Jan - June 2013

There are times when you need to write down your experience soon after the event to try and get some perspective or just get it off your chest. When we turned up at Mulago “public” hospital this morning I knew something was wrong – or more wrong – than previous visits!! Donor money given by European governments has been terminated because most of it had been stolen by the Government office – a small % trickled through to health care. When we arrived we found relatives who usually sleep beside the beds sleeping on the grass courtyards and why? As I approached the burns war there was a women with mental disabilities who had been pushed out of the ward lying on her mat desperate for help – so we feed her and then moved inside to the horror awaiting us. There were no spare beds and no nurses in the ward. The entire ward was carnage and weeping wounds unattended. Three men were pleading for me to buy bandages – a real shock to us because normally the hospital supplies bandages but since last week patients have to buy their own bandages at 3000 shillings each. What was infuriating and - very smelly – was that these men who had serious burns had not had their bandages changed since the Tuesday of the week before. I wondered why the stench of rotting flesh was unusually high this morning – their bandages were black and peeling off. A lovely godly man who has lost all his skin on his back and lower body took his coverings off so we could pray but I was not expecting to see his genitals completely raw and undressed beside weeping groin wounds and leg wounds – he walked the few metres to worship with us in the women’s department – what courage and faith in the middle of indescribable pain. The babies ward was packed with fire victims and kids who have been left unattended around large cooking pots. I can only face these kids in the knowledge that they will probably pass quickly into Jesus hands!! One baby who has lost his fingers and face is still with us fighting for his life and I do not know what to pray – but Jesus has a quiet word with me and says, “let him come to me” – so I pray in a few of these cases for their soul to pass on quickly into our lords hands. One mother explained while holding the alive remains - face incinerated - of her third child told me she had lost her other two children 3 days ago in an attack on her house. Some attackers set fire to her house and watched it as mum tried in vain to save her children. What do you say to her? I told her that my daughter Bridget who died at child birth was now playing with her children in “perfection” – somehow inside this horror the only thing you can look at or think about is the hope of Jesus, that he is present and is waiting for all of us. Normally they separate the mentally disabled from other patients but not today. As I entered the ward I was confronted by a filthy stained bed with a man whose legs, feet and hands were tied to the iron bed. He was on his stomach and could not turn over because of his bonds. The back of one foot was missing and a raw wound – burned off and exposed. Now for the surprise – the ropes holding him were ripped up bloody, stained bandages – he was not sane nor could he respond but we feed him and prayed for him. God have mercy on him and set him free!!! Denis the pastor who prays with me and I went to town on this man to see him set free – the ward got the taste of some holy fire!!! What else is there to do? Obviously we as a ministering team have a need for finances for bandages – they do not cost much at 3000 shillings ($1.50 NZ each) so we are hoping that anybody who reads this account will help us out. We helped one man - who was a victim of an acid attack from his wife - open up to Jesus to make a new start with forgiveness and commitment to a better life by following hard after Jesus. He has his face burned off but he was very responsive and eager to get right with Jesus and seek a better life. I knew he had provoked the attack after talking with his mum so he needed to get right with Jesus and seek healing inner and outer. I know all this sounds unusual asking and calling for such a change in direction while the poor man has lost his face and upper body skin but sometimes there needs to be an inner change to help the outer healing – he confessed and too our surprise admitted wrong and committed to getting right with Jesus – the best medicine we could offer plus a few eggs, chapattis and pineapple! Would it be right just to give him an egg and walk away without giving him the door to inner healing? Jan - Feb 2013 The woman’s ward was packed with acid attack victims and fire burns. Most frightening was a woman burned head to toe and severe facial injuries – blackened skin - attackers sent her unconscious with chloroform and burned her house down while she lay prone on the floor – her brother was tending her and she managed to raise her arms in worship and praise Jesus – what determination! She had such a positive attitude in the middle of devastation - wow if she can raise her burned arms to Jesus what is stopping me – nothing!!! I deem it a criminal act to send patients with severe wounds back to the village – the lady who was pregnant and burned who was here over Christmas was no where ready to go home last week – she had maggots over her wounds and was struggling with her burns – basically has been sent home because of a lack of beds and nursing care. There are three cases of epilepsy and falling into fire or boiling pots/stoves - these patients are difficult to deal with as there is little facial movement or response. Carers sleep beside each patient although this time there were two men and one lady who had no carers – they were desperate to get food and bandages. We have had a lot of success with one epileptic man who had severe facial burns – he fell head first into a fire – over the last few weeks he had made substantial improvement and joined us for worship 3 weeks ago, but there was no way he was ready to go home – he was not there – sent back to the village! The affects of a failing economy and donor money drying up is really starting to hit. These are the huge issues which are beyond my influence neither are they