Year End Giving

When we first raised our support and came over here last February, we were incredibly blessed by the number of one-time gifts we received.  These gifts were essential in helping us cover all of the costs related to setting up and starting our life and ministry here as well being spread out through the year as monthly support. We could not have done it with out them!

Now, as we look ahead just a bit to beginning our second year, we’re asking if you’d consider a year-end or one time gift again?

We now have a better sense of what life and ministry look like for us here and mostly what it looks like is availability. We are, first and foremost, available. We’re available to help with projects in the village, available to lead youth bible studies, available to help maintain and improve facilities and vehicles. We’re available to help with meds at the monthly clinic or transport people to the hospital in town, or hauling people and supplies for mobile dental clinic or anything else.

Beyond just the work with our own organization, as we get to know more people, we’re having more and more opportunity to serve others in their work as well. I have been blessed to help out friends and work with Amazima Ministrys (https://amazima.org/) with some construction work and have also made connections with Good Shepherds Fold (http://www.gsfuganda.org/) and look forward to helping with maintenance and projects with them in the future.

I say all of this because this work, which I love and feel is where my calling lies, brings up the need for me to increase my tool and equipment supplies. The first, and one of the largest things I need is a welder. We need about  $1800.00 to get this machine and one of the first things that will be done with it is repairing a bunch of toys from the kid’s home that are, literally falling apart.

    

     

This welder will also be vital for auto repairs, upcoming sustainability projects in Lawmbogo, and fabrication of playground and sports equipment for the youth.

Please pray about this and consider if you could help us help those around us!

To give, write a check and mail it to: Calvary Life Fellowship

    Missions: UG-Kragts

    P.O. Box 1161

    Brea, CA 92822

Or give online at our partner ministry, Locodi

The Washing Machine!!

Well the month of November is finished. I can't believe how quickly this year has gone. Thank you all so much for your support for our washing machine! We asked and you all responded so quickly to fill the need. We are so thankful. We had an unexpected trip to Kampala and the funds were there so we decided to get the washing machine while we had the extra space!! I am so happy to announce that we have done a number of loads of laundry! If feels funny, to be so grateful for such a mondane  thing as a washing machine, but we are and I believe that even this everyday thing can be used for the glory of God!

One of the reasons the washing machine such a gift
(I think she gets the dirtiest of all)

Well, I feel like I should add my thoughts to this celebratory post. I was hasitent, at best, when Christina brought up the idea of requesting funds for a washing machine. I did not feel the burden and pain of the task of washing the clothes like she did and, in my pride and vanity, I felt uncomfortable asking for a thing that feels like a convenience and a luxury. I was very quickly humbled by the response of our friends. We are truly blessed. Our faithful Father has so continually provided for our needs but, often, He also chooses to provide for our desires too. -Benj

The Effort of Being Thankful

We haven’t been here a year yet and because of that we are still having “first time in Africa” experiences. This Thanksgiving is one of those and it’s proving to be a tough one.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that fall in the mid-west is one of our favorite things. The change in the air, in the trees, in the rhythm of life is refreshing and rejuvenating. We love the crisp air and the things that come with it- flannel shirts and hoodies, fires, flurries, and all things apple and pumpkin and cinnamon, red and orange and brown.

Here we have the brown (dirt) and the red (clay), we can get some apples and even pumpkin pie, but it just isn’t the same and we are lamenting that. And now, as we now enter this time of year that has always been so family-oriented and full of quality time with those we love… in light of the things that are different here, we’re just struggling to be as grateful as we should for the things that are here.

This is not meant to be a complaint, though I know that’s what it sounds like. What I want it to be is an exercise in the effort of being grateful.  Here goes-

We’re thankful for:

Izaac: Thanksgiving dinner!

Ellie: My bunny, Princess

Christina: Being able to have/make good coffee

Benj: The sense of adventure so often

Izaac: A safe trip in the car yesterday

Ellie: That my pinky feels better

Christina: Having family in Uganda with us  

Benj: So many people who faithfully support and encourage us

Izaac: School and my friends there

Ellie: Goretti and Sugar cane!

