We're home! (well, a few of us...)

Don, Tammy and I landed in Vancouver about an hour ago. Everyone (and everything) seems to have made it fine. Once I hear from the rest of the team I'll let you know.

Last day in Kenya

Hi folks,

Sorry the updates have been so sparse... it's been pretty tough getting on the internet here. Just want to let you know that we're all well. Don, Tammy and I head back to Canada tomorow, via London. Ross, Gerry and Heather head to South Africa where Ross will be doing more preaching & teaching.

Once I arrive home, I'll begin posting pictures to the link at the right... you can follow that to see all the pictures, and even order prints if you like.

I'll post an update once we've arrived safe back in Canada, and again once we have information on when we'll be doing a team report.

Thanks for following along with us!

Trevor.

Posting from Kenya

Hello everyone. Sorry for the delay in posting. Internet access is much more difficult here than in Uganda. We have to dial into a microwave connection to a satellite dish in the valley, which then connects to the capital city...

We're in Kijabe, about an hour north of Nairobi, on the edge of the Rift Valley. We're visiting Richard Bransford, a surgeon at Kijabe Hospital and Bethany Relief and Rehabilitation International. Also located here is an orthopaedic centre and Rift Valley Academy.

Richard's main role is leadership of BRRI, partnering with another surgeon to do surgeries that are not offered elsewhere in Kenya. About 70% of their workload is dealing with disabled patients. They do surgeries for debilitating disorders such as cleft lip and club foot, as well as neurological disorders like Spina Bifida and Hydrocephaelus. They treated 180 cases of Spina Bifida and 100 of Hydrocephaelus last year. Of the various children's wards, there are 66 beds kept full and a few dozen staff kept busy.

Though not a main part of our trip, seeing the work here has been an incredible experience. Seeing first hand a one-month old baby with a huge sack of fluid full of nerves from the spinal cord ballooning out of their lower back... this is the stuff of fiction or T.V. I've seen a lot of places this year. This one has really left a mark.

Because of the slow connection I can't upload any pictures, but the pictures are stunning. Not only are there incredible cases in the ward, but it is absolutely gorgeous here. We're at 7300 feet, thousands of feet above the floor of the Rift Valley. Kijabe means 'place of the winds'... they're not kidding.

This post has been a bit all-over the place... that's been the experience here. Richard has so much energy, and we're always on the move. I need to get off this connection, so I'll post more when I'm able.

Trevor.

To my Care Group

I promised my Care Group that I'd post on Monday... so here it is!



Hey kids... have a fun time without me (but not too fun...) and I'll see you in a week and a bit!

Trevor.

The source of the Nile

Today we travelled to see the source of the Nile River, at the edge of Lake Victoria. Along the way we went off the beaten path to see an historic waterfall.

Richard said Lake Victoria is very young, the result of a major tectonic shift about 12,000 years ago. Before that time the waters of the Nile flowed East into the Indian Ocean. But about 12 millenia ago, the plates lifted. The changes forced the water North, flooded the area that is now under Lake Victoria, and gave birth to the many civilizations that depend on the Nile for water.

The point that we stood at will likely become a major point of contention as the climate changes and the demand for water grows. Of the 12 nations that border the Nile, only Uganda and Egypt have an agreement on water usage. Lake Victoria is vulnerable to over-use, and remains one of the last pristine large bodies of fresh water on the planet.

We also had some fun... Pete hopped in the water for a ride down the rapids, gripping a big water bottle to keep him afloat.

And it turns out... at the source of the Nile, if you order grilled fish, you really get a grilled fish...

Sunday

A little late on this update... it's actually 5am on Monday morning here, so some of you will just be getting into the evening service at Peace Portal.

Yesterday was fairly uneventful compared to the previous days. We had a fantastic church service. Ross was feeling a little better, and really wanted to be there for the service. He wasn't feeling well, but he made the effort and to stand up and preach at the church. They appreciated his sacrifice... they are so hungry for teaching here.

Sunday was our chance to hand out the gifts we had brought for the children. Tammy picked up 150 Canada T-shirts that we gave out to each of the schoolkids, along with some soccerballs and other sports equipment. It was quite a task to hand it all out.

Don and I took a quick tour of the old schoolhouse. The new schoolhouse is a drastic improvement in every way - size, smell, non-dirt floors...

The women of the church gifted Tammy, Heather Roberts and Sharon each with a cultural dress as a thank-you for their work at the medical clinic. Then Sharon led in a rousing rendition of white-girls-try-to-do-African-dancing, a local favorite.