my burden. Our burden is to tend to those we are called too - usually quite close to home - or in a specific ministry God has opened up. The burns ward is like a thermometer to me – health care is failing as unemployment soars and people flock to the city to find health care only to find wards overloaded and no jobs. I pray that some will feel touched by God to be involved in helping those who are suffering in this ward. Other news from around about – our dear Emmanuel - some blessed people in our local church have helped his family build a mud brick house and it is nearly finished. I have been fighting bureaucracy at Corso – the donor funded orthopaedic hospital – to have him accepted as a patient. A donor sponsored 1m for his leg operation and arranged a day for his op – I financed him out there and he was told to home because the operation fees had gone up since he first applied. I hit the roof and got hold of the Italian surgeon and let him know of the bribery. The train started to move then – so we got him in there the following week – he can only just stand due to his bone infection – only to be told the surgeon was overbooked!!! This time I did not allow them to muck me around and got hold of the surgeon and told him to get control of the case. I soon realised that he thought I was talking about someone else - hospital admin had mixed up his name on the computer!!! So we had to have another interview to examine the leg and plan surgery – he goes in next Thursday for surgery. The hospital has had the money for 2 months. I have just had a call that Emmanuel has to take his own carer and buy his own and the carer’s food while in hospital – imagine that in NZ!! Don’t worry I am getting used to the bizarre goings on in Uganda health – so I am not going to lose my sanity. At the end of the day I have learned to accept what has happened in the day and try again tomorrow and quite often I make a little headway if I change my expectations to a much longer period than what I want – and most important I have learned to have a giggle at certain crazy events which would never happen in NZ! February 2014 Well Sharron’s mum has made it to heaven!! She loved Jesus and had a huge heart for others and will be greatly missed by us all. Sharon Moses and Pauline fly to NZ next weekend arriving on the 24th March and will be staying in Auckland for the funeral and to be with family. The funeral will be on the 25th at 12.30pm. Margaret was having a real battle with cancer and was fighting to stay on earth for Sharron’s arrival but slipped peacefully into the arms of our Lord. Sharron will be in NZ until the 6th April. Praise the Lord I had return to NZ fares allowed for in my teaching contract so we don’t have to pay too much towards the flights. I am just back from a sports morning at school. We formed a family team and did really well winning all our games. I am trying to teach my boys who want to destroy other teams to relax a bit and allow weaker opposition a chance to shine – not an easy thing for vigorous competitive boys but they did well and gave away lots of points for fun. Their skill levels are very good but it goes to their heads sometimes and we need big debriefing sessions!!!! My friend Emmanuel calls around regularly for a chat, food money and to have his bandages changed. He had an operation at Corso (a sponsor gave him 500 US to fix his lower leg injury) and we have been helping him get on his feet until he returns to work. Local doctors charge money to change his bandage which he does not have since he cannot work. Kampala International Church funded a new house for him and his family. It is a nice clean mud brick house in the middle of the slum. Last week he turned up and told me neighbours and authorities were getting to ready to evict his family because their toilet was unsatisfactory – true it was only a plastic bag shelter around a shallow hole. So we funded a new toilet - 8 feet down and surrounded by stout posts and some iron. Praise the Lord we kept some of the toilet contract money back because the toilet diggers did a runner without finishing the roof! His new house is surrounded by 10 foot sugar cane so we were treated to some fat juicy sticks. I walk my children down to the slum and get boda bodas back – so we were stacked high with sugar cane – the ride back is real rough and bumpy. Mulago hospital is becoming a war zone. They are tearing up bed sheets in surgery while people are dying in the queues – how much can these Ugandan people take before they crack? I have found a bandage wholesaler who supplies bandages at half the price. Our visit to the burns ward last week was surreal – worship drew nearly all the patients into an awesome time of praise, some women with badly burned legs walked for the first time. We gave out 50 (4.5 metre) bandages and ran out. As we entered the ward a man lying on a brown stained bed cried out to us. He had no money for bandages so his feet were swathed in bloody torn up bed sheets covered in plastic bags to contain the smell. He was a lovely man who been severely handicapped by an electrical fire. (I fear the electrics in our house because there is no code of certification.) As we worshipped this man hobbled into the middle of us and joined us – what courage and strength! The children’s ward was packed which, is heart tearing. Most children are caught in house fires or fall into hot boiling pots of beans or porridge. One 9 year old has massive head to toe burns. His siblings were killed recently in a horrific fire. The parents had walked outside and had mistakenly locked/closed the security bar doors and were not able to get back in!! Mum sitting at the bedside completely astonished me – Ugandans approach death differently to us – they have such a strong living faith they know heaven is only a step away and so were her children – to her it was like they were present. People here get on with surviving and the daily toil of making a living out of very little and move on much more quickly than us Westerners. Also, I think, because of their knowledge of the presence of Jesus in everything and the hope which awaits them. I have to admit I have a growing longing for the sweet clean smell