who are currently forced to move out of their homes due to the civil war started by the LRA (lord's resistant army). however, praise god that peace talks are in session right now. **please pray that not only we'll be able to minister to the people by caring for their physical needs, but most importantly. that god will open up opportunities for us to pray for them and tend to their spiritual needs**

we will be leaving on may 31st! if you would like a copy of our support letter, please let us know!!!! and for those who already has a copy, we look forward to hear from you :)

if you have any questions, drop us a comment or email us: rccc.uganda@gmail.com

Leaving

2007-07-04T12:04:00.001-04:00

Today is our last full day here in Uganda. It's also the first rainy day we've had here; really dreary and extremely unusual for the climate here. It matches some of our moods when thinking about leaving this beautiful country.

We had a good day, however, visiting New Creation School one last time and doing some shopping for friends and family (and ok, some for ourselves). We also had time to stop at KPC to hear the Watoto choir practice for their world tour (www.watoto.com for more info). These children are incredibly talented.

We just wanted to thank all of you for praying for us during this whole trip. We still have a lot to process but we do know for certain that your prayers have definitely made an impact. We leave for a morning flight tomorrow and will be back in Newark around 11 or so on Thursday. Hopefully we'll see most of you on Friday for cell/youth group.

I'll let the others share with you their personal experiences. See you all soon!

Only 3 Full Days Left

2007-07-01T10:42:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! Internet here has been very sporadic... in addition to slow internet we have frequent nightly power outages. Sorry for lack of updates.

We've been doing quite a bit this week -- did a total of 3 medical/de-worming clinics (one on SeSe Islands which took a 45-min boat ride and 5 min additional ride on a "boda boda), and two in orphanages. We've also had opportunities to visit more orphanages and schools and did some sightseeing as well.

At our last debrief meeting, our team spoke on one common theme: our corporate sense of feeling immensely blessed by God through the children we met at the orphanages. They praise God with hands uplifted; pray out loud without being prodded or coaxed; and sing and dance. And boy, do they SING and DANCE! I am convinced that music is a gift that God especially blessed Africans with. It also encouraged me personally to spend less time surfing the net/playing video games... I really think these things stunt the growth of our natural God-given talents. But I digress.

In short, we've been having a wonderful time falling in love with this country. It's pretty safe to say that most, if not all of us, are seriously thinking about returning to Uganda next year, if our schedules permit. We have all been blessed so far during our stay here: Joanna and Anita with the opportunities to use their professional skills in direct service to those who need it most; Diana and I with the opportunities to get to know the children, to learn African dance with them and to enjoy enthusiastic worship; and Eric with a renewed passion for working with youths and children.

For the next three days, we'll be spending time at the equator, the Nile River, and the last day with the kids at New Creation Centre. Stay tuned!

Sunday the Sabbath

2007-06-24T12:12:00.000-04:00

Today we rested in preparation for a VERYVERYBUSYWEEK! We visited Christian Life Church which is a more traditional African church compared to KPC (which we visited last night and was run by Canadians). These Africans are on fire for God - their services last 2 hours, an hour of worship and an hour of sermon. This really tested our ability to stay awake and pay attention and alert (especially for Diana). Regardless of the length, however, the worship was awesome and you could really see their passion in the way they praise. People were free to dance and raise their hands in the chairs; nothing could contain their joy and obvious displays of love for Christ. It would be so cool to see such a lack of inhibition in our own church. The best part was at the end of service when one Ugandan came up to us and said, "Because you came to our church, you are my friends and I love you." It really warmed our hearts to receive such love from a complete stranger. We are really encouraged now to demonstrate the same level of enthusiasm in welcoming at RCCC.

After church we went to an Italian restaurant for a TWO HOUR lunch (everything runs on Ugandan time). Afterwards Jo, Anita, and Eric went to see one of the kid's school performances which turned out to be a FOUR HOUR African extravaganza of children dancing, singing and reciting folk poems. Wherever we go, the children and people are so enthusiastic to see us - they were just in awe of how different we look. The best reactions from Ugandans is when we attempt to speak in their language - all barriers are broken and they smile and wave back.

