21st November, 2021
Dear friends,
Peace, the new Derek, Zach (our driver) and I travelled to Mayuge on Tuesday to find Derek’s family. We collected Peace at her husband’s church and Revd. Michael, came out to pray for us before our journey. As we left the outskirts of Kampala we heard through telephone calls that two bombs had gone off in the centre of the city and people had been killed and injured. Your prayers please for those who were victims in these suicide bombings.
When we arrived at Mayuge we thought we were nearly there but we had to travel another 30k of marrum roads from the main tarmac road, to a very remote rice and sugarcane area. Derek was good at giving us directions and we caused quite a stir when we at last arrived at the trading centre. I don’t think they have often seen cars (though they would have seen plenty of lorries laden with sugar cane) and we were all called ‘muzungu’. We met the Local Councillor and other ‘dignitaries’ from the area as well as Derek’s stepmother, half siblings and later his father arrived, who had been out working. We received a warm welcome. There have been some tragedies in this young lad’s life – his half siblings on his mother’s side, live with their grandmother as the mother and stepfather are deceased. Not long after leaving the village there was a terrible thunderstorm, we eventually reached Iganga just after curfew and spent a night there.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
The next day we travelled to Bugiri and had a brief meeting with Shaffick’s father who handed us a bag with some of the clothes he had left on his last visit. We then went on to Tororo saw Omoding and his mother and arranged to meet them and his father the next morning to see the Probation Officer. Further along the road we called on our older Derrick, whose father recently died, with a box of food, but he wasn’t at work when we arrived but came by later to greet us.
We found a Christian Health Centre nearby and gave them two large boxes of knitted baby clothes. They hold an antenatal clinic on Wednesdays, which unfortunately we had just missed so we arranged for someone to call there next week and take photos for us of the distribution of the fish and chip jumpers.
After buying some more shopping, we proceeded to Mbale and went to see Kodet’s family. The mother was out looking for food when we arrived but the young children were at home and the eldest went to look for the mother. Thankfully we had bought rice, beans, posho and sugar as she had only found a few matoke, two small onions and a tomato! We stayed for about an hour. We are looking at ways in which we can help the family, the house is rented and in disrepair. I have arranged for Tresor and Kodet to meet the landlord next week to see how we can advocate for them. That evening we stayed in Mbale.
The following morning we travelled back to Tororo and met first at Omoding’s mother’s home with the parents and then visited the Probation Office. James has grown but is still only 12, we stayed in the meeting until noon when Peace and I needed to make a move to travel back to Kampala. It was agreed that Omoding would spend some time with both his parents.
Whilst we were away Augustine painted the large bedroom in the big house and has started filling in holes in the smaller room, he has done really well. Tresor also travelled with us on Tuesday as far as Lugazi and visited Shaffick, Ronald and the new Brian at Hope International as they needed a few more requirements.
Saturday afternoon we took the boys swimming at a local pool that has recently opened – they really enjoyed themselves, especially the new Derek. Mary the art teacher arrived and we have agreed that she comes on Fridays in future.
We seem to have achieved a lot this week. On Saturday morning Diana and I hosted the church Women’s meeting – 20 of us enjoyed a time of fellowship and looked at women of the Bible – we are from Uganda, Nigeria, DRC, America, Canada, China, Korea, Nederland’s and the U.K. Peanut stayed in his kennel, behaving himself!
Thank you for your continued support and prayers – these are difficult times for many people in Uganda who are struggling each day.
With love and prayers.
Jane