of ocean air, the power of a good swell and to feel the white sand of a NZ beach under my feet and perhaps a few pipis!!! I am struggling with air pollution here and right now have some throat problems. Kampala is flooded with unmaintained, unwarranted vehicles either broken down or billowing black smoke so we use the car air conditioner a lot to avoid sucking in the filth when traveling. You get to appreciate NZ’s strict anti- pollution laws. It is quite a challenge finding things to do in Kampala for the children mainly because of the lack of parks and pollution. One has to travel out of the city to find decent recreational sites and driving is not easy. We can bike around the hill behind us but that is limited – venturing onto the main roads is suicidal. The boys and Pauline form up a good team at home for plenty of sports in our front yard – badminton and soccer are nearly every night mixed in with a bit of trampoline fighting!!! Raewyn Mortensen is now managing our house in Tauranga and has found a new tenant. I went through a bit of tension over summer trying to sort the old tenant!! Many thanks to Walter Annear for helping with the house and Craig and Wendy for helping with the pool. A huge thanks to those who have contributed so that we can buy bandages for the burns ward – you are saving lives and also bringing comfort and hope. I count it a massive privilege to serve the burned patients in this way. I am going to buy hundreds of bandages next week during my holiday – what a blessing. My school also had a Red Nose Comic Relief day to raise money for bandages and that was successful. We are still supporting orphans at Kyazanga. Some have graduated and so I have put one into a vocational school in Masaka doing hairdressing. John is also supported by us – he finished college with high marks and so we have decided to sponsor him into Ugandan Christian University to do an engineering degree. We know a few American families who lecture at this University. The grounds and buildings are beautiful and outside Kampala’s ring of pollution. The local University Makerere is in disarray - corruption, lost papers and marks, bribes – and it is inner city so this is not an option for John. Most graduates from the city universities cannot find a job as unemployment reaches more than 80% - the result of money being redirected away from job creating investments. March 2013 I am writing this blog while recovering from my first “real” bout of that debilitating invisible disease malaria – I had 5 long hours in the Surgery hospital saturating myself with 6 litres of water to aid the first round of anti - malaria drugs. After two days of this powerful drug (sends one into the clouds!!) I am starting to feel better – the muscle pain and fever have resided but I am totally exhausted. Day 4 and I did a stupid thing this morning trying to go back to work after 3 days horizontal and got real dizzy and weak then I felt my heart screaming at me so the message was clear – bail quickly!! As I got a boda taxi home I met the doctor – great timing – she took one look at me and shook her head then told me the minimum recovery period is a week – small embarrassment and stubbornness on my part. Day 5 and I am in and out of sleep – most weird – must be my body slowly recovering. Praise the Lord I did not hesitate to visit the doctor when I first felt some strange muscle pain and overall weakness – I have known some friends here (mainly stubborn men) who tried to ignore the initial symptoms and ended up collapsing into a coma and then needing 6-9 weeks to recover. The lesson here is that if we are camping or visiting overnight outside Kampala please take the prophylactic – preventative anti malaria pills!!! Where did I get bitten? While Sharron was in NZ attending her mum’s funeral I took my boys Nicholas and Denis and our sponsored boy, John, camping at the Nile River camp just out of Jinja. A real treat it was – we mountain biked through villages and passed the new Nile dam – that area is very fertile and productive so it was an exciting ride through sugar cane, maize, bean and potato farms while viewing the mighty Nile. We returned to our camp which had a lovely restaurant and “malaria free bunk rooms” - so we were told - the bunk rooms had no mosquito nets!! On our arrival on the first day just before dark, we swam in the swimming pool and silly me did not notice that the filtration equipment was off and we could not really see the state of the pool – it looked blue and clean and inviting - still we had so much fun throwing each other into the pool and fighting – John did not swim and I did not find out why to my horror until later. Next day after the bike ride we took off towards the pool and jumped in with much shouting – when I surfaced I had frog remains and live frogs on my arms as well as some filthy algae – one look at the bottom and we were out – it was filled with untreated Nile water and loaded with debris, snails and dead insects. Great!! I let management have it between the eyes and they tried to cover up by saying they were saving power!!! Two weeks later Nicholas woke with stomach and headaches and Moses who was not at the camp but in NZ was vomiting – so I took them to the Doctors to find Nicholas loaded with amoeba (the swimming pool) and a high count of the lethal belhausier (horrible disease found in Nile and Lake Victoria – carried by a small snail/worm which penetrates your skin and slowly multiples in your blood leading to paralysis and serious issues. His belhausier takes 8-12 weeks to grow so he would have got it at Kingfisher swimming pool before Christmas on a school camp – the swimming pool is fed from the Nile!!! Nicholas was the more urgent so he was piled high with drugs and Moses problems were viral. I get anxious when they cannot find anything bacterial but these doctors are very thorough and his bloods and stool were clear – so it was brufen and panadol for Moses but poor Nicholas had to endure knockout drugs for 5 days ending with the heavy night dose of anti belhausier. Then dad ends up back with the same doctors and I wondered why there were some serious looks and silence after my blood tests only to be told I had malaria