Project Friendship Tees!

In one of those middle-of-the-night, sick and on drugs moments, I designed a Project Friendship teeshirt! And (unlike some of those middle of the night brilliant ideas) they came out great!  They'll be here next week, so here's how you get one:

Don't worry, the print is clear on the tees... just a low pixel save!

Donate 10 friendship bracelets. This is a one-per donor deal, although you can buy however many you want! (how's that for a subtle hint?)

Make a $10 donation to the primary school in Bukaleba that we're building.

At this time we don't have youth sizes, although we can order them if there is a demand. We got a great deal on the adult tees, so that's all we will have: S, M, L, XL.

If you don't live in Raleigh, there will be a shipping fee, but we should be able to use padded envelopes and regular mail, which will make it minimal (unless you order a dozen... ahem...).

We're so excited that Project Friendship seems to be gaining ground every day - don't forget, $1 goes a LONG way in Uganda!

Project Friendship is catching on!

It's catching on! As of today we have one Project Friendship group in Wake Forest, and another group that will be making bracelets during their scheduled small group time each week. We've got Appalachian State University students making bracelets. Wake Tech and Southeastern students are making bracelets. Homeschool students are making bracelets. How about you?? Are you making bracelets?

This is the PK, in honor of our purple-loving Irish friend Patrick Kelly!

Our first opportunity to share Project Friendship as a fundraiser will be October 9. We'd love to have your handiwork there! It only takes 15 minutes once you get the hang of it, and you can do it while watching tv. Even guys are getting in on it! 

Remember, a little makes a BIG difference!

Project Friendship update

I made a dozen friendship bracelets yesterday. One of them took me a long time because I used a wheel (probably not doing that again!), but I can make the simple ones in about 5-8 minutes... So in general, this was a very small amount of time invested. A young friend made 3 for us. Our plan is to ask for a $1 donation for each, so that's $15.

Sounds like a tiny bit of money, doesn't it?  Well, to us it is. But here's what $15 can do in Uganda:

*  Pay the rent on a home in the slums for one month.

*  Sponsor a child at Arise Africa for one month.

*  Pay more than half of a primary school child's school fees for one term.

*  Feed a large family for a month.

Please don't EVER think that being able to contribute only a little time or money isn't worth it. It can literally change a life!

This is Justin (Olum in Acholi) in the yellow. His mother was working in a hotel in Kampala as a dish washer. She made 1000 shillings a day, working 7 days a week... That's about 37 cents. A day. See what a little can do??

Thanks for your support!
Blessings!

Donations and Christmas shopping

First a big thanks to you - and God! - for a recent rash of donations. After picking up 15 more kids for school fees, but not knowing where exactly that money would come from, I am humbled as always to see God's hand at work. We've gotten $2225 in the last few days alone, which, with the money we left at Ray of Hope towards the fees, will cover all the fees for the rest of 2011! He's awesome, huh??

Secondly, here's the calendar of the local arts and craft fairs I'll be doing, giving you a chance to come by, see all the great stuff we brought back for donors, and get your Christmas gifts handled with one easy donation!

Men's bracelets - great gifts!

October 29: St. Raphael Catholic Church, Falls of Neuse Rd, Raleigh. 9am-5pm Parish Activity Center

November 19: Wakefield High School Mistletoe Market. 9am-4:30 pm

December 2-3: Sanderson High School Holly Days. 9am-5pm Saturday, 11am-4pm Sunday.

I'm thinking there's a fall festival at Our Lady of Lourdes in October as well, but I haven't been contacted. I'll add more if they come up, and I am definitely available to do home parties from October 19 through mid-December.

Home, but missing Uganda!

After 32 hours of travel, and being awake 46+, we got home. Thankfully it was yesterday - if we'd traveled today, we'd be stuck in Detroit! After our non-scheduled adventures (like the stay at the hospital!), we were pretty ready to be back...

Zeke's room at IHK - his mosquito net was more like a farm - more inside than out!

I really hate that I didn't get out with the hospice in Jinja, and to the babies home in Bukaleba. Thank you all for your donations of clothing and toys - rest assured they all got to their intended recipients, as I was in Jinja for about 4 hours, and had taken all the donations with me. Everyone was so excited and grateful!

