"When Helping Hurts" Training

The bus and taxi park in Kitgum. The white van with the reds strips on the right is a Toyota Noah.

         My journey began on a very full bus at 6:00 am from Mbale. In fact, it was so full, that the isle of the bus was full of people standing up and luggage. After a stop in Soroti Town, we continued on to Lira Town. Lira is a town in Central Uganda. My end destination was in Kitgum, Northern Uganda, where I was to meet up with Pastor Francis to teach a short version of "When Helping Hurts" in his church. The ride from Lira to Kitgum was not as pleasant. We had 15 people packed in a Noah (mini-van), plus luggage. We traveled for hours on dusty, bumpy roads.

This is how I move deep into the villages.

          After spending the night in Kitgum, we traveled to Pastor Francis's home village on a motorcycle.  It was over an hour outside Kitgum on a dirt road. Often, motorcycle transport is the fastest, and sometimes, the only way to move out in these remote areas.

The dirt roads connecting the rural villages and towns in Uganda.

        For those of you who are familiar with African history, you may have heard of the Lord's Resistant Army (LRA). The LRA was mainly in Northern Uganda, especially in the Kitgum area. The trading center in the picture below served as a UN camp where 4000 people lived for several years until the LRA moved away.

Here is a trading center where I spent the night in a guesthouse which costed $5.

      In Uganda, there is a difference between a trading center and the village. A village is spread out and tends to be more of an area, than a group of houses. In northern Uganda, villages are often mud huts with grass roofs. A trading center is more like a very small, primitive town were people do business.

Myself, Paster Francis, and his wife, Darine

         Pastor Francis is a really great guy. I really appreciated his humble lifestyle and how he treated his wife well. His wife Darine is very resilient person and can ride a bike through the bush like nobody's business.

Pastor Francis's church where we had the training.

       The church almost felt like an igloo, except that instead of escaping the cold, we were escaping the heat. These mud hut structures are a little dark inside, but it was amazing to me how cool it stayed inside, even at the hottest time of day. Often churches have metal roofs and get quite warm in the afternoons.    

Inside the church.

The youth made lunch for all of us.

 Everyone was served a meal of Atapa, rice, and beans cooked by the youth of the church. Atapa is a local staple food made from ground up cassava, sorghum, and millet. It is a very heavy dough substance.

Finally, they showered me with gifts: 3 chickens (which I carried all the way home), pigeon peas and ground nuts. I am always extremely blessed and humbled to have them give me things, and even sometimes a little money as their token of thanks.

The women giving their gifts of appreciation.

     
         One of the things I have been doing when I go to villages is teaching "When Helping Hurts". The training was started by my friend, Anthony Systma, who worked with the authors of the book "When Helping Hurts" to come up with a training manual. The training is geared toward church and community leaders. While some of the information may be a little hard for illiterate people to understand, there are parts of the training that really resonate with the people. The prosperity gospel is something that always brings stories from people. At this village, a lady was saying she was trying to convince her neighbor not to go to a certain prosperity gospel crusade. The neighbor went anyway; when the neighbor took her money up front so she could be prayed for, the preacher humiliated her and chased her away because the money she brought was so little. Chapter six is another chapter which always resonates with people, especially up in northern Uganda where the UN took care of people in camps during the time of the LRA insurgency. The class was able to see how long periods of time where people received relief, hampered the development of people in their area. The people no longer wanted to go back to their old ways of life in the village and work because they were used to handouts from the UN and government.

     
There are 10 chapters in the "When Helping Hurts" training manual:

                      Name of chapter                                      What the chapter talks about

1. Why did Jesus come to Earth?  Talks about how God wants Christians to help the poor.
2. What is "Poverty".  Looks at how broken relationships are often the main cause poverty.
3. The Prosperity Gospel.  Discusses how the prosperity gospel is false and can hurt people.
4. Fighting Poverty through Reconciliation. Tells how to fight poverty through reconciliation.
5. Worldview's and Systems. Worldview's effect life perceptions; broken systems add to poverty.
6. Relief, Rehabilitation, and Development.  Which approach should you use? It depends.
7. Asset-Based Community Development.  Tells how to start with resources from within.
8. Participation of the Community. Talks about the importance of involving people on the ground.
9. What causes change in someones's life?  How to use situations to bring change in another's life.
10. Missionaries and Sponsors. Looks at some cultural challenges both Ugandans and Missionaries face when working together.