and I was to immediately take a hospital bed and begin treatment – bless them – they do not muck around with malaria cases!! Six more people arrived after me and they were very sick – some nearly unconscious - all malaria – all had been camping around Uganda. This all part of living in tropical zones – Uganda is right on the equator and we have been having regular rainfall with high temps – all conducive to malaria. One just has to be a bit more careful by taking preventative medicine before camping. Back to John the non swimmer. John has finished his college years (S6) with high marks in physics and maths and the sciences – he is now 22. Sharron and I have supported him for six years while at college and during the recent holiday break I enrolled him in a lovely Christian based university – UCU – Ugandan Christian University at Mukono just outside Kampala. He will do the Engineering Degree for 4 years. He will board at the university so he is excited to be embarking on a new phase of his life. John lost both his parents when he was under ten years old – John was transferred to his grandmother at 4 years old with serious health issues while his mother was sick. His mum then died so John went back to his father but he then got sick. John was so malnourished and tiny and sick he was about to die when the Eugene and Susan the owners and leaders of Kyazanga modern primary (our Ugandan family) took him into there already crowded house to care for him and educate him. For 5 years - from 9 years to 14 years old - Susan fed him with a special milk and soft diet and John by a miracle and plenty of love recovered. Sharron and I then took up his sponsorship to help him through college. What a walking testimony of the power of unconditional care and support. May we all get the opportunity to participate in blessing the poor and sick! Anyhow I was determined to get John swimming – many Ugandans have no experience in water and do not know how to swim. We planned to go to the lovely clean Royal Suite swimming pool – our usual swimming pool – no frogs or snails!!! I finally extracted from him the reason for his fear – he had watched two of his classmate friends drown on separate school trips!!! Blew me away so I did not know what to say for awhile but I knew I had to help him overcome this tragedy and associated fears. All it took was the reassurance that I would help him in the water and that at all times he can touch the bottom. Well next day was a great occasion as we splashed around like babies - me trying to teach him to kick and float – what a laugh and what a personal victory for him. Another awesome miracle occurred during the recent holiday – my school had a fund raising day for bandages for the burns ward – 250,000 shillings was donated so through a contact I found the main supplier of bandages - Kiboko – to Uganda. The manager was very supportive when he heard what was happening in the public hospital. I purchased 200 bandages and he asked me to write a letter to his owners explaining our ministry. Next day I got a phone call – they will donate a similar amount every two months to our ministry!!! Wow – what happens when you step out to bless the poor and suffering – God comes in with a similar donation and continuity of supply!! I pray we all get the opportunity to experience this display of Gods power. As I have mentioned in a previous blog note – a few days later I visited the burns ward piled high with bandages – only to walk in on a maddened crowd arguing with nurses who were refusing bandages unless the patients paid for them. Not a nice scene until we walked right into the middle of the meeting!! We distributed 100 bandages mainly to those who could not pay for them and the whole ward subsided into some calm. One patient was sobbing continually - she had just been robbed of all her money – I asked how much – 5000 shillings (2 NZ dollars) - it was not difficult to rectify the situation. Some astonishing cases of cruelty and torture were there to greet us. I swatted flies off the only visible flesh – a charred and ruined face of a lovely lady - in her thirties – brutally assaulted by acid top to bottom – she needed 7 full size 5 metre bandages to cover her entire body. I am pretty sure the worn out, underpaid doctors and the voluntary American doctor assessing cases beside us think I am mad when Denis my pastor friend and I after providing food and bandages let go in strong intercessory prayer over this precious damaged lady – my thinking – who cares what anybody thinks – I have seen people heal up quicker than possible and nothing is impossible with God – why let the opportunity to pray slip by – having connection with God and connecting the patient with Jesus is very powerful along with the proper physical care – you cannot have one without the other!!! God is full of surprises and loves our consulting with him and our cry to him for mercy. My pastor friend and I led three patients to commit to Jesus and hold on to Jesus in their suffering – I tell you – a bright light of hope filled this young man’s eyes - severely burned by lightning!! I have come to realize more than ever in this burns ward ministry – there is a way through suffering and death and that is by holding the hand of Jesus. Jesus fills suffering and death with hope – he may not eliminate it - as some who blame God for allowing it - would have it! I cry out for that acid burned lady to recover – awesome if she does – but if God takes her she is in good hands and finally at peace with no pain or tears. What hope can you give outside of Jesus? Sharron Moses and Pauline had a fruitful time in NZ and a special closeness with her family as they remembered Margaret who passed in March just before Sharron was scheduled to fly to NZ. Most of Margaret’s direct family were at her bedside as she passed through the heavenly gates – she had a strong faith. I am sorry if Sharron was not able to contact you while there, she had only a few days to visit close relatives and my mum. Sharron was again shocked by how clean NZ is and how easy it is to shop and drive around – two elements in stark contrast to Kampala – it stirred quite a homesickness. Uganda and Kampala are “other