The Islands

Mar 31, 2011

What an amazing time that we had at the islands.  We went and visited the missionaries with the SHIM ministries (Shepherds Heart International Ministry).  The missionaries are with Global Outreach and live out on LIngira Island which is one of many islands located in Lake Victoria.  We caught up with one of SHIM’s private boats and headed to the island.  The boat ride was about an hour and half ride.  We were joined in our boat ride with a man who is known as Papa O.  I will talk more about this incredible man later.  There are four mzungu missionaries working on the islands.  It is amazing how God has brought such amazing people to minister to these Ugandans.  Besides the great mzungu missionaries working on the islands, there are some great Uganda people working along beside them.  God is using so many people in their ministry.  It was great to be a part of it, even just for a weekend.

Let me explain a little bit about SHIM.  SHIM does so many things on Lingira Island and other islands as well.  They are helping other villages and islands learn about water filtration, the importance of having latrines, and so many others things.  They are not trying to westernize everything or show them the mzungu way to do things.  They have Ugandans teaching the other Ugandans how to use these water filtration systems.  The work they are doing is so great.  Computer classes are being taught, teen girl bible studies are going on, family ministries (which are run by Papa and Mama O), they help teach Sunday school classes and also help with the preaching.  The church services are run by Ugandan men.  There were about twenty teens girl who helped with the worship time.  When visitors come to the island they ask if someone wants to be a guest speaker, but most of the time the Ugandans are leading.

So I have mentioned Papa O a couple times.  Let me tell you about this man and his lovely wife.  Papa O on the boat ride to the island told us stories and how he met mama O.  He made us laugh so hard, our cheeks were hurting.  J  The funny thing was a few nights later, I asked mama O about how they met and her story was quite different then papa O’s story. Haha  They are heading up the family ministry classes and seminars that they have been offering.  In Uganda you don’t see many husband and wives that actually act like they are married.  They are trying to teach other families/couples that it is good to show each other love, even if that love is shown by holding hands.  The way papa O treats mama O is such an encouragement to see.  It is not the Mzungus teaching this to the people it is mama and papa O which is so great for people to see. 

I posted some pictures on face book from our weekend at the island.  If you get a chance you should see how we had to bathe, our dish washing station, and the beauty of the islands.  I am so glad that we got to see and learn more about SHIM.  God is using these missionaries is such a great way.

Please be praying for my mom.  She left Kodiak and is on her way to come visit for two weeks.  It will be great to have her here and show her GSF, and share this part of my life with her.

Oh my word, I almost forgot.  I did nail painting again on Monday with the house moms.  We had such a great time together, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. 

Cathy!!!

On Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 10:16 PM, Debbie Rohrer <debbierohrer@msn.com> wrote:

So everyone doesn’t have to be so faithful in praying for rain!!  J  I am ready for some sunshine.  Truthfully God has been good.  We have gotten rain at least every day for the past week, if not a little bit longer than that.  When it rains here the temperature really drops.  The other day it dropped to 60 degrees, now that is just down right cold here!!  It actually feels much colder than that.  It has been raining most nights and then into the mornings.  We are definitely thankful that the crops are getting some rain.  The cost of food was really increasing, because of the country thinking we were going to have a drought.  Our food cost here at the orphanage went up 20% in one week and fuel costs have gone up.  The weatherman said that we weren’t going to have any rain and was talking about the drought, so obviously the weatherman isn’t just wrong in Kodiak, but here in Uganda too.  J  The other day it was cold from the rain and the kids had jackets on, the missionaries had pants on under skirts, long sleeves, jackets, high socks, it was chilly.  One of the missionaries asked me “Did you bring any hot chocolate with you?”  I mean I brought 15 trunks for stuff with me, but never considered bringing hot cocoa to Africa!!  Needless to say my answer to her was NO.  Although I wish I had. 

I don’t think I am a great writer, but when I am here in Uganda I feel like it comes much easier.   Maybe it is because I am passionate about the kids and the missionaries here at GSF.  But I also feel like I need to have the motivation to write and I haven’t had that lately, so I apologize that I have not written.  Mom asked me the other day/reminded me that I needed to send a group email.  I told her about me not feeling motivated to write, but when I have a funny story to tell that helps motivate me.  So here is what happened.