Future Plans
       I am planning to come back to the US in May of this year. It is hard to believe it is coming up so quickly! In some ways, I feel like my time here is not complete yet. On the other hand I feel like the last year and a half have been good and that now is good time to move on. I would say there is a good chance that I will come back in the future and serve in Uganda. Right now, I am hoping to start grad school in the fall. I am still deciding on which school, but planning to get a masters in Animal Science. For the summer I will be at home helping on our home farm and hopefully reconnecting with all of you! Obviously, all these plans are in the Lord's hands and I want to be flexible to any change God would bring. Please pray with me in this area of life.

Merry Christmas!

         Merry Christmas from Uganda! Maybe your wondering if my calendar is off. No, it's not, I just have not gotten around to updating you on what I did over Christmas. The month of December was filled with traveling and visiting various villages, which I will share about later. However, the week of Christmas, I got to spend 5 days with some of my best friends in Uganda, Anthony and Sara Sytsma.
        Maybe your heard me talk about the Sytsma's on some of my other blog posts. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed spending the days at their house resting, talking with them, preparing and eating food, watching movies, and playing games, mainly Dominion. We even had a gift exchange and had advent candles

Our Christmas feast and the advent candles

       Our Christmas Eve dinner was complete with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Sara even made cinnamon rolls for us to eat throughout the week. One night we had hamburgers with avocado. Christmas Day we ate pizza made in Sara's clay oven. And our lunches consisted of the leftovers. It was good eating!

       You might be thinking "so what Eric, this is what we had for Christmas too". For me, I eat a lot of local food here in Uganda, which I don't mind, but it is fun to eat good once in a while. Most of my suppers consist of either French Fries or rice and beans.

Avocados are good with almost anything, even hamburgers!

         The highlight of the week was to be able to rest, hang out with the Sytsma's, play games, and eat food. This is one of my favorite parts of Christmas with my family, but last year I missed this part as I was new to Uganda and didn't know as many people. Being at the Sytsma's for 5 days was a huge blessing for me.

Dominion; one of my favorite games, which also happens to be one of Anthony's favorite games as well.

        I left the Sytsma's house on Saturday and went to the principal's house for the night and preached at his church the next day. Erich is the principal of Pentecostal Theological College where I live and spend most of my time. Erich has become a good friend to me. He also helps to pastor a church in Kumi, his home town, about an hour from Mbale.

Erich and his wife.

        I arrived at Erich's birthplace Saturday afternoon. Many of his relatives where still at his mother's house where they had enjoyed Christmas together. They all greeted me and Erich's wife made food for me. Even though I was not super hungry, it is culturally appropriate in Uganda to make food for a special guest, especially if you know in advance they are coming. The fun part about this cultural fact is that you get to eat often when you visit people; the down side is that as a guest, you had better not turn the food down, or it will offend the host.

Erich's birthplace and him with his relatives.

       After I had dinner, Erich took me and showed me some of his land and was getting my advice on what to plant in on his land. He has over 10 acres of land, which is a lot for some farmers in Uganda. I was advising him to try planting some trees and he is really excited about the idea. In the late afternoon, we left his mother's house and drove 20 minutes to his house, where I spent the night with his family.
        The following morning I preached at his church and talked with the church leaders about the possibility me doing a "When Helping Hurts" training (you may have heard me talking about this training; I will have an update later talking more about "When Helping Hurts"). The church leaders where excited about the training and we worked on the logistics of the training before I left for home Sunday afternoon.

Pastor Erich (the Principal) interpreting as I preach. 

       During the weekend, I also got to hang out with Isaac, the Finance Accountant for our college since he is also from Kumi. Isaac and I have a lot of fun together. He is only one year older than I am and is also not married. We pretend we are twins; he is Jacob and I am Esau because I have more hair on my arms than he does. :)

Life is never boring with this guy!

       Maybe you are wondering if there was anything God taught me or reminded me over the Christmas season. Nothing stood out to me in particular concerning Christmas, but I have been blessed the last month reading through the book of Hebrews. I am reading it now for the 3rd time in the last 6 weeks and have really been blessed understanding in a deeper way the new covenant in Christ. Part of the reason it has been meaningful is that in our staff devotions we are going through the Law (Exodus and Leviticus).