worlds” compared to NZ! This homesickness although not severe and not something I think about much is slowly increasing as we struggle in Kampala to find outdoor activities outside of home which are safe and clean from lethal diseases or traffic dangers. Our favourite campsite at Lake Nabugabo is now risky because of belhausier in the water so swimming is out. Flying to Mombassa on the Kenyan coast is out because we live on a slim budget but we could drive the 24 hour trip!!!! Our white NGO and rich Ugandan friends enjoy regular excursions across borders on expensive safaris to keep their kids happy. Luckily we have access to some nice pools in Kampala and I took the boys bowling a few weeks ago. We have activities inside our compound like badminton and “small” field football but there is nothing like camping at the coast which is our favourite in NZ. All our children are very physical and at times fiercely competitive which demands a little dad negotiation!! I just love playing games with them and they are learning to enjoy the game without winning and destroying the opposition!!! I also bike around our local area away from main routes and Pauline comes with me – would you believe it the second hand bikes I purchased two years ago for the boys now look like baby tricycles under them so no wonder they are not in a hurry to bike with dad. I might just see if I can find some bigger bikes. We plan to return towards the end of next year after finalising adoption requirements and obtaining NZ Immigration visas – this will need plenty of prayer as they are quite a sticky bunch. God has his timing and we intend to seek that timing and be at peace as we ride along with Jesus at the steering wheel. Want to hear a miracle that happened today. I am facing a difficult time with my friend Emmanuel who had the lower leg operation in February. I have financed countless trips to the doctors for antibiotics and redressing his leg. He returned to work but his leg has never healed and is now in real pain. He looks after his whole family financially and so he must work – no work means no income which means begging or stealing. His Kenyan chef boss has threatened loss of job if he is off work again because of sickness but this chef does not realise that his boss – the owner of the restaurant chain – is a friend of mine and a parent in my class!! Today (17th April) I negotiated more time to fix his leg and without loss of job. I forced Emmanuel to leave work and seek advice from the surgeon who operated on his leg. I then rang Corso to negotiate for Emmanuel but I rang the wrong number – it was a lady I met “by chance” at Mulago one day who arranges funds for prosthetics - I am beginning to wonder at the wisdom of God. If an amputation is needed (which is likely but not my wish) she will help to connect Emmanuel with the right people. His bone is infected just above the ankle so it is much easier to find a new foot than a whole leg. As I am writing this blog Emmanuel has turned up at our door and his leg is black with pus flowing out and he can hardly walk after a 12 hour day in the kitchen – thanks Mr inexperienced surgeon who will get an earful tomorrow morning when he sees Emmanuel and I will unleash all guns if Corso admin demand payment for him to see the surgeon - again. 1 million shillings ($500) has already been paid for a half hour operation cleaning the bone plus countless trips to Corso because of cancelled operations – the surgeon did not turn up!!! Corso is 20km away and these trips including tomorrow have been financed by us. Enough has been paid. The 1m was precious money from a European couple who took pity on Emmanuel one day “by chance” at the doctors. Sharron has just fed him and washed and redressed the wound and filled him with pain killers!!! Funny the last thing he said when he left our premises among thanks was - “do you have some soap for my family?” Well tomorrow has arrived and if you have strong heart then read on. Emmanuel made it to the surgeon and waited 3 hours in excruciating pain. I made sure there was no charge – if they had tried to bribe him I would have contacted the main Corso donors (friend from school last year), Emmanuel’s initial sponsor and the secretary to the Vice President (our close friend) to get some justice – I was ready to fight! So what happened? – Unbeknown to me was the process these Ugandan surgeons and local doctors have been using to clean his wound - the incision or entry place into the bone. Praise the Lord his Xray showed no sign of infection inside the lower leg bone. I could not understand why this solid young 26 year old man was in tears when he visited me at the end of the day! What happened? It took two large nurses too hold him down on the operating table while they forced special “scissors” into the hole in his leg to scrape and clean the inside of the leg close to the bone – no anaesthetic given – he screamed uncontrollably and writhed in pain while his captors forced him down – the most barbaric wound cleaning. Now I know why he sometimes simply could not face the regular “wound care” in the filthy clinic close to home. He has missed his redressing a few times and come to us for a more gentle approach. Sharron who has a lot of experience with wounds hit the roof when she heard how they were cleaning the wound. Using scissors to scrape the inside of a wound is unbelievably prehistoric and stupid. The inside of a wound is normally packed with gauze and special dressing - not scraped by bush doctors!! So we are taking him to our Doctors to investigate a better approach to his wound care and this will cost a lot of money because Emmanuel has no insurance but I am not leaving him in the street to die – he is a good friend, a fighter and hard worker who is responsible for 8 family members so I am sure our mighty God will provide!!! God has a plan which will show itself in the coming days. Blessing Emmanuel will bless an entire family network – God please bring an excellent outcome for him - it is a massive long struggle. While I was in hospital on Monday waiting for the drugs to move through my body I read the original “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens (remember Ebenezer