Return to the US

Dear Family and Friends,

We arrived safely in the US on May 25th, almost 3 weeks ago! We spent the first five days resting and settling into our Airbnb and enjoying time with our families. I (Eric) started work at my family's farm last week where I plan to work full time. 

Our long term plan is to settle into my job of working on my family farm in Mifflin, PA. We believe our time in Uganda is finished for now. We are grateful for this new season we are in and excited about our future here.

However, goodbyes and life transitions always come with mixed emotions. Leaving Uganda definitely created many emotions for us; especially since this permanent transition back to the US came sooner than either of us expected. I find myself relieved to be living in the US, where life is easier, I am excited about life on the farm, and creating a family routine here as the children grow up. We firmly believe now was the right time to come back. Then on the other hand, I also wonder why our time in Uganda was cut short and feeling a sense of "work unaccomplished".  Lauren and I do plan to attend a reentry debriefing program to better talk through, pray through, and process this journey that we have been on.

I will share a few highlights of our work the last month that we were in Uganda. 

Nguvu Dairy has been under some major changes in the past three months. We had a couple from Canada, who do business coaching, join us for March and April. They walked with the leadership team of Nguvu (myself and three others) as we made adjustments to the business. They were such an encouragement to us and I personally learned so much from their leadership.

The Uganda leadership team at Nguvu Dairy with the business coaches

I also did a small (about a 1/4 acre) plot of crops and vegetables outside our compound. My goal was to showcase to people (many of who are farmers) a few agricultural techniques.

Left to right: Allan, Francis, and Ceasar

Our trip home seemed like a long journey. We had 10 pieces of luggage, as well as a stroller and child car seats. Because we needed to delay our journey one week (due to COVID), we had three flights instead of two. Aubrey Anne did so well, but Genevieve had more trouble settling and sleeping well. But we made it, and we are grateful! 

All our luggage (the yellow topped boxes) at check-in for our flight

Aubrey Anne watching plans at the layover in Paris

Our last exciting piece of news is that we are expecting our third child in early November! 

Please join us in prayer:

- As our renters move out and we settle back into our house at the end of June

- As our family continues to adjust to a rhythm of work and life here in PA

- For community and friendships in this area

- For a quality debriefing program that we can attend

- For the health and growth of our little one due on November

Many thanks and lots of love,

Eric, Lauren, Aubrey Anne, and Genevieve

 

Working at NGUVU Dairy

Dear Family and Friends,

We are and have been healthy as a family for over 2 months now! We are thankful for your prayers during October and November of last year when Genevieve was not feeling well. It turned out to be the preventative malaria medicine (called Malarone) that we had her on that was on that made her sick. It was a stressful time for Lauren and I and we are grateful it's behind us and that Genevieve and Aubrey Anne are doing well.

Our family is healthy and doing well in Uganda.

Both girls are growing up so fast! Aubrey Anne likes to come to the garden and see what I'm doing.

Aubrey Anne likes helping daddy in the garden.

I work with NGUVU Dairy in Gulu, Uganda. We make, package, and sell thousands of small yogurt pouches along roadsides, mainly in the villages, on the back of over 100 bicycles! During the month of November last year alone, we sold $28,000 in yogurt, all on the back of bicycles! We have two pouch sizes 140 grams (about 5 oz) and 300 grams (about 10 oz) each at a price of around $0.30 for the small pouch and $0.60 for the large pouch.

Yogurt, yogurt, and more yogurt!

NGUVU has 8 sales sites across northern Uganda which sell yogurt; Kamdini site is pictured below. Each site has around 20 bicycles, with cooler boxes on the back of each bicycle, and 10-15 salespersons, people we hire and pay a commission of 18%, to sell our yogurt. 

The bicycles lined up at Kamdini site ready for a day's work.

One of the biggest priorities of NGUVU is to develop young Ugandan people by giving them a job. Because of the history of northern Uganda, many young people lack the qualities of persistence, hard work, responsibility, etc. By giving our sales persons jobs, we are developing these character qualities in these young adults that we are hiring.

Yogurt sales persons preparing their cooler boxes of yogurt for the day's delivery.

The other big priority of NGUVU is the Christian trauma healing that takes place each year at each site. The training is carried out by a local pastor who we hire. This pastor uses Christian Trauma healing curriculum from the Ugandan Bible Society. The trainings last several days. I'm excited that NGUVU offers this trauma healing. There is so much trauma that people here have experienced from the war 20 years ago.

We also have local pastors who hold weekly devotions at each site.

Posters on the wall which were used for trauma healing.

More posters of the trauma healing.

One of the things I like about working with NGUVU is that I get to work with a team of people. I enjoy working with the other staff together on projects and the day to day activities.

My work mates; Emma (left), Patrick (right)

Speaking about NGUVU Dairy on the local radio with Emma (right).

Please pray for NGUVU Dairy. It's not easy trying to run a business like this. The goal is that NGUVU can be financially self sustaining, but it has not yet reached that point. Pray for sales persons; we struggle to find sales persons because riding a bicycle and selling yogurt isn't something that many people here want to do, even though there is good money in it for the hard-working sales persons.

That's all for now.

Eric, (Lauren, Aubrey Anne, and Genevieve)