A Weekend in the Village

From Left to Right: Joshua, Myself, and Titus

This past weekend, I visited the home of two brothers, who are both students from our college. I have known Joshua for the whole year that I have been in Uganda and met his younger brother, Titus, this past semester. I have come to really appreciate both of them; they are younger than most of the other students, but have a passion for their community and for the Lord and are hard workers. I stayed with their family in the village for a little over two days.  

The rest of Joshua and Titus's family in front of their house

The first thing I did when I got to their house was to meet their family. Joshua, Titus, and their sister, live with their Aunt and cousins, plus some other children. In Uganda, many households have relatives living with them. Many times, if you go to a person's house, they will tell you "so and so is my son" when the "son" might actually be a nephew from their deceased brother.

The "Old McDonald Farm"

 Joshua and Titus gave me a grand tour of their aunt's farm. Their aunt who has quite the farm: cows, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, vegetables, and bananas.

Mother pig and her piglets

Joshua with their "Matoke", a cooking banana that is eaten with sauce.

Joshua and Titus with their carrots.

I was happy to hear their carrots were doing well. They told me that they got the idea of growing carrots when they saw me growing them at the college earlier this year.

The beautiful Ugandan countryside/village.

Catherine, the head school master, and Myself

Part of staying in the village included meeting Joshua and Titus's neighbors, friends, and relatives. Catherine is the head school master of the government school in their village. She is a woman who has worked hard to make the village a better place. She was very happy to have me in their village.

Pigs resting in the shade of coffee trees

The diverse agriculture in the village: cows, turkeys, chickens, pigs, coffee, and bananas.

Children threshing soybeans; they hit the stalks with sticks and then gather the beans.

One of the boreholes in the village; most villages will have 1-2 boreholes, depending on the economic status of the village.

Church service under the trees

I spoke at their morning church service. Most of the church members are teenagers. Joshua and Titus are the leaders of the church and have a desire to see people who are taught the Word of God without any compromise. 

I arrived back home Sunday afternoon. Trips like this are always a blessing, but I have to admit I like the luxuries of running water and electric. I especially like a fan to sleep at night.

 Prayer Requests:

1. For me as I travel the next 2 weeks.
2. Elections in February; elections are a time of tension in the country.

Another month in Uganda

This blog post is going to be hogpog of pictures of the past month. So, as you look at the pictures, you will need to switch gears as I move from picture to picture.

Some of the people from in the class "When Helping Hurts" training who also prepared lunch for everyone.

One of the highlights of the past month has been teaching the "When Helping Hurts" curriculum in a village about an hour from my house. I will share more about this training in the future.

My math class. Far left: Simon; Far Right: Shadrack

Simon and Shadrack were two of my math students. Simon has been very instrumental at connecting me with churches in the villages who are interested in taking the "When Helping Hurts" trainings. He also interprets for me at these trainings. Please pray for Shadrack, this morning we received news that he was poisoned the first day he arrived home for Christmas break and is in critical condition. 

My gifts I received after I completed the "When Helping Hurts" training in the village.

The last day of the training, the people at the church showered me with gifts: a chicken, pumpkins, sugar, soap, oranges, eggs, mandazis (an unsweetened donut hole), and enough transport money to cover that days travel. I was happy to see that they were excited to give what they could for the training.

A picture with the bride, groom, and myself.

 This past Saturday I had the privilege of attending my friend Evelyn's wedding. There is a church in Iganga, a town about 2 hours from my house, called Rescue City Church. I have several friends there, including Evelyn. It was good catching up with my friends and attending the wedding.

Sitting in another meeting.  

 A lot of my time has been spent in administrative activities. We are hoping to launch our Department of Community Transformation next semester. This means that there is lots of administrative work to be done: meetings, making brochures, traveling to check up on curriculum and books, etc. Since I am the head of the Department of Community Transformation, I get to chair these meetings and travel various places trying to organize different things. I actually enjoy it.

A typical scene in rural Uganda.

The next several pictures are shots of the Uganda countryside. Uganda is a very beautiful country.

This is a picture from right outside my room after a rain.

I never get tired of the many "moods", as my Uncle put it, that this mountain displays.

Students receiving the work scholarship work at removing some bushes on the college compound.

 Finally, if you are looking for a way to give that will really bless someone, please consider PTC's work scholarship fund. Personally, I can think of few better ways to give money. The scholarship covers 50% of the students tuition costs that semester. They are required to come up with the rest of the money from their church and also by their own means. The students who receive the scholarships are required to work a certain amount, either at the collage or on the farm. This structure brings accountability and initiative on both the students part and their home congregation.