After the church service there were still a few people looking for treatment, and Dr. Gerry obliged by treating who he could. We have left the medical supplies with Michael, and there are discussions with Dr. Daniel (the Ugandan doctor who took part in the clinic) about hosting the clinic on an ongoing basis.

Aimee Barclay was also feeling ill yesterday, but is back on the up and up.

Some of the highschoolers from Peace Portal Community Church are looking for Canadian pen-pals. If anyone out there is interested, I can put you in touch with Tammy who has their addresses.

After the service we went for lunch at the equator, just down the road from Mpigi. Apparently some of the locals are now calling it the 'Great Divide...'

Ross and Richard are travelling to the radio station in Masaka today to record a few messages to be aired on national radio. Don and I are heading with the medical team to get some footage of Lake Victoria and the source of the Nile River. Pray for safety, as both groups will be on the road for awhile and the highways are a bit risky.

And these are for free...

Day three

Quite a day today... It's really tough trying to pick the photographs that best describe what we're experiencing. I've put in a few more than usual today.

This morning we witnessed the Grand Opening ceremony for the two-room schoolhouse. The school was built using funds donated through Peace Portal Alliance. Classes began in September, but our visit gave an excuse to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

the school library

The medical clinic, led by Dr. Gerry Roberts, saw 136 patients today. They had to turn away many people at the end of the day -- the people just kept on coming. This was the last day of the clinic. It has been a big success, providing help for people that either can't access or can't afford medical assistance. Here in Uganda people must pay for medical treatment, and the nearest full-service medical facility is 30km away.

Alex, HIV-positive.

About 2pm the rains came. It poured, and then it poured some more, and just like that it was over.

Ross became quite sick today, getting worse as the day went on. Thankfully Dr. Roberts is on the trip. He said it's likely due to some improperly cooked food, and the doc says he should be fine with some rest.

We had the chance to interview Richard Barclay and Michael today for the film we are producing. Michael told us about how he was touched by God to plant this church, how leaders have grown up from within the church to take on various ministries, and about his plans for the future.

Through two families at Peace Portal Alliance, Michael was able to purchase a beautiful hilltop plot of land. The first project on this 10 acres will be a church. The current church is a temporary structure built literally on Michael & Juliet's front lawn. After the church is built, there are further plans for a technical school, sustainable projects for widows raising animals and growing crops, a bible school, guest houses for visiting missionaries, and a full-service medical clinic.

Within walking distance of the property there are 650 families. Of the 3000 or so children represented, two-thirds of them are AIDS orphans. Michael works with these orphans to help them get schooling and provide food, and encourage them to stay with their relatives rather than moving to Kampala. The phrase I heard him say over and over was 'helping them to help themselves.' Sustainable income for the widows through the piggery (built with funds from our church's women's groups), schooling for the orphans through the newly-built schoolhouse (built with funds from a Canadian donor), food for families in need (sponsored by South-Surrey families) and encouragement and advice through Michael are some of the ways these people are being supported.

It came across clearly that investing in this church community represents an incredible value -- every dollar goes into the ground to help those in need, and it's being grown in a way that this community will soon be able to support itself.

Tomorrow we will have a church service. This won't be a 75-minute pre-planned service like we experience at home. Services over the last few days have gone through most of the day... it will be a unique experience.

Day two

Hey folks,

I don't have a lot of time for an update today. A few highlights:

The clinic saw 120 patients

Ross spoke to a large number from the church

The school children took the day off to be part of the celebrations

Pete picked up a planer in town, and was able to work much quicker on benches for the church and bookshelves for the school

Richard, Don and I were able to visit a few families who have been hit hard by AIDS. Below is a picture of Peter, an old man who has seen most of his family die of AIDS

A few quick pics from the day:

Day one in the field

If today was supposed to be a day to ease into things, we've got a crazy schedule ahead of us.

A psalm, to the tune of "12 days of Christmas":
30 pastors preached
40 pigs a-counted
50 patients treated
And one bookshelf by Pete. (a very nice, hand made, hand planed bookshelf)
All together now!



While yesterday, jet lag was my ally for excuses, today it's too much sun... the point is we hit the ground running. We had a welcome service in the morning hosted by Peace Portal Community Church, then we all went our separate ways.




Gerry & Heather Roberts, Sharon & Heather Hastings & Tammy headed with us (the film crew) to the medical clinic. It's about a 20 minute drive from the church, and to us seems like it's in the middle of no-where. But as the day wore on, more and more people seemingly just appeared out of the jungle to wait for treatment. Gerry and a Ugandan doctor ran the clinic, with the expert help of the nurses and crew. Gerry saw 57 patients, plus a similar number by the Ugandan doctor.