Christina: Technology to stay connected

Benj: More experienced Missionary friends who share wisdom with us

Izaac: That I’m not at school today

New friends who welcome us into their communities

A diverse church body that teaches Gospel truth and challenges us

Friends and acquaintances from all over the worldTropical sunsets

Rainstorms

Electricity

Clean water

Family game times

Fresh, delicious, abundant fruits and veggies

A broader worldview for all of us

New experiences

Difficult challenges

Busyness and rest 

So Much More!!

Help Us Wash Our Clothes!

So, we have to wash our clothes here in Africa, too. I know, crazy right? I’ve been an adult for a while now and washing clothes is one of those “adulty” things that is sort of expected. Because this is the case, I, like many of you, have spent many hours of my life washing clothes. Even Benj had been known to throw a load in the machine once every couple of years.

Here’s the thing though, this necessary task (that we really never spent much time dwelling on in our American life) has become a household chore that takes up about two full days to complete here in Uganda. It can take even more time if it is raining because the clothes take significantly longer to dry.

 Hanging the clothes inside because of the rain.

To give you a better understanding of the quite tedious process, I’ll break it down for you. We wash all of our clothes by hand here. They have to be soaked sometimes for a whole day depending on how dirty they are. They are then vigorously scrubbed with detergent that could also be used to degrease an engine. We then wring them out by hand and hang each article (each top, bottom, undergarment and even every single sock) with a clothespin on a clothesline to air dry. Because the clothes are wrung out by hand, we are unable to get a lot of water out of them, which contributes to the amount of time (a lot) they take to dry.

This process would take time for laundry for a single person, but multiplied by the four of us living here, the time becomes significant. Especially given the fact that two little family members seem to spend a lot of their time competing at who can get more red Ugandan clay on themselves, and one adult family member (not naming names, of course) regularly gets covered in grease, oil, dirt, sweat and numerous other unidentified substances. Our clothes take quite a beating when hand washed and they spend more time in the sun to dry so they don’t last as long.  Handwashing also requires the use of more water and soap, which contributes to the cost of each “load” of laundry.

We understand and accept the realities that come with moving to Uganda and giving up many modern conveniences we enjoyed back in the US. However, washing machines exist in Uganda! And, with a little help from our family, friends, and supporters, owning a washing machine could be a reality for us and would allow us to free up our hands for what we would consider more important work.  

Christina and Goretty (a young lady who lives with us) would be able to focus on gardening, baking, cooking and spending more time working on various tasks together, allowing Christina to be more immersed in the Ugandan culture. Christina will be able to join Benj more in the work he is doing in the village and doing more “school” with Ellie. Each of these things also helps contribute to our relationship building in the local community, which is very important to us. For example, we love to share harvests from our garden or freshly baked breads with our neighbors and friends.

Would you consider helping us raise the necessary funds to purchase a washing machine? A machine here costs around 1.4 million shillings, which with the current exchange rate is around $400 USD. We know that is a lot to ask of those already supporting us on a daily basis. We are so grateful for how God has moved in each one of you to support our journey. We are doing our best to steward wisely and direct that support to our daily living and ministry here in Uganda, as well as to support the medical expenses we recently incurred. That is why we are interested in building a separate fund for this purchase.

Please consider helping us raise funds to purchase a washing machine. Here’s how:

1.         Keep track of each load of laundry you do in the month of November – that’s each time you start your washing machine. We suggest a little Post-It by the washing machine or maybe a quick note in your phone. If you want to send us a message each time you do laundry, we can even keep track for you!
2.       Donate $1 (or more if you are so inclined) each time you wash a load of clothing in your washing machine. (For example, at the end of the month if  you have done 20 loads of laundry, you would donate $20.) 
3.          Click here: bit.ly/kragts to send your donations by December 5, 2016. We are making a trip to Kampala in December and would need to have secured the funding by then to make our purchase.

Thank you so much in advance for your consideration. We would be happy to answer any additional questions you might have.