Meanwhile, Diana and Grace spent the afternoon sorting the rest of the donations and getting to know Anne, the daughter of Maria (owner of the guest house). We had some interesting conversation about the politics of giving (more on that when we return) and the relationship between muzungus (non-Ugandans) and native Ugandans. We are looking forward to giving the rest of the clothing away to some of the school children, the Sanyu orphanage and Sherry's new orphanage.

Please pray for this coming week. It will be our first full week here and we will have a lot to do. There is no set schedule, but it will definitely be packed. We are always on the run, driving around the city, running errands, going to different orphanages, medical clinics, sightseeing, visiting people and other various ministry work. Stay tuned!

A Long Day...

2007-06-23T13:40:00.000-04:00

Grace: Hi everyone! This is Grace & Diana reporting in on our second full day out on the field. Like the rest of the team wrote yesterday, we went to Jokalaira village today to run a medical and deworming clinic, help out with a VBS, and spent the time playing games and passing out candy, toys, and toothbrushes to the children.

Diana: Jokalaira is a rural village of Uganda full of huts and unpaved roads. Very third world country like. Driving up to the village, it was a bumpy ride, we almost got attacked by some branches, but Grace was my shield. We took lots of pictures of the area and we can't wait to show you guys when we get home. Despite the living conditions, the people the were all full of joy and thankfulness that we were there.

G: We ran the medical clinic indoors in the church, while the deworming clinic was run outside in a little porch-like area. People kept streaming in one after another and we were there working for about 5 hours with very little rest. The toys we brought from RCCC were gone in literally three minutes and it was amazing to see how each children clung to their toy as if they were the most precious things in the world. When the villagers ran in a mad rush toward the church entrances and lined up to get a toothbrush, it really hit me how people are living in what we would consider a substandard environment.

D: After visiting Jokalaira, we had the opportunity to go to a church service called Kampala Pentocostal Church. ONE WORD: AMAZING!!!! Everyone there were all dancing, praising the Lord, arms lifted high during worship. It almost felt like a concert! After worship, we spent time praying with someone next to us about the world and the lost. Oh! One thing that was really cool was that we were told to hug five people around us. that was pretty cool!! it made it feel really welcoming. The pastor was also really good. Is in the middle of a series called Practical Christian living and he talked about deliverance from demonic powers. Definitely a very unique experience!

We definitely have so much more to share, but we'll save that for the teahouse when we return. We really can't wait until we can share with you all our photos! The children are precious.

Please pray for rest and health -- we're exhausted after today. God bless!

OLIOKIYAH! (hello!)

2007-06-22T15:22:00.000-04:00

Hello!

We have arrived safely in Uganda! It is BEAUTIFUL here! The weather is gorgeous! It is not humid, it is very breezy 80 degree all day. The people here are very warm and friendly. Our team is composed of 15 people from the US, Canada and Australia. We have already gone to Sanyu Home for Abandoned Babies to help feed, take care and put them to sleep. We have also visited the New Creation Center which is a school established by Sherry (the director) for Sudanese refugee children. They sang and danced for us today and welcomed us with open arms and huge hugs! We also brought them to buy shoes in the market, they were so excited and loved every moment of the time that we spent there. We also spent a lot of time playing with the kids who live across the road from Maria's Place (where we are staying, very very beautiful and comfortable).

Tomorrow we head over to Jokalaira village (a rural village outside of Kampala) for a deworming clinic, HIV testing, medical clinic and VBS. We are planning to give out our toothbrushes, toys and candies to the kids.

Please continue to pray for us. We are all healthy, NOT sick praise God. We are getting enough sleep and we are getting to know everyone very well. The area of ministry that we have been to have been very safe. We are being taken care of by both Sherry (who has been here for more than 6 times) and also by native Ugandans. Please pray for continued team unity, a heart to know God more. Please pray for compassion, a servant attitude and love for all people.

We miss all of you and we have so much to share with you when we return home. We have soo many pictures!!!

