May 2012 - July 2012

It’s just a drop in the ocean but take away all the drops away and, there is no ocean. A timely thank you to our family and friends who support us in prayer, words of encouragement, friendship and finances to help in the lives of people we are investing in here. We are seeing Gods’ mercy and miracles and are so reminded that you walk this journey of love with us. Our children are flourishing, though the journey of adopting older children has its challenges. However our hearts are growing huge and we deem it such a privilege to be here at such a time as this. Our Pauline came to stay for 5 days. John our Ugandan teenager brought Pauline and Daisy another sweet girl from Kyazanga to Kampala. We had a riotous time. Steve bought the two girls a doll each and Pauline taught Daisy to hand sew. Daisy’s designs were impressive and the dolls went back with some lovely outfits. Our boys got stuck in to the jewellery making with the girls and it was quite delightful. Pauline is growing up so fast and she seems happy and settled but I miss her so. Athletics season has brought with it a new international school record from Denis in the shot put throw. He also managed a gold medal in the long jump. The other two didn’t fare as well, Nicholas even collapsing in exhaustion and hilarity on the finish line after his 400 metre race. Although athletics is not their flare Moses and Nicholas are competitive on the netball stage. We need some of their aggression next week when we play a mixed under 11 side against Rainbow international school - our schools’ first interschool game since I introduced netball to the school a year ago. Maybe we should call them the Ambrosoli ferns!! Working with Steve is wonderful and our relationship has only strengthened. The kids in his class are delightful, talented and love learning. They performed an amazing assembly about famous people and they enjoyed a lot of support from their parents in the whole process. One child modelled and spoke about Tiger Woods and it was hilarious when he said “watch my swing” as he hit the end of the microphone and it flew off into the audience. One of our teacher friends won two nights in a lodge at Lake Albert, a place we only dreamed about staying at because of the cost. I screamed with delight and hugged her when she said she wanted to give the two nights to our family. We will go in our summer break. Steve is writing now. It has been a great day for opportunities to bless others. We started off with a visit to the infamous Mulago hospital where we handed out delicious protein food, prayed and cried out to God for severely burned people and then sang praise songs with them. Something special happens as we worship together – perhaps the morose surroundings, browning and rotting bandages and smell of dead flesh is forgotten for the moment as the Holy Spirit fills the room and opens heaven for a peep into the glory that awaits!!! The men’s burns ward had some tragic cases today - where the level of cruelty inflicted is beyond understanding and description. God really helps me see past the ruined, rotting and burnt flesh to the spirit and soul – the jewels that characterise us and make us human and diverse. I even drew a smile today from inside the swath of bandages encasing one man critically disfigured from an acid attack - he recognised the glow of hope in Jesus as we ministered and fed him! But in the next bed a man writhing in pain being given morphine from a cup administered by a relative – who cares how much so long as he can get some nirvana high to overcome the intensity of his pain. Relatives clothe the floor with beds and bags – the only supporters for victims – they buy the food and medicine and handle toiletries – we feed them also, such caring people to give up work and commitments to nurse their sick ones. Today saw three badly burned ladies (acid attack and accidental burns) without beds – they were lying on the floor on mats. We buy pillows for them which give a little comfort. One lady has caught my attention - she is very quiet and serene - a gentle young lady – who has completely lost all her facial features including lips and frontal eye sockets and nose so that her face is just a pink and blistered balloon with no eye openings and a small mouth and nose holes. May God fill her with a miraculous touch of joy and hope in the midst of a life-long horror handicap. Whoever (acid attacker) did this to her will be dealt with by God – reason or no reason!! What do I learn from this experience – firstly life hangs on a fine thread which is held by God - oh how transient we are hence hold onto the rock that never changes - beyond the body and behind the burnt flesh of these horrific injuries can lie a treasure untouchable and everlasting – faith in Jesus – a hope which sees one through this pitifully short life. Monica has found a shop for the children’s clothing we bought back from New Zealand. It is a small shop not far from where we live. She opens in two weeks so we are now on the hunt for some furniture to display her wares. The walls need some painting but we believe we can get it looking nice. Thankyou again to all those who have donated clothes. The adult clothes we have sold and raised enough for the first months’ rent. We plan to visit Oxfam where we can get extra clothes to maintain the business. Many people set up business by buying big sacks of seconds hand goods and on sell. It means survival here and feeding your