Uganda

10 minute video by Scott

Pictures

Oh yes, that's right... the moment you've all been waiting for...

... is almost here. I've been dialed in to the pics all weekend long, for your viewing pleasure. The uploads will start tonight or tomorrow. Here's the link to my photo site: photos.meiermg.com

I'll update this post with specific links once a good chunk of the files are uploaded (which will take awhile... patience my ravenous friends...)

[UPDATE] Click Here to go to the Uganda category. Uploading is under a hiatus right now while I'm away in Mississippi. I'll continue adding more when I get back next Sunday.

Summary Video [4:33]

The 10 Acres

Less than two years ago, when I first crested the bramble-strewn hill of the 10 acres and talked with children breaking rocks in the quarry, there was nothing but a few resident cows and a small field. In that short time the site of Peace Portal Community Church has been transformed into a hub of activity & ministry in Mpigi. Here's a few shots of our home away from home.

One of the first projects on the site, a generator-powered pump pulls water from a deep borehole to this storage tank at the top of the hill. From there it provides fresh water to the site and the community. In the background you can see the guest house, office, kitchen, and store[age] for the team.

The church building itself served as our tent-city and dormitory during the week, and transformed into one of the largest gathering places for miles each Sunday morning.

Kukiriza house is the first of three planned children's home, each holding no more than twenty children. Kukiriza house is run by Rose, a loving & caring house-mother for children who would otherwise have no-one to care for them.

Still under construction, a medical clinic is being built to provide education on local medical issues and a doctor's office for ongoing care.

Self explanatory: flushing, no bowl.

All of these things are a result of God inspiring people to action and to service. Michael Masembe, the visionary and servant leader of Peace Portal Community Church; Jon, Scott, Ross, Richard and others who have provided guidance and leadership from Peace Portal Alliance; and Canadians who have given money to allow the site to come into existence: each one has placed their brick in the wall. But above all it is God who has given life amidst so much suffering. It is God's fingerprint on this project and on the lives that have been touched in Mpigi.

Back on home

We're home... those of us not travelling on arrived into Vancouver at 2:07 to warm faces, warm hugs, warm air and the familiar smell of home.

I have a few remaining things that I want to post about before all is said and done. I went to visit several families who were affected by AIDS. It had been my hope to do a photo essay and a writeup with one of them, but it didn't materialize because of the needs for the team. I did manage to get their portraits.

Here's a couple shots by Pia Antturi from Care & Compassion. Pia was my faithful assistant in all things photo & video. She's a sharp young photographer with a lot of potential, and was a huge help to me on the trip. Thanks Pia!

I couldn't possibly post about every experience, but I want to post a few pics from the Preschool and visiting the deaf schools. The Preschool is run by Juliet Masembe. It provides basic education and a lunch for 90 children. Each day a sub-team would play with the kids, sing songs, and teach them bible stories or a lesson. They even got to visit the zoo!

Mari, Doug, Nigel and a few others were able to visit two different schools for the deaf in our area. I went along on one trip... it was a surreal experience to see so many people communicating with hardly a sound - a new experience for me. In Africa people with physical or mental limitations are often set aside as unvaluable. And as with so many others they have a great deal of physical needs. It was powerful to see Mari interact with the kids... she was really in her element. And it was great to be with them, play with them, and love on them - our way of saying they are valuable people in God's eyes.

Our last day I took some shots with the kids at the children's home, which was newly christened Kukiriza House.

Thanks everyone for travelling with us through this website. While we were still in Mpigi, I would download the blog and your comments and share them with the team. I think it was a big encouragement for people to see that their journey was being avidly followed by so many back home.

And that's it! In the last few days I heard many expressed longings for things like a hot shower and a familiar bed. We're home, back to a world of running water, personal vehicles, privacy, family & friends, relative wealth... and changed hearts. Returning from a trip like this comes with a responsibility that will be measured over the course of a lifetime. Pray that the Holy Spirit would complete the good work he has begun on this trip.

To sign off, a pic (one of only a couple) of yours truly.

P.S. I'll post more about getting ahold of pictures & video, likely next week.

Flight info

An update for those coming to the airport... the itineraries (and the team schedule) for several of us is incorrect. The team is flying on Air Canada flight AC 855 arriving into Vancouver at 2:25pm.

Here's the info straight from the horses mouth:

A random observation... Heathrow is unbelievably crazy after the bomb scare of late. They have a very tight carry-on restriction that only allows bags that are quite small. As such I had to check in my carry-on bag... which involved exiting through a customs lineup (that went out the hall and up the stairs), transfering to departures, re-checking in, and then waiting in a security queue the leg of one leg of the Tour de France.... a process that took three hours. Wheee!

Pictures from the Maasai Mara

Our time in the Maasai Mara was cut short somewhat because of our delays out of Entebbe... but we were still able to take in two fantastic game drives. Everyone - including Safari veterans Jon & Scott - came away with something they had never seen before.

We began the day leaving Nairobi at quarter-to-six in the morning. THe drive took us over the Rift Valley escarpment - a six-thousand foot drop from the escarpment to the valley floor. The elevation at the top is over nine thousand feet, and it was freezing cold.

From there we headed down the road to Narok, and on to the Mara. I have no pictures, because we were all hanging on for dear life. The road into the Mara is one of the worst I have ever seen a minivan traverse. The road was once paved, but has long since deteriorated to the point that the ditches are often smoother than the pavement. It's a long, seven-hour trek... but in the end the payoff is well worth the strenuous journey.