Church Leaders' Conference (Sept 11th. Part 1)

The Living Learning Centre was a busy place last Saturday, as 25 church leaders gathered for teaching and discussion on how to become an effective leader in God's Kingdom and the community.

This delegate is a woman's ministry leader and the treasurer of the Gawa church. She's also a GROW Nursery School parent!

During the September 2009 ARISE mission team visit to Tilling, the team worshiped with the local Gawa church family, which is about 1 km from the Living Learning Centre.

Gawa church is 1 of 6 Pentecostal Assemblies of God churches in the sub-county of Kobwin. Together they form the Kobwin Assembly. Each church sent delegates.

This is Pastor Moses.



Ted taught the first session on the Kingdom of God, explaining that a leader needed to be a believer who was a doer of the word, putting the teachings of Jesus into practice.

During the 2nd session, this theme continued as Ted led a discussion on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, exploring how the Samaritan put the teaching of Jesus to love your neighbour into practice.

The discussion was insightful and inspiring.
Joseph, Mama Kevina's husband, was the interpreter for the morning sessions.

The 6 pastors were presented with NIV Study Bibles in English. The pastors were so excited to have this new study tool. One pastor told us that he borrowed a study bible to help with his studies in the Word.

This is Pastor James, the Assembly Pastor who oversees the 6 churches. He will be graduating in November from a 3 year course in Mbale, which trains pastors in theology and biblical studies.





This is Pastor David accepting his NIV Study Bible.

He was serving as the interim pastor at the Gawa church last September. He's currently posted at another church in the Assembly, but he told Ted that he will be returning to Gawa soon to serve as its pastor once again.









At a pre-conference meeting, a pastor said they wanted tools, not hand-outs. So, after lunch, the conference shifted its focus to look at practical ways to love one's neighbour, using what they already had in their hands, as well as some new knowledge tools.

Winnie, the ARISE Coordinator, Jana, one of the single parents, and Lynn