 So yesterday morning, it was raining, but I needed to go down to the houses, so I put on my rain coat and was walking down.  I stopped in house 4.  House 4B is the house that Gloria stayed in, so I wanted to make sure the house mom was doing ok.  I hadn’t really seen her all week.  The first few days after Gloria went on to be with Jesus, Auntie Margarine just sat there not knowing what to do.  So I stopped by to check in.  The aunties from both of the houses were sitting on the back veranda, along with Cathy. Cathy has been at the orphanage for a very long time.  She is mute and is expected to be in her twenties.  Anyway, she was standing with one hand fisted.  I asked her what she had in her hand, so she opened her hand to show me.  I definitely was NOT expecting to see what I saw.  She opened her hand and there were about ten alive, white ants she was holding onto.  White ants apparently come out more when it rains, and they have wings.  You can see the wings lying on the ground everywhere.  They are much bigger than a normal size ant.  I of course was a little disgusted.  My facial expression was great; the house moms just started laughing at me.  So they went on to tell me, the girls get up early in the mornings to go and catch them from the big hill.  They take the wings off, if they aren’t already off and then they put them in a cup and wait till later.  Then they fry them up and eat them.  Well you can imagine that this wasn’t sounding very good to me and the house moms just kept laughing at me.  Right about the time they were telling me about cooking them up, Cathy took the handful she had and put them in her mouth!!!!  Can I remind you they were still ALIVE!!!  Then she just smiled and started chewing.  Haha, you can only imagine my facial expressions now.  I looked at the house moms and we all just started laughing.  Just for the record, this will not be a first for me.  I am not going to eat any live white ants, maybe I’ll try them in the frying pan though!!  Hmm, that could be interesting. 

The other weekend we got to take about 60 kids swimming.  We took the girls Saturday afternoon and then the boys Sunday afternoon.  They really enjoyed the time at the pool.  Thanks to the Christian school for making that happen.  The kids spent so much time in the pool.  Getting to go swimming is such a treat, because most of the time they only go once a year and that is for their birthday.  What a blessing it was to the kids.

Things are going well.  Tomorrow a couple of us are going to be going out to the islands for the weekend.  There are some missionaries who live on the islands, so we want to go and see their ministry and be a part of it.  I have no idea what to expect, but I am so excited to go.  I am sure there will be a email update when I get back from the islands.  Time is going fast.  My mom gets here in about a week and a half and then when she leaves, I’ll only have about 9 more days and then my three months will be up.  A ton of memories have been made.  But most of all, it is neat to see how God is working in my life.

Sweet Gloria!

March 13, 2011 

Well good morning to most of you.  For me, I am finishing up on a long day and getting ready to read my Bible and head to bed.  I was thinking last night that it has been a week or so since I have written and actually so many fun things happen over this past week with the kids.  Had I written this last night, this email would sound so different.  So I will save all those other things for another email. 

Can you have peace and yet a heavy heart?  Well tonight as I write this I have both.  Let me tell you about our sweet Gloria.  Gloria was the little girl who went into the hospital when I first came and I was the house mom in her house while her auntie was at the hospital with her.  Gloria was one of our precious special needs kids with CP.  She has been in a wheel chair, has to be fed by her auntie, and she couldn’t do anything on her own.  This morning around 8:45am our time, Gloria went on to be with Jesus.  My peace is knowing that she is dancing with Jesus right now and she is healthy and in an amazing place, heaven.  My heavy heart is for selfish reasons.  I’ll miss seeing her sweet little face.  I am thankful that over this past week I was able to share some special time with her.  At the end of last week she was one of the children that came with us to get measured for a new wheelchair and a few other things to help with her needs.  Then on Thursday we took all of our special needs kids swimming with a gal named Julie who works in Kampala.  She works and helps with special needs kids, and so she comes and helps with ours as well.  I was able to hold Gloria in the pool for about 45 minutes and just try and loosen her up by stretching her legs and arms.  She just laid in my arms.  If you look on face book, you will see pictures of us in the pool.

