MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 02-19-2013

Greetings! The field conference went well. Thank you for praying. It was an encouraging time, pleasantly free from crises. Our director, Eric Baughman came from America, which was a blessing. We got to visit with our friends from elsewhere in the country, and the kids got to pal around with their buddies.

We got back and immediately made preparations to go down to Rwanda the next week. A new missionary couple, Michael and Christine Campbell, are living here in Mbarara and going with the Bassett’s and us out to Nakivale while they finalize preparations to go to Rwanda as BIMI missionaries. Meanwhile, they are getting exposure to the Rwandans living in the camp. The Bassett’s, myself, and they are studying Kinyarwanda together. This was to be a survey trip for them, with the Bassett’s and us along to aid and facilitate their exploration of the country. Naturally, the night before the day before we were to leave, that critical day we needed to get caught up on laundry from the week prior and get re-packed, a huge storm hit and knocked out power to the whole town. It was 72 hours before it came back on.

We got across the border alright, then made our way to Kigali. As promised, I delivered my kids to the Schoofs to play with their gang. Greg and Angela have the same number and distribution of kids as we, and similar ages. Our guys and theirs had a great time. We got to spend a fair amount of time fellowshipping with these fine missionaries who have been laboring in Kigali for the past nine years. We spent most of the week in Butare, the city where the Campbell’s are considering going to work. They visited shops to look at prices, looked at some potential houses, and endeavored to get the lay of the land.

I scored some Kinyarwanda language materials to help me continue my studies. I also located a source of fine Rwandan coffee (unroasted, in bulk). This particular blend comes from the northwest region of the country, where the rich, volcanic soil yields delicious, chocolate coffee (not actual chocolate – it’s a taster’s term used to describe the flavor). You can buy this coffee at Costco, which I believe just calls it “Rwandan Coffee”. Mario Serracin is a Brazilian coffee farmer who operates Cafe’ Connexion in Huye. He’s the taster who rates the coffee and the farmer who is teaching the Rwandans how to grow great coffee. He is also the distributor who ensures the Rwandan farmers get 70% of the profits from their crops. Jean Pierre is the local farmer who grows and processes the beans from his family farm. Together they are trying to bring Rwanda’s superior coffee to the Western market, providing the Rwandan coffee farmer with a source of income worthy of their quality product. Africa has the resources to enrich itself. They merely lack access to opportunity and education. Mario is helping provide both. http://www.rogersfamilyco.com/

The trip back was not as smooth. The Campbell’s got held up at the border by rampant bureaucracy which ultimately cost them $200. The road from the border to Mbarara is terrible. It makes travel perilous and slow. We approached what appeared to be some branches in the road. As we drew nearer, it became clear that those “branches” were the body of a Ugandan man who had been struck and killed not ten minutes before. This underscores not only Africa’s need for leaders who aren’t thieves that eat all the money instead of fixing the roads, but the great need for the Gospel here. Life is uncertain and short. That man had no way of knowing when he got up that morning that, before day’s end, he’d be meeting his Creator. Did he hear of the Savior before he was killed? Nobody knows.

Pray for our continued ministry in Uganda and for the souls of East Africa.