This is Sokee, she is the daugther of Agnes and Wilfred, She was born on Oct. 9th 2007

This is Sokee, she is the daugther of Agnes and Wilfred, She was born on Oct. 9th 2007

(there will e pictures to come as soon as I can get thhis page to allow me to upload them)

Life and Death

It happens here, neither with much fanfare, death and birth.
On Christmas day, a 20'something year old man died from organ failure, because of his hard and destructive life style. He died on the day he was born, years before. His mother was there when he was born and she was there when he died, and almost no one else. The funeral was in Morto, and was reported that almost no one attended that either. She is one of the clinic staff named Josephine.

Just about the time of the burial of this young man, his aunt gave birth to her 8th child. Joyce gave birth with her mother with her to help. But no one else was there. Later one of her older children came to the compound to tell why his mother had not come for work that day and to ask for soap and a basin and blankets and pain medicine for his mother. He also didn't know what sex the child was, that's not important right now, they are waiting to see how things go.

In this culture they don't plan ahead for the birth of a child, they don't buy things until after the child is a few days old. Why?? Because many times they don't live very long and then you would have wasted all that money on things that you don't need right now. And to store it for the next birth would mean that you must risk a neighbor asking you for it and you would be obilagated to give it, and you would be out alot of money. So after the birth then you get what you can from your neighbors and then you buy the rest.

Here you don't announce that you are pregnant, you don't even tell your husband for many months and then you can use that information against the other wife. Husbands don't spend time with the pregnant one after they are around 5 months, so wives hold back that information so they can keep the husband away from the other wife for as long as possible. Most village wives are left to the care of their mothers until delivery. If you don't have a living mother then it is the mother-in-law who helps in the delivery. Around here most of the births are still at home in the dirt and filth and old practices of cutting and bleeding and other horrors. They will beat a first time mother is they think that the mother is doing something to keep from delivering the baby. They will with hold food and water and beat themwith a stick until she goes into labor, many times from the trauma, and then she will have problems delivering, why??? Because she has been beaten, given nothing to eat of drink for a few days and is probably only 13-14 years old!!!!!!! No wonder the survival rate is so low!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS!!!!!!



This is just a quick note to say Merry Christmas and we are praying for you all!!! We pray that all is well and if you read this you might pray for us also!!!!



We are truly grateful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and for His birth this day!!!!! As we celebrate this day, we think about the reason we are here in Karamoja, and we prayer for our neighbors here. We pray that they would come to know the Lord and would be a changed people because of their changed hearts!!



On Christmas eve afternoon, Pastor Al held Church services at 4PM. We didn't expect anyone to come, when most were asked, they had other plans! I mentioned the service at the clinic, to the staff, atleast ten times between the hours of 8AM and 1PM when we closed. But noone indicated that they were interested in coming.



WE decided that we would take the benches, save a little work for Craig, and just take the chairs, that would be enough for us and a few more if they came.



Things atarted slow, all of the missionaries were there, Lowki, the translator and a shepaard boy who was close by and wanted to see what was going on. But at about 4:20, people started to come, slowly by slowly, (Wadyo, Wadyo) and within a half hour we had over 30 people and not enought chairs for everyone!!!!!



We sang songs in English, Karamajon and Swahilli, scripture was read in all three also. Everyone very much enjoyed!!!!! We were also very happy with the turnout as we saw people there who normally don't attend Sunday services and rarely hear the Word.



Then as we put the chairs away Craig and I handed out candy to the "kids", we were soon mobbed by everyone who was there, but all received atleast one piece and were happy for the "tum tum"!



The Lord blessed us all with a great celebration in His name. What a great way to start off Christmas. !!!



We are so blessed by being able to serve here and see what the Lord is doing here, and in our own lives!!!!

Ebola

As you may have read in the paper or have seen on the news, there is an Ebola out break in Western Uganda.It does not affect us phyiscally, but our hearts are sadden.

This is an area that has a team of World Harvest missionaries, and it has affected them. The Myhre's, Scott and Jennifer and their children live there, and Scott and Jennifer are Doctors for a district hospital.

This is where some of the first cases were found, and sadly, many of the medical personal have been exposed, many are ill and some have died.
A man that the Myhre's helped and loved, who went to medical school with their help, was one of that staff to become ill and he has died. I am not sure of the exact numbers, but we know of three others of the staff that have died.

The Dr.'s Myhre have sent their children to a safe area, but the fact is mom and dad are not with the kids, and Dad is still treating patients in the middle of the out break, risking his life.

There are many aide organization there to help, so pray for all of these people as they risk their lives to save the infected. Pray that God would have mercy on all of us and protect all from the disease.
Pray that God would stop the spread of the disease. And pray for the families of those who have died.
We are safe from this disease so far!!! Pray that god will continue to keep us in a safe area.