Rosemary - last trip, as I didn't have my camera at the tea!

I got updates on all our previous grant recipients in Namuwongo, and all the ladies are doing very well! I got to visit with a couple of them at our tea.

One, Rosemary, had opened a stand at the Oweno market, and had her money stolen. Since then, Oweno has burned down... So I gave her another 300,000 shilling grant to begin again. She had been doing well, and, as she has HIV/AIDS, she needs to be able to have a booth where she can work rather than trying to hawk her clothes up and down the street.

Angela (last trip, March 2011)

Angela is selling beans, and has been able to pay her food and rent, as well as save some money! She looked great (she came to the tea in a formal gown!), and is very happy.

Nulu, our business woman of the group, is still growing her produce stand. I didn't see her, as she had a baby week before last, as well as having a sick child at home.

We also spoke to Miriam at the tea. Ten Eighteen pays school fees for her daughters. She is from The Congo, and 4 of her relatives were killed recently by the rebels (Joseph Kony's LRA mob). But she is doing very well, up to 60 kilos from 42, and doing great on ARVs (anti-retrovirals for HIV/AIDS). Her dress making business is thriving, and she wore a beautiful dress she'd made. Next trip, I'm having her make me one!

Ryan with Harriet, one of our new recipients of school fees

Thanks for all your prayers and support! Please consider donating, especially for child sponsorships for school fees. We picked up 15 new kids, for a total of 35 in Kampala... We need your help!

Thank you Lighthouse teens and parents!

Last night I got the opportunity to share about Uganda and Ten Eighteen with the teens/parents group of Lighthouse homeschool group. It was so fun, and so many people made donations. I really enjoyed it! Also sharing was a wonderful lady from Blue Star Mothers, an organization of mothers of servicemen and women. She was a great blessing, and I'm going to do what I can to help them this Christmas season... It was a good reminder -

DON'T FORGET what our military is doing for you and your nation this Christmas - and all year. Get involved! THANK YOU to our troops!!!!

Above is another photo of the slums of Nomowongo, in Kampala. When you think things are bad... look through some of the photos. We have no idea how good we have it here in the US!

Update on Riots in Kampala in Sept

I just read that 563 of the people accused of "involvement" in the riots that had broken out in the Bugandan regions of Kampala the day before we arrived in Sept - and were still going on for the first couple of days we were there - have been given bail. Apparently the Kabaka (king) of the Buganda kingdom offered free legal aid to the suspects, who have been charged with terrorism.

Amazingly the riots started via text message, and over a rumor that turned out to be false: the President Museveni had put the Kabaka under house arrest to keep him from visiting Kayunga (traditional Bugandan land) to mark the annual youth day. While the government of Uganda is significantly improved over the previous several governments (Idi Amin the most notorious), the concept of "free speech" is a bit tenuous. While we were there Museveni shut down 5 radio stations (or the talk part of their programming) because they were apportioning him some blame.

At any rate, "over" 25 people died, and at least 80 were injured. There was a good bit of property damage, including a police station in Mengo being burned down. Things were quite tense there when we arrived, with lots of soldiers, people calling friends and family to see how things were, etc. It was especially hard on those who make their livings at the markets, as there were no customers from Thursday to Monday. However, once it was over, things seemed to settle down. BUT....

There was then now unrest in Kayunga by a minority group, the Benyala, who oppose the Kabaka's visit. The Vice President issued a statement basically telling Bugandans that they need to just get along with everyone else, and that the tribal kingdoms are for "cultural" issues only, and politics should be left to "elected officials." Which would be a little easier to buy into if there was really much to the elections. I know Museveni is very concerned about the tribal kings trying to get political power, and thinks they are getting financial support from Qaddifi. Certainly, Qaddifi would be interested in any kind of unrest that would allow him (as President of the African Council) to have influence, for himself and for Islam. It's a very unsettling prospect! (The HUGE mosque above was paid for by Qaddifi. It's in the middle of Kampala, on a hill.)

So there you go... you are now up to date on Ugandan politics!

Lighthouse tonight!

I'll be headed out in a couple of hours for the Lighthouse homeschool meeting. Everything is packed - since we just left it in the Suburban after FZWC. :o) I'm excited to meet new people, and share all that's going on in Uganda (well... all that I know of! LOL).