Walaba (goodbye in Ugandan!)

**TEAM U!!**

Uganda Situation Update

2007-06-18T10:04:00.000-04:00

Hey all! I had the opportunity to speak with a member of Team 1 who just returned from Uganda. Here are some of the things she shared with me that I thought I'd pass on to you so you can help pray for us more effectively. =)

Current climate: In the 80's, frequent thunderstorms and rather humid (ick)

What Team 1 did: They spent most of their time at Sanyu Babies' Orphanage and some on the streets, getting to know people. They conducted one medical deworming clinic.

What got in the way: The preparation for the Queen's arrival (now I hear it's November, not this month) did get in the way of them locating street children. But I've been assured by the Team 2 leader that we will still be able to minister in the slums.

Living situation: "More comfortable than expected." Food is supposed to be great. Internet is dial-up and painfully slow, however, so we'll probably have to rely on this blog for updates.

What Team 2 will most likely do: Decorate/clean orphanage building in preparation for move-in; holding more medical clinics in 3 other sites; work at Sanyu; and I have a feeling we may have more opportunity to work with adults because of the added obstacle of orphans being relocated.

Ministry style: My friend said Sherry works day-by-day, meaning that although in general there is a range of stuff we can do, she's very "improv" -- there is no set schedule or itinerary. I think for some people that's ok, for someone like me it can prove to be a challenge to adjust to, so please pray for that.

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Finally, thanks again for everyone from our cell groups who trekked out to Staten Island for our send-off. We're going with joyful hearts, knowing that we're part of a bigger, healthy Body of Christ. =) If you'd like to send us off, we're going to be at Newark Airport by 6 pm (taking British Airways). Give us a ring if you're going to head over there so we'll keep an eye out for you!

Pictures from send off dinner!!!

2007-06-18T00:48:00.001-04:00

Much thanks to henry and rob for the pictures!
We are soo blessed to have all of you who came out for the send off dinner!! =) Thank you for all your prayers!!!

Who are we???

2007-06-11T16:56:00.000-04:00

i think it's time for each of us to introduce ourselves...

Name: Grace aka "yin yan"

Age: 24

Job: 3rd year grad student, she can almost read your mind! but has 2 more years to go!

Current Activities: Being a SLAVE to my master's thesis; praying desperately that her summer class will run so she'll have some income; preparing for her practicum externship next year at Children's Specialized Hospital

How'd she heard about this trip? "I always feel called to Africa for a missions trip. Through prayers I felt that this summer was the summer to go. I went on a STM search engine online and found this ministry opportunity. Got in touch with Sherry who runs the ministry and now here we are!!! :-)"

Why'd she wanna go on this trip? "I am seriously considering a future in full time ministry. I am going not because I feel called and I find it to be a joy to do compassion-oriented service, but rather because I am trying to narrow down the precise field where God may want to place me in the future, whether that is serving abroad or in a local church."

What are she most excited about this trip? Meeting the children! Hopefully expanding their hearts toward Christ while they expand mine toward other people

What does she dread the most about this trip? the FLIGHT to and from Uganda!! AHH!!

Random facts: LOVES green tea ice cream and spending time with Carmen (her cat!)

Personal Shoutouts: Thanks to YOU (yes, you) who are taking the time to read this and praying for us! :-)

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Name: Eric aka "Erica" or "the man"

Age: 18

Job: Rutgers Biomedical Engineering and Pre-med student (class of 2010) , Enhanced classroom support tech @ RU

Current Activity: last minute preparation

How'd he hear about this trip? heard from grace

Why'd he want to go on this trip? wants to help children. "I want to make a difference in people's lives and I want others to realize that there are dire problems outside of our borders that need our attention."

What is he most excited for this trip? meeting new people

What does he dread the most? the drugs we have to take

Randomness: "Please pray for me as I am the youngest and the only guy going with 4 girls from my church!"

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Name: Anita, aka "siewyunyun"

Age: 24

Job: Physician Assistant Student at Seton Hall University

Current Activity: being delirious from running around the hospital, it's her last week! studying for her last final of the year!