Scrooge) – wow what a powerful story – put me on my knees again to remember why we are here on earth – when an obvious need walks across your path grab it and bless it with whatever you have – I do not want ghosts of the past (read A Christmas Carol) inhabiting my final years!!! April May 2013 Hi there and welcome to our journey. We need your prayer for tomorrow – Pauline's court hearing and finalization of legal guardianship. It has been a long and bumpy road to get the documents in place. Two weeks ago I needed to get the paternal Aunt and her local area manager up to Kampala (they live 5 hours away in a remote village – Pauline’s birth place) to sign affidavits and consent forms (again). Talk about weird – they suddenly refused saying that they did not realize (lie) that we were fully adopting Pauline and taking her back to NZ – they thought “we were just looking after her for a while” then financing her into Ugandan colleges while she returned to the village.” It did not matter what Pauline wanted!!! I soon realized that this nonsense was a deception and soon to be bribe – I was right – when I finally convinced them using local leaders influence and logic to come to Kampala to sign consents they arrived and immediately talked about how they needed 500,000 to fix a house!!! I did not say anything but just prayed that they would see what was best for Pauline. When I finally got them to the lawyers they again framed up this lie about not understanding the full implications of adoption (the Aunt has been welcoming and agreeing to adoption for 3 years and signed the care order and original consent for adoption) – now a sudden change!! Well I refused to give in to the bribe and got in the Kyazanga principal to straighten out their thinking – 2 hours later they agreed - what was best for Pauline – and signed. I found out via village sources that distant, very distant relatives had “suddenly turned up” and found out that “rich” white people (us!!!) were adopting Pauline – they saw the opportunity to get their houses fixed!!!! As a security our lawyer demanded a letter of consent from all these new faces – I decided that Pauline is worth more than a few hundred thousand (250 nz) and slipped a few notes into pockets – the letter has been signed and we are all in court tomorrow before the meanest and strictest judge you will ever meet – so here goes – the final hurdle – please pray for success for Pauline’s sake. Imagine her now - healthy, advancing in her education and talents being forced back into a highly abusive HIV ridden, poverty stricken village with schools that are not schools and having no caring parents!!! Yesterday I had to obtain a social welfare report for the court (the lawyer and court were waiting for it) on the progress our family was making with Pauline. We had been working on it for 3 weeks and it was ready to be picked up. The local council office let me know it was ready to be picked up!!! I sent Ken who is living at our house to get it. I wondered why he did not ring me after 2 hours – so I rang him – the social worker with the report told him to wait while he was in a meeting!!! Another hour went by and I hit the roof and after 15 phone calls to his phone got through to him and demanded he give the report. He said he would – now. Then his power went off so they could not print it – they had to go down to the market to find a computer print shop – they got it printed and Ken set off to the lawyer – as he reached the lawyer on the other side of Kampala – I got a phone call from the social worker that he had forgotten to sign it!!! So I got Ken to return. Again they had to find a print shop using a memory stick. They realised that they had also missed printing the most important first page!!! Ken had to pay the printing costs and after 5 hours finally reached the lawyer’s office. So was it ready in the first place? I had forgotten that all of this mess is also what happened when we completed the boy’s legal guardianship!! Sometimes you expect the main local social welfare officer who is dealing with important cases, labour disputes and adoptions to have access to a generator!! I am trying to memorize Psalms because our daily schedule starting at 5.30 am does allow much “time out” with Jesus in the morning and by the time we arrive home in 30 plus degrees at 4.30, get a meal going, do homework, prepare home school (Pauline) for the next day and have an outdoor game with the children, put a wash on, get showers done - we are shot and ready for bed by 7.30 - 8.00pm. The Psalms which have helped me the most in the valleys and peaks are Psalm 16, 27, 34, 40, 84 and 91. In fierce battles for people’s lives Psalm 91 has reigned supreme in seeing real break-through and healing. We have been fighting for a colleague’s life for the last 8 months and her cancer has reduced but we are not there yet – Psalm 91:14 – 15 “because he (she) has loved me therefore I will deliver her and set him (her) securely on high because he (she) has known my name, She will call on me and I will answer her, I will be with her in trouble and will rescue and honour her, with a long life I will satisfy him (her)........and let her see my salvation.” I claim this in prayer for people we are helping and ourselves and have seen God turn seemingly impossible situations turn around for the good. My friend Emmanuel who had his leg fixed by surgeons has finally recovered and is back at work after 4 months of battling post-infection. Looking back there were times when I felt like his leg wound would never heal and we were facing amputation as the black infected flesh just would not respond. It was in those times that a little voice hidden behind the above Psalm would chime in and say “keep going and keep fighting for the best” – despite the medical costs and constant daily wound cleaning and new antibiotics weekly. Well he is now a smiling man fit and well and working! A thought for the millions in this country who cannot afford proper medical care – nothing is free here! Sharron and I have recovered from a long period of sickness thanks to many praying people. My malaria set my fitness back a month and I am now slowly building my strength and Sharron is