Ross spent the afternoon getting warmed up preaching... for six hours. "Just greasing the gears..." (slight paraphrase) said Ross, in his interview on national television... but I'll get to that in a moment. Ross preached to a number of pastors from the surrounding area and as far away as Entebbe (about 70 kilometres). He spoke on pastors as visionaries, and the importance of a strong marriage. Then he spent time answering tough questions from the pastors on everything from women in ministry to divorce.



Richard went around with Michael, visiting various projects the church has on the go. They stopped at the medical clinic, the piggery, and the school built with money donated through Peace Portal. We hope tomorrow to spend some time with Michael and see the 10-acre property and hear about his vision & plans for it.



Aimee & Martin were able to go to a few schools and talk with upwards of 150 kids. They talked about Canada and why there were, and answered questions.

Pete spent the day working away in the back with a couple of helpers and a dozen spectators. He commented that carpentry is a lot of fun back home, but it is very different here - it's a lot of hard work. He had to plane & sand each board, cut with a hand-saw and measure meticulously.

The evening was capped off by an appearence on national TV. Ross, Michael and Richard were invited to a general audience show to talk about the work in Mpigi. They did an excellent job, communicating clearly and sharing how the gospel is core to the work we are a part of for widows and orphans.



The TV studio was quite the site... formerly a colonial-era british hospital, cum dictator Idi Amin's compound, cum delapidated & deserted TV station.

The team had a quiet meal together before heading off to bed. We're expecting another busy day tomorrow. Continue to pray for the team, for strength and that God's love would be shown through the practical help and the teaching we are bringing to these people.

Here's a few more pictures to give an idea of what the area is like:

We've arrived

We've arrived in Kampala! We were met at Entebbe Airport by Pastor Michael Masembe, then travelled an hour through Kampala by bus to our hotel.




Everything and everyone seems to have arrived intact, with no lost or damaged baggage. Our accomodations are very nice... as far as missions trips goes, this is definitely the nicest bed I've had to sleep on! The hotel is the equivalent of a typical lower-budget hotel in North America, though I'd say the quarters are little older and a little more cramped. After some 'negotiations' about the price, we were able to move in and get settled down. For the next week, Hotel Africana will be our home base. We'll meet at 8AM each morning to eat together and to pray, and then ride the half-hour by bus out to Mpigi.

We've setup an internet connection directly from our room (wirelessly, thanks to a handy little Apple base station). Don Webber and I are busy setting up shop, unpacking the film gear and getting the editing equipment setup. The rest of the team is in their respective rooms, recovering from the long flights.

The team is a bit road weary. I'm really feeling the jet lag... the first day is always the hardest. As I write this it's 3AM for my body, but 2PM by the sun. So if my grammar isn't up to snuff, that's my excuse :)



For those who have followed some of my other documentary trips this year, I can't help but notice the remarkable similarities between Uganda and Guinea. The native language sounds very similar to the Fulbe of West Africa. The smells & sounds, the humid air, architecture, the roads, the vehicles, the deep red soil... it all was instantly familiar to me. Uganda is certainly less densely packed with people, and much more economically successful.



I sat next to a Food for the Hungry aid worker on the flight from London to Entebbe. He had lived for six years in Uganda. He commented that the central area of Uganda (in Kampala, and where we are working in Mpigi) has seen remarkable improvement over the last decade. The northern areas of the country have been much less fortunate.



In other news, we've heard that Michael, Ross and perhaps Dr. Gerry Roberts (with us on the team to run the medical clinic in Mpigi) may have the chance to go on national television tomorrow evening. I'll report back when we have more confirmed, but certainly an exciting opportunity.

I'll sign off for now. We'll send an update on the activities tomorrow.

London

Hello everyone. I attempted to send this bleary-eyed message from London Heathrow, but couldn't get online. We all arrived in London safe and well, if a bit tired. We hopped on the tube and spent a few hours booting around central London to see the sights. As I wrote this we were waiting for our flight to Entebbe.

Here's a couple of pics from London...






Trevor.

And we're off!

Hello to everyone following our progress. We've all made it through security and are waiting for boarding on our British Airways 747 flight to Heathrow. We'll be in the air about 9 hours, with about six hours in London before another 9 hour flight to Entebbe.

Martin Hastings and I are planning to get some good shots of Ross sleeping on the plane (part of our documentary... the REAL Ross Hastings! ... we'll keep you posted :)