How'd she hear about this trip? heard from joanna

Why'd she want to go on this trip? "cuz...GOD is awesome!" seriously... she has a burning passion for those who are in need and wants to answer God's call for her life.

What is she most excited about this trip? the children...! being in a completely different environment...seeing AFRICA! sticking out like a sore thumb!

What does she dread the most about this trip? bugs, scary bugs and animals. she doesn't like bugs.

Randomness: absolutely LOVES strawberries. "strawberries are the bomb...woo! strawberries + chocolate = bomb +1!!!"

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Name: Joanna, aka "Jomama"

Age: 25

Job: professional drug dealer @ memorial sloan-kettering cancer center. haha. i'm a pharmacist

Current Activities: working working or playing around with this blog, reading the books that she got from Na, organizing and preppping for the trip!

How'd she hear about this trip? heard from grace!!! through a random conversation after church one day.

Why'd she wanna go on this trip? She has always wanted to use her profession as a way to minister to people and furthering God's kingdom. So she wants to use this opportunity to see what God's calling for her is. Plus she has always wanted to do a STM in Africa :-)

What is she most excited about this trip? meeting different people! seeing God in ways that she'll never imagine! maybe learning some african dancing. hahah

What does she dread most about the trip? bug bites. "i don't like itchiness"

Randomness: "i have a loud voice. i wonder how far would my voice carry out in the safari?? um??"

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Name: Diana, aka "annadi"

Age: 22

Job: Dietetic Intern (done on thursday, 6.14.07!!)

Current Activity: interning 'til thursday, then recharge/catch up on sleep and preparing for the trip!

How'd she hear about this trip? JOMAMA

Why'd she want to go on this trip? "I've always wanted to see how I can incorporate my passion for nutrition into ministry and serving God and building up His kingdom. He has shown me once again, how awesome and powerful and BIG our awesome Lord is!!! I'm hoping by doing on this trip, it'll enable me to get a greater grasp and vision if this is the direction that God may be opening up for me. "

What are she most excited about this trip? the KIDS!! She has always loved being around kids and seeing them led to Christ. Also super duper excited about meeting the rest of the team as well, they are from all around the country who are being called to serve God in Uganda. How awesome is that?!?

What do you dread the most? AHHHH! BUGS!!! MOSQUITO BITES! (wait, there are mosquitoes in Uganda right? hahahha --> this is a seriously question)... and no crazy side effects from the drugs

Randomness: "I tend to say a lot of random things. hahaha. and a lot of my comments can be seen as outright hilarious, although I truly am serious about them when I ask them! really I am!!!!"

Shoutouts: "Thanks for all your prayers and support!!! We wouldn't be able to go without all you guys!!!!"

UGANDA STM SEND-OFF DINNER!

2007-06-11T00:23:00.000-04:00

Host: Team U!
Location: Anita Liu's House
When: Saturday, June 16, 5:00pm

Come join us for a send-off dinner, prayer, praise night as Team U sets off for Uganda on June 19!! We're all so grateful the amount of support we've received from our friends and family. God is good! And we would love to have you join us for this event!

*Food will be provided. Just bring some $ to chip in.
*We'll also be packing the donation items we have received (praise God we've gotten so many donations that we will be able to bring over to Uganda!). Any help would be much appreciated!

Please RSVP by Wednesday, June 13, so we can know how much food, drinks, etc... we need. THANKS! =) See you there!

**To be additional information, please email us @ rccc.uganda@gmail.com

Hi!

2007-06-10T14:40:00.000-04:00

welcome to our blog! just created this so that you can check back with us often and see how our trip is coming along.

you can find all sorts of things on this page:
- updates
- pictures!
- prayer requests
- profiles
- our travel itinerary
- other important dates to remember!

we are hoping to update as frequent as we can while we are in africa. but our director (sherry) has been telling us that there is frequent black outs and the internet is just so slow! but we'll try our best to update!!! keep an eye out!!

the best way to keep up is to subscribe to our feed (on the bottom) =)