very tired but back in action. It takes a while to work out how to reduce stress and exhaustion in this much hotter and harder environment. Sharron and I were sharing this morning on the way to church how we need to let go of a number of “worry” points in our lives. Some things are out of our control and need to be “placed” in the hands of God. Two of our adopted children have caused some major headaches in the last month – all social issues arising from past negative village experiences. God has given us these children for a very good reason – to save their lives from the deep confusion wrought by abusive past carers – such an irony – the word carer – hardly carers more like “monsters!” We are making headway as we put in place firm boundaries and constant unconditional love. I must say I have lost it a few times and not been a very good father – tiredness and emotions ruling rather than Jesus! Yet we live another day to put it right, forgive ourselves and get on with rebuilding these broken lives by modelling Jesus and living under his word. I have challenged my kids to memorizing a Psalm a week – so far we have Psalm 23 down. We watch Little House on the Prairie episodes regularly and discuss the story line or message which is usually applicable and Godly. I realise that I need to take the lead when it comes to teaching the word and godly principles because they will not automatically do it “yet” – but I know that the seed planted is germinating! Another great blessing is that John – an orphan from Kyazanga - who we have supported for 5 years through college has been accepted into a Christian university and begins in September – the Uni fees are substantially more than college – no student loans here – but he has a strong faith and work ethic which will see him to an engineering degree in 4 fours. In Uganda the fees for secondary school are high which is why we are facing new challenges with orphans we have supported in the past who are now college age. One girl we have supported I have taken out of college and put into a vocational training centre because her college marks were far too low to continue. She is doing really well in a hairdressing course in Masaka which is the same costs per term as college. Families here place themselves in serious debt in order to finance their children through primary, secondary and tertiary education. A good primary school costs 500,000 to 800,000 shillings per term (400 NZ), then a good secondary is 700,000 to 900,000 per term and then University is approx 3 million per semester for boarders and 1.8 – 2m for day students. This is a huge amount of money for poor families which is why millions of young people are on the streets. The government have created a serious problem – millions uneducated and unable to complete their education. I have several friends in our neighbourhood – young men who no longer can afford either to finish college or go to University – their parents are broke!!! What a terrible future prospect for millions of young Ugandans! I have just seen the plumber off after another “fix” – we have numerous plumbing issues in this house which have become quite funny – they “pop” up every week. Taps falling apart, showers pipes blocked with broken parts, rubber washers going and this morning our bathroom main tap fell to pieces, the kids shower hot water tape broke and our shower did not have enough water to shower an ant!!! The main piping from the water tower is the wrong size so pressure is minimal – all part of the fun – the Landlord turns a deaf ear when I ring so I foot the bill which surprisingly is quite cheap compared to NZ because all the parts are cheap fakes from China – and my plumber charges a ridiculous small amount so I pay him double. He is a genius at fixing things using minimal resources – he has taught me a lot. He comes with a small bag of tools but manages to create the parts out of nothing. We are on our fifth toilet handle in one year – this one is real “steel.” There are no building supervisors or certification processes here. Our house has been built with “fake” concrete – too much sand and no concrete – so the outside walls are slowly disintegrating at a low level – this is serious and one “fix” I am not paying for and hopefully we will be out of here before the walls fall down. Yet we live in comfort and lovely dry conditions with reasonable cleaning facilities compared to our neighbours so who can complain!! June 2013 A big mighty thanks to all those who prayed for our legal applications. Courtroom dramas are over - we were appointed Pauline’s legal guardians 2 weeks ago. During the court hearing Pauline's Aunty attempted to bribe us for 2million (1000nz) - her mistake was trying to do this before the judge! He strongly suggested she leave the courtroom and discuss the matter with other relatives. They sorted her out and she returned to give consent. Then – surprise – another set of lies are extracted by the judge – there is in fact a grandmother on Pauline’s side. This had been kept hidden from us for 3 years! The Aunty did not want to share any bribe money! So the judge denied approval until the Grandmother was found and had given consent. I then had to pay relatives to find her way south in a remote village. I got them to come up to court but they forgot their ID and letters of consent from village elders so they had to be sent back to the village. This was nearly too much for me but I hung in there and transported them back up the following week and finally got full approval from the judge. I think the whole experience shows me just how desperate people are to try and extract a few shillings even by “forgetting documents.” It was worth the fight – a life was at stake – Pauline’s. Next hurdle - Pauline’s and Nicholas birth certificates and passports are wrong. We have had age assessments done using x-rays of the wrist and hand bones of their left hand. What we suspected was confirmed – they are approx 3 to 4 years older than the current birth certificates. How could this happen? Lack of records at their villages, deception, few remaining relatives who can remember, malnourishment – when they came to us 3 years ago they were tiny now they are roaring