One of my favorite books is The Last Battle, the last of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis. In it, the last battle of Narnia takes place as the Narnians fight both an enemy within and an enemy that is invited to infiltrate and enslave the people. The last king of Narnia, Tirian, does all he can to rally the faithful Narnians to his side, but it is a losing battle, and one to the death. But as it turns out, it is not just the end of Narnia, it is the end of that world, and Aslan returns. When Tirian first meets him face to face, Aslan says "Well done, last of the king of Narnia..." (Mt 25:23) It always, always brings tears to my eyes. How I long for Jesus to say to me one day, "Well done!"

Fa La La La La....

As I was signing in to post, I realized I was humming along to a Christmas carol on tv. Really?? It's Nov 6! *sigh* Anyway...

Tomorrow I will be heading up to Youngsville (which, I am reliably told, is "not that far"...) to share the jewelry and story of Newezekana, Father's House, Nesco, Malaika's House and Uganda with the great families of Lighthouse homeschool group. I'm excited!! I LOVE sharing my heart for Uganda, and love just expecting nothing and waiting to see what Father will do. As Gandalf says, "All tears are not evil."

My doctor asked me last week, "What is the problem with Africa? Why are they always having such horrific things go on?" I don't know... it seems that the continent certainly grows it's fair share of tyrants and crazies. The stories are the same, only the countries change. And then the country names change... and the stories are still the same. I did some research on the history of Uganda for my presentation at FZWC, and the horrors they have endured since WWII - Idi Amin being the worst, of course, but not the only - are despicable. And yet it's happening now in The Congo, in Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia... All over Africa. It just moves from place to place. Please keep the people of this beautiful and yet sad continent in your prayers - I pray that you will feel Father's sorrow and pain over the choices His creation has made - and continues to make.

Thank you for everything!

Thank you, FZWC!!!

Tonight Zeke and I went down to Garner to Faith Zone Worship Center to introduce them to Uganda and Ten Eighteen. I did my first longish presentation (25 min or so), and it seemed to go really well. We'd set up a table with all the jewelry, cards, jewelry bags, etc in the back (and had LOTS thanks to the wonderful box of new things that came today!), and people were very very receptive. So more people are praying for Uganda tonight, which is just AWESOME!

Thanks to all of you who lifted up this event! Saturday night we'll be at Lighthouse.

News from Uganda - Fathers House has a new 10 year old boy named Francis as of today. Hallelujah!

A lot going on this week!

Big week for Ten Eighteen! Prayers are greatly appreciated... :o)

* Faith Zone Worship Center: I have been working on my presentation for FZWC on Wed night. This will be my longest formal presentation on Uganda and all that's going on there, so I'm working on some history of the country (how it got in the mess it's in), history of Ten Eighteen and the Lord's hand in it, and what we are currently working on. I am meeting the media guy down there at 2pm today to make sure we can show my Powerpoint slideshow at the beginning (having a Mac is great, but can have issues!).

* Lighthouse: On the 7th, I will be in Youngsville for a Lighthouse Homeschool Group meeting. I think this is for teens, and I'm hoping for the opportunity to share our travels, our mission, our sponsorship opportunities, and the beautiful jewelry of Newezekana with them.

* Work on the benefit concert and silent auction: Pastor Jimmy gave the thumbs up to hold this at Journey Church in Feb, so I'm hoping to have a date by the end of the week. Working on the musical entertainment, and planning the auction. I will be calling on some of you wonderful people for help, so stay tuned! I'm really excited about this project!!!

* Also working on a venue at Appalachian for some pre-Christmas donations for jewelry. Ryan had some ideas, so we'll keep the site updated on that.

* Finally, I should be receiving my box of new stuff from Uganda in the next couple of days. It'll be like an early Christmas!! I'll be posting some pictures (reminds me, I'm working on a more professional set up to take photos of the items, so those will go up as soon as I can get them!). I should get another shipment by the end of November, as well, in time for the Holly Fest at Sanderson High School the first weekend of December.

So WOW! Thanks for all your prayers - God is definitely blessing your efforts and prayers, and I am beyond grateful!