family. Monica is an important member of our team visiting the burns unit. She has such a wise and loving presence amongst the sick. Our young friend Immanuel is doing well in his new job and they are trying to find a place within the restaurant to employ him. He is an amazing 23 year old who lives in a mud hut with his mum and two sisters in a swamp area. It is rainy season and their house is literally melting away. After a huge storm the other night we waded through a rubbish dump to reach the house with our camping tarpaulin to secure the holes in the walls and roof. I was furious when he visited yesterday and said he had to take the tarpaulin off as thieves tried to steal it. Immanuel’s mum has sold meat kebabs on the side of the road for 27 years to feed her family. We would like to raise 6 million shillings which is 3,000 nz dollars to build her a small two room brick house on the tiny plot of land she owns. We have put some photos of their mud house and toilet outside on the photo album attached. I feel anxious for her during the storms here lying in my own cosy house and wondering how they are faring. Another Ugandan son who hangs out with us on the weekend Ken is set to be a good runner. Bless his heart as he came in 8th out of 7,000 runners in a 10 km race. He was wanting to be in the top 5 to get a prize but he got the stitch. His dream is to study journalism so he is working as a gardener, guard and washes clothes, burns rubbish. Ken started the hospital ministry with me and he is such a comforter to the sick. I believe he will achieve his dream as he has such a good heart. Today we are taking our young friend Joshua to visit a land owner. Steve has helped him set up his business but he still gets ripped off and he is in debt because people won’t pay him and he can’t afford to go to court. I am taking the video camera and we will get the contract signed on video. Joshua has worked hard getting her tenants but she won’t pay him a commission. The rich are ruthless here. This will help him recover from debt and continue on with his business. The corruption here makes me sick to the core. I will keep you posted. Our friends Peter and Danielle are heading off in two days on a long 37 hour flight back to New Zealand to raise support to continue to work here amongst the poor here in Uganda. They are an amazing family with six children who are affecting many lives for the better here. If you get the opportunity to hear them speak you will be encouraged and delighted at what God is doing in the lives of orphans and slum dwellers here. They attend City Church Tauranga and will probably be staying with Chris and Lisa Higgins whom so lovingly cared for us while we were back home along with the Annears. We are again reminded of the love we were showered with while back at home in New Zealand. Thankyou family and friends as we hold you dear to our hearts and may you be blessed to be a blessing. You make up those precious drops in the ocean. The Caldwells in Uganda You may have noticed the very badly burnt man lying on the floor in the photo album below – I cannot describe the joy on his face after receiving a bed we arranged and new linen – then the incredible happened – he stood up and began worshiping with us!! This is just one instance of the rich blessing poured on our ministry to the burns ward through the kind generosity of a group of New Zealanders including the men’s night held at City Church. In our last visit the level of suffering was extreme. I have never experienced the sight of such horrific injuries mainly from acid attacks. The photo album below gives only a small snippet of the situation inside this ward. Men and women maimed for life and without strong family support - destined to a life of begging! But we are seeing significant miracles as some of our long term patients are beginning to heal - and this would not be happening without your support – a huge thank you!! The hospital team has grown which is what we want for continuity when we leave Uganda. A man who works 6 days, 10 hours a day (he earns $100 NZ a month) and also P/T pastors at a local Ugandan fellowship has joined our team. He is a very powerful prayer/healer as he lays hands on each patient and prays over each person. He and I spent some time with a young man completely disfigured by acid, blood dripping from festering wounds all over his face and recently Epileptic – my heart was bursting with passion as we let the source of all evil know he could not have any part of this boy – and what happened – his singed eyes opened and he smiled a smile of joy through swollen, bursting burnt lips – I knew by the glint in his eye and the smile something significant birthed in his soul and gave him power to fight! The presence of Jesus can give solace and hope when all - seemingly - has been lost. When we were in NZ a number of people donated children’s clothes to help us set up a shop. The shop is to be run by a lady who is neighbour called Monica – see shop photo below. She is also on our hospital team. She found a lovely shop in an area close by and where there are no other children’s clothing shops so two weeks ago we opened doors. Well it was very successful despite 4 attempted break - ins and 4 stolen locks in the first week – thankfully we had locks on the inside also. We have found a homeless (well known by Monica and trustworthy) person to sleep in the shop and guard it at night – part of life here I’m afraid!! Thieving is very common