into the teens physically and obviously!! Not what we were expecting and because Moses is the same size – a big solid boy – he is not worried nor does he reflect on the older age of his adopted siblings – academically he is way ahead - so we are family and dad and mum are a little surprised at Gods humour!! What this means practically – we need to update their birth certificates and passports so Pauline does not have to crouch at airport passport checks and wear “youngish” clothes – Nicholas will need to be homeschooled because he is too old for primary school and we will need to pay adult airfares for them – just a few changes coming our way!! Sharron’s turn - What a year it has been. I have slept for three days after finishing school. Had some time thinking about my beautiful mum who passed away on March 14th this year. We arrived back and straight into the rigors of school life after returning from New Zealand to celebrate Mums life. The teacher I have been covering for is doing well but is still requiring another 4 rounds of chemo. Our school has been amazing in support of this gorgeous Godly woman. Our compassionate head teacher has gone the extra mile in so many ways to support her and we have had prayer meetings at school during lunch breaks which have enriched our friend and us as colleagues. Time to recoup, spend time with the kids, visit Kyazanga, bless our orphan girls and get ready for next year. We are going to the burns unit this Sunday loaded with bibles, books and crayons for the children and the usual supplies of food and pillows. We are not sure what to expect as there was a horrific tragedy where 40 people were burnt alive and 16 still critical and not sure of numbers with moderate burns after a car collided with a petrol tanker. People in the area decided to try and selvage the petrol flowing from the truck as they are very poor however the truck exploded into a fireball. The saddest thing though is that people are going to claim bodies and getting paid by the government and they are not their relatives. I have heard stories that people are lying unattended in hospital yet people are trying to claim money on their behalf. Our hospital ministry is difficult in the sense that we can’t supply for all their needs but we can show them that Jesus cares by giving bibles praying and giving pillows and linens, bandages, some food and most of all singing to give hope and some encouragement that they are not alone in all this suffering. It is always lovely to have one of our team members who we visited for a year in the unit who was meant to die but didn’t and he often takes off his shirt and shows his scarring to those who have been recent victims of burns that they can survive and continue. What does life hold for people who are burnt in New Zealand? What opportunities exist for them? It does concern me about what life holds for these victims of acid attacks and house fires. I pray God is close to their hearts to help them through the next part of their journey whether it be begging or being supported by relatives or managing to start a small business. Steve here – wow A MASSIVE THANKYOU to the blokes meat night and our special NZ sponsors who donated recently – we are just back from the indescribable carnage in the burns ward as Sharron mentioned above. The numbers in the ward have swelled – mainly in the men’s part – motorbike taxi men trying to steal petrol from the tanker before it exploded and incinerated their mates instantly - these survivors were burned head to toe and are now in the ward we attend. What a time of seeing God come through - many of these young men were crying out to receive Jesus out of fear of death - so we had the privilege of leading them to Jesus, giving bibles out, heaping bandages on them and feeding them. I do not care why they were there – we all make mistakes and get greedy at times so one cannot judge their actions at a time like this – Jesus makes it quite plain to get it right with him before death comes our way! When I led worship in the middle of them three of them with arms engulfed in bandages - weeping wounds seeping out the ends - lifted their hands and arms to praise Jesus while carers joined in worship – there is nothing that I have experienced that brings me closer to heaven than seeing broken, hurting people who have lost everything - touching Jesus and clinging to the only treasure worth chasing! I have a parent who runs a lovely Safari lodge at Lake Mburo south of Kampala. He has given us his tent quarters to enjoy at the park. So we are off in two weeks to breathe some fresh air, ride some horses, chase Zebra, watch hippo and relax in the wild – a little treat for the family. I run a homeschooling program most mornings during the holidays just to keep the kids brains active and creating. I am very keen on them building skills in movie making – this activity encompasses so many skills. We are watching how to make movies using you tube tutors and now they have started their own storyboards for a script to shoot. We did a practice run yesterday and shot a biker’s movie – crazy pirates on bikes chasing treasure around our neighbourhood. Next step is for them to download and edit adding music and intro screens – fun activity for the holidays. I do not find parenting very easy. Some of the bubbling issues carried into our family from the “adopted” past stretch my patience and I lose the plot. The closer I am to Jesus helps me see the light and process what is happening more clearly without over reacting. Jesus, help me to speak quietly with your powerful wisdom and establish the correct boundaries and model the correct behaviour and enjoy times together. The hot issue at the moment is their treatment of each other which can get pretty nasty at times – arises from low self belief, confidence and horror models from the village – so Dad and Mum are the new models – oh Jesus help me to be speak to the issue in firm love without wanting to throttle them!! I know God is doing great things!!! – I just want them today!!! I hope this blog has highlighted some of our prayer needs. Without your support we would be very much alone so thankyou for hanging in there with us – bless you heaps!