Some people say Gloria was 10 years old, some say 14 and some say even older.  She first came to GSF in 2006, so she wasn’t here for very long, but definitely loved by so many people.  I am not going to give details on how she passed, but I am going to say that we are thankful that she was here at home and not away at the hospital where she wasn’t loved.  Her auntie had just bathed her, and had some precious time with her.  She didn’t suffer; it was just God’s time to take her home to be with Him. 

At 4:00pm we had a memorial service for her.  Some of the GSF kids who are older now came for the service.  At the end of the service Joseph asked for her big brothers to come and carry her casket.  It was so neat to see those older men now, go and carry her away.  She will be taken away tomorrow morning by her uncle and they will take her to her village, which is about an 8 hour drive away.

Please be praying for the ones who are involved at GSF. 

Rain

3-5-2011

The country of Uganda is worried about us having a drought, but don’t worry, I let the missionaries know my mom was coming April 1^st, so I am sure the rain will come in that time frame!!!  J For those of you who don’t know my mom well, the cold weather seems to follow her.  Living in Kodiak, I don’t think I could ever justify praying for rain!!!  But I have come to another first in my life and I need to start praying for rain.  For the record, this is not for my sake, but for the sake of the country.  I would be fine if it didn’t rain the whole time I am here, cause I’ll be back in Kodiak and then I am sure I’ll make up for it.  J  In all seriousness, Ugandan leadership is worried about a drought.  We haven’t really had any rain.  Now it rained hard for about 30minutes today, but that is not nearly enough rain.  They are worried about a drought.  This is supposedly the rainy season and we haven’t had any.  They are even encouraging people to try and stock up on some things.  It really kills me to ask this of you guys, but will you please be praying with me, that we get some much needed rain. 

It has come to my attention, by my family, that apparently I haven’t written in a while.  I apologize for that.  We haven’t had much of an internet connection since March 1^st.

Some of the staff started taking the roof off of the hut that is getting torn down.  The new teen building is going where the hut is now.  It is encouraging to me to see progress.  I will be taking pictures and posting them (on Facebook) of the progress on the new building.  I hope by the time I leave here, they will be starting with the brick work.  The workers haven’t been working much because of all the election stuff going on.

Speaking of elections, they are still going on.  We were told on Tuesday that we couldn’t go into town on Wednesday because there might be rioting.  They don’t just do one day of elections.  So each week there has been a day of elections.  So one week it was for the President of Uganda, the next week it was LC elections, the next week village elections, and so on.  So elections time is still not quite over.  Anyway, there has been some tear gas in Jinja, but we have all been safe.  This past Wednesday there was tear gas and rioting in the afternoon, in town.  So we are all being cautious and safe.

We are seeing a difference in the teens.  Thank you Lord!!!  I really think they are learning and understanding the things we are trying to teach.  I spoke on Respect two weeks ago and when they were asked about it in Thursday night Bible study, they could remember some specifics that I spoke about.  It is amazing, they listened!!!  Miracles do happen.  J  The house moms have said the kids have been better in the houses and treating them with more respect.  It is nice to see the kids trying to make some great efforts in change.  Change is hard for anyone.  When you act one way, that is how people see you, and people aren’t very forgiving sometimes.  So it is hard, and not in just this country.

The house moms have commented that they thing I should stay, basically cause they hear some of the kids comment “well you better do your chores, or else Auntie Debbie will come”.  I don’t know that I am thrilled with some of the kids feeling that way about me, but the house moms think that it is helping.  They see that I am mature enough, that I am not just going to be the kids' friend, but I will also discipline them if it is needed.  Sometimes, I think they also see me differently than some of the young women that are here, because I have been here so many times, but I have learned to not be easily fooled, by the kids' sweet smiles.  J  I will help the moms lay down the rules for the kids, and expect them to obey their house moms.  I guess I am seen more as a mom figure and that is ok.

I post pictures on Facebook, whenever I get a chance, so keep checking face book for new photos.  Please continue praying for me and my relationship here with the kids and the staff.  I just passed up my one month, so I have two months to go.  I am excited to see how God uses my time here.