place here as I have found out – if it is not on you or not hidden and locked then it is stolen! The shop is a significant source of income to our whole driveway neighbourhood. Monica is an important person in the middle of this community so the shops success affects many people including children right up to Jajas – grandmothers. If any of you in NZ are reading this blog and have access to some spare children’s/babies clothes then please contact City Church or Lisa and Chris Higgins to have them ready for the Gordon’s to bring back in July. You may have read in previous blogs about Immanuel a 24 year old man who I have been helping to finish his Chef vocational training. He lives with his mum in a mud hut which is crumbling and falling apart from heavy rain (see Dropbox videos on this blog)– see photos in album below – we are trying to acquire funding here to build her a house. His mum had been cooking meat kebabs on the roadside for the last twenty years to support Immanuel and two daughters but she has recently lost the use of her legs due to walking 10km a day carrying a heavy bag of meat. Well what a miracle – over the last month I got Immanuel into some industry training at a large downtown restaurant owned by a parent in my class. He did well and won the approval of management so amidst great jubilation he was offered a paid job ($80 NZ a month) in the kitchen cooking – his heart’s desire. I had been praying hard for this for the last 3 months because there were no paid jobs available – so what happened – the existing cooks were caught stealing 15kg of meat from the restaurant freezers and immediately fired!! The mysterious ways of our Lord – you never know how things are going to work out in response to prayer – but you can know one thing - prayer will attract the favour of God and the working of all things for good!! Immanuel now can support his family and bless his mum and sisters. I got Immanuel into the Corso hospital for limb reconstruction last week to have his badly broken ankle (broken at a young age and never fixed properly – common problems here) looked at and the diagnosis was positive - no need for reconstruction just a cleaning of the bone possibly at a later stage and antibiotics. Immanuel is a real fighter – a street boy with faith, determination and his dreams to run his own restaurant and travel - will come true. One week to go to holidays. School life has been full on with swim galas, triathlons, writing reports and end of year trips. My school certainly knows how to celebrate life and events – there is a non- stop stream of colourful special days and family events. As the year draws to a close many ex-pat families are returning home after several years in Uganda – several children in my class and other children I have taught are leaving probably forever – so it is a little sad to see precious little ones departing back to motherlands. Another batch of new children (67 new ones 38 leaving) will be arriving at our school from all over the world and Uganda. I will be teaching year ones for the first time in my teaching career – a little nervous and excited all together I have met my new class – a bubbly bright and eager lot – we will have a party!!! I have had the pleasure of having my extremely resourceful wife in my class as my assistant over last term and we have had a great time together despite people thinking our marriage might be strained having each other in the same room!!! It is just a matter of staying focussed and getting on with the job of teaching children! Sharron will be an assistant in teacher Millie’s class – year 4 – Moses class next year which will be interesting – having mum present will keep him alert and on his toes!!! We are looking forward to linking up with Pauline at Kyazanga and taking her on holiday. We were given – a magical gift from a colleague – two nights at a luxury Lake Albert Lodge on the shores of Lake Albert in the midst of wildlife and amazing scenery. We hope to horse ride on the savanna – no lions there just Cob and Jackson and warthogs. For the rest of the holiday we plan on camping at Kyazanga and helping out in the school and orphanage then spending some time at Lake Nabugabo. Please pray for: • protection on the roads, • against thieves and sickness/disease, • provisions for our ministry to the burns ward and for wisdom in dealing with patients, • for the clothing shop we are establishing to bless our immediate neighbourhood, • for our adoption process to be completed by the end of next school year, • for the orphans we support from Kyazanga – that they will find academic and work opportunities here in Uganda, • for Nicholas, Moses, Dennis and Pauline (living at Kyazanga) – children we are raising – they are becoming feisty, physical loud teens (8 and 9 years old)!! Many thanks again for walking with us through many trials and victories. This country is slowly becoming more challenging than ever as thousands of school leavers find no work or well planned vocational training - hence the increase in armed robberies and general theft. Lord, have mercy on this Government and arise new leadership, clean of graft and corruption!!! Reading a good book at the moment called Blind Courage by Bill Irwin. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys collecting the treasures (depending on how you interpret events) of life’s journey. Bill completely blind, hiked the Appalachian Trail (2100 miles) in North America with his Seeing Eye dog. His life journey and discovery of God in a much greater way (during his hike) are like a search light beaming into our own journey. His experiences raise all sorts of questions about how we respond to events and find meaning. He makes the point that when we choose to limit our options (in his case giving up the usual home comforts and security for the uncertainty of the wilderness and extreme physical challenges) we actually expand our experience - so long as there are reasons and meaning for the journey – he slowly learned to trust in God for everything!! This is similar to our journey in Uganda although not on the same extreme physical scale. We are right out of our comfort zone and without the usual access to leisure activities for high energy sporty kids like kayaking, tramping, biking on awesome boardwalks, surfing, fishing, BMX- ing, walking around the estuary, reliable internet access, social connections and playing in clean well organised parks – the list goes on! So these July/August holidays we have spent more time learning to be happy with the simple things around home and our neighbourhood. We have an extremely poor and under resourced school next door so we all decided to prepare a set of shared reading activities for five groups of primary aged children. The children were more interested in hearing our Moses, Nicholas and Dennis read to them than Sharron and I. The experience was very rich for our children and for the school children’s English language learning. So we are regulars there now and what a riot but heaps of fun and learning. I taught them Simon Says! Another big one is the pure joy that comes from allowing our very poor and humble neighbourhood kids into our lives. Moses spent time catching unusual insects with them, Dennis pushed kids in a cart we made together and Nicholas was play fighting on the trampoline. The cart making was a real experience for my boys because we got a local welding shop to make the axles in the middle of exposed mains power leads, broken arc welders sparking at the wrong time and sparks flying in all directions from grinders – all that done out in the open on dust, dirt and the odd rain storm, power cuts (4) and murderously loud reggae music blaring from monster speakers next door. The end result was a real fast buggy ready for action on our dirt driveway. We borrowed a bike for Sharron which I fixed up so all five of us go for bike rides around our hill and visit the little children’s clothing shop we are helping to set up. I spent yesterday afternoon painting pictures of children playing and some advertising around the front of the shop. We are quite a spectacle on the road – white parents followed by a noisy red head and two high energy Ugandan boys – every head is turned staring in wonder at the strange sight of two parents biking with their children – unheard of in Kampala!!! We then visit the busy vege market to buy matoke, beans, pineapple or chapatti – again we are a rare sight – Muzungus (white folk) hanging out at the local vege market. It is all quite a laugh as we just mix in and head off home trying to avoid potholes, fallen power lines, buzzing bodas (motorbike taxis) and crazy Matatu 10 seater taxis or mobile vendors with wheelbarrows selling mangos or tomatoes. Sharron and I are very close to our neighbourhood. We have developed close relationships with the jajas (grandmothers who care for many children) and another family who work 7 days a week for 100,000 shillings a month ($50). They have a few pigs which they are rearing and the husband sells bras from a shoulder rack while walking the streets. We are planning to help his wife set up a catering business cooking food for a construction company. So I am checking out the whether this company will pay her!!! Too many of my poor humble neighbours are ripped off by big companies. His wife is already owed 2 months wages for her 7 day a week waitressing job!!! Rough treatment which makes me very angry with the wealthy employer!!!Promises of payment keep coming!!! Journeying with our neighbours through the rough times, praying with them, sharing struggles, keeping the faith, having fun with their delightful children and taking opportunities to help them set up an income stream is indeed a small privilege and beautiful experience from God – part of the meaning of our journey here. Sharron and I paddled a rusty old fishing canoe on a romantic journey through a field of flowering purple and pink lilies around the foreshore of Lake Nabugabo. We watched monkeys flipping through jungle branches and a myriad of tropical birds making nests and chasing small fish. Sharron and I woke up to how few these times with just each other happen!! We had three days of serene camping weather; marsh mellows on the open fire, keeping monkeys off our food bins, swimming in tepid lake water, playing sports and reading some good books. We download our books onto Kindle Touch readers from Amazon at a ¼ of the hard copy shop price – our Kindles are 4gb but you can opt for 8gb or more which is enough books for a long time!! Amazon creates your personal library of books you purchase and download from them so that you can download onto new Kindles in the future. There are times when I just have to “escape” into another world to put family needs, surviving, planning, budgeting, security and other thinking on hold and get balance and refreshment!! Driving back to Kampala brought us back to reality quickly as encountered 15 broken down