Prayer requests:

1. The upcoming month as I am traveling a good bit.
2. For our Department of Community Transformation, that God would provide students.
3. Shadrack, a student who was in my math class and is in critical condition.
4. For me as I take my GRE exam on Wednesday.

Cow Searching/Touring in Kenya

Left to Right: Cow dealer, myself, and Samuel. This is the first farm we visited in Kenya.

       At Ebenezer Dairy Farm (the farm I help with at the bible college), we are working at refining our herd's genetics and down sizing by selling our lower producing cows, keeping our higher producing cows, and buying one high producing cow. Since I was planning on going to Kenya to visit my Aunt and Uncle anyway, I decided to see what the cow market was like in Kenya. This is a part of Kenya I have wanted to visit ever since I've been living in Uganda. Through some connections, I came in contact with Samuel. Samuel, and some of his colleagues work with an organization called Send a Cow. Send a Cow is under UKAID, but has a program that is similar to Heifer International. They work with women's savings groups in the rural areas of Kenya; after working with the savings group for one year, they buy them a pregnant heifer. The saving group which receives a cow is required to give the first heifer calf away. Samuel and his colleagues were touring some farms to identify heifers for Send a Cow to purchase. They invited me to go along with them in their Land Cruiser to look for heifers. All the cows we saw were either Holstein, Ayrshire, or Guernsey or a mix. I was not helping them, only going with them for the ride and to see if any heifers might be suitable for our farm in Uganda.

Here is a pit for storing silage at the first farm we visited. The corn was about to be harvested and put here. They told me that once this pit is full, it can last this farm up to 8 months.

        The Rift Valley is an area in western Kenya. The elevation is 5000-10,000 ft above sea level. Because of the elevation, it is cooler then most parts of Africa, which makes it conducive for producing milk, wheat, horticulture crops, and tea. It was very fascinating to me because I am used to areas of Africa which are warmer, with little or no dairy production. I am not used to being in an area with so much tea either.

The whole day we were in the Rift valley. Pictures can not describe the beauty there. Tea fields, pasture, corn fields, and vegetables.

Here is an average size tea field, probably around 2 acres. While there are big tea plantations in places, most of the tea fields we saw were small-scale tea operations.

          According to http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/100020-the-worlds-top-10-tea-producing-nations, Kenya ranks 3rd in the world for it's tea production.
       

Notice here the diversity: fenced pasture, a Holstein cow, house, tea field behind the cow, corn behind the tea, eucalyptus and pine trees along the fence.

I got to see some rigs I rarely, if ever, in Africa. This combine was going to harvest wheat.

We didn't stay behind this guy too long. :)

The second farm we stopped at had really nice animals, but they didn't have any heifers for sale.

          

  The third farm we stopped at had a lot of animals, over 100 they said. Because there were so many animals, the care was not as good and the cows didn't look as good as the other three farms we visited. However, because this farm had around 20 heifers that were 3-4 months pregnant, the guys from Send a Cow were able to identify and tag 10 animals which they will go back later and buy. Send a Cow only buys pregnant heifers for their program.

The farm that we visited with the most animals.

The crew from Send a Cow and the farmers working with the cows. Samuel, the guy with his hand in the cow, is pregnancy checking each animal, then the guy in on the right in the black hat was putting eartags in each animal Send a Cow is purchasing. The guy in the white hat was writing down the number of each animal. Many of these heifers were 3-4 months pregnant.

The Land Cruiser we were touring the countryside with.

        The fourth and final farm we visited for the day, also had nice cows. There were probably 50-70 cows and heifers at this farm. What I liked about this farm was that the cows in the pasture reminded me so much of what I might see on a  Pennsylvania farm. I had to keep reminding myself that I was on a dairy farm in Africa, and not in Pennsylvania.

Cows under a shade tree, in a pasture, with a stream running through it.

About the only way to tell that we are in Africa is the small tea field on the side of the hill in the background.

         In the evening, I traveled for about two hours to my Aunt and Uncles house in Kisumu, Kenya. It was a fun day for me. I never saw so many Holstein cows, tea fields, and eucalyptus trees in a days time. The weather was amazing: blue sky, breezy, and comfortable temperatures, I never broke out in a sweat the whole day.