trucks and several bad accidents including a truck which had jack knifed and rolled into a village. What is alarming is that there are few road rules – idiotic tax drivers and impatient drivers take absurd risks on blind hills and corners. The closest call was speedsters intruding onto our passing lane and pushing us off the road. We so need your prayer for protection here on the roads. Steve has said it all mostly about life here. I have just a few things to add. Oh holidays and sleeping in I love it. We normally rise at 5:30am during school and crawl into bed same time as kids at 7:30pm. We have got the kids into a pattern of reading for themselves in the morning and it works well for all. We have been working hard with Denis on his 2 and 3 times tables. I have had to bribe a little with no movies if he doesn’t learn them. We have tried all the various learning styles and they are finally paying off. He is still just a wee man and easily cradles in my arms for cuddles and kisses. He loves to bike ride but is having trouble staying on the left hand side of the road and was nearly collected by a boda the other day, he got such a fright and so did I. Nicholas continues to be our softy although he can spin a yarn as long as his arm and have us in fits of laughter. He still has an inbred view that women are the servants and I am slowly changing his world view. But he is affectionate towards his mama even though he turns his nose up at peeling potatoes. I am proud of Moses especially the way he attracts young children when he is playing. He had 3 neighbourhood children learning to play badminton yesterday and the positive encouraging words that he spoke blew me away. He has been getting it from his dad who is so affirming when it comes to sports. He reads a lot and is enjoying writing his journal of the hols. We are schooling the kids every morning as Nicholas and Denis are still behind according to their age level. Steve and I have been trying to teach a jolly phonics programme in the school next door. I have learned a great deal about phonics while teaching children especially those who have English as their second language. Since I have worked at Ambrosoli, phonics has become a real passion of mine. The teachers next door are embracing it and we are excited at what God might be doing. I am excited as Pauline arrives today as she has just finished her term of school in Kyazanga. She will get a nice surprise when we head off on Wednesday to Lake Albert Lodge. Our friend and colleague Jannette won two nights in the lodge and decided to pass it on to our family. Feel soooo spoilt.... Bruce who owns the lodge was very kind allowing us to take 4 instead of 2 children which the prize stipulated. I am extremely partial to two days of not organising and cooking meals. Denis is a young man(25 years old) I met at the supermarket. He is amazing. We pick him up from his job, alternate Sundays and take him to the burns unit at Mulago Hospital. If ever there was a prayer warrior he is and he prays like anything for each and everyone there. I feel exhausted taking food around, singing and praying for a few but he keeps on going and so many are blessed by his efforts. He works 6 to 7 days a week from 8am to 9 pm at night and earns a whopping 200, 000 shillings a month which is roughly 100nz dollars a month. He has a wife and two children. His dream is to start his own business to free up more time for prayer ministry. It’s in God’s hands and God sees this man’s amazing heart. I had to ask a friend of ours to forgive me yesterday. I didn’t think he would ever come back to our place. He is a young man that I have been trying to raise money for to build a brick house. The trust has raised 84 nz dollars so far and we believe God will provide. Every time it rainstorms here I pray for his families protection. Anyway this young man comes every Sunday for a meal and to catch up. Last week he arrived with a fever, shivering and exhaustion. He said he had malaria so I fed him and pushed the fluids and medicine to help the fever. After spending an hour in our home and some probing we found out he had typhoid. Well I lost the plot and firmly told him to leave and explained that he was putting our family at risk. I wasn’t very nice even though I was correct in protecting my family especially the kids. I find living here that I build up things inside and then it comes pouring out and I can be very unkind, so hence I am sharing this trying to make sense of it all. Yes he came back yesterday so I realised I probably have said a lot of good affirming words in the past to encourage him so as not to completely turn him away. Steve is like a dad so my insensitivity was overruled by my husbands’ love. It did release me though in saying sorry. God is good. Monica’s shop is going slowly and we have enjoyed the time spent with unpacking a large Oxfam bale purchased for the shop. We washed 8 loads of babies and children’s clothes. She is learning what sells and what doesn’t and we need to ask God to help her decide what to get in the bale next time. Millions of people run small businesses in this city, it’s the way to survive and support a family and sometimes a community. Well we will sign off now - but not before saying thanks to all those who support and pray for us. We depend on Gods provision and miracles every day so please stay in there for us as we journey together and discover Gods riches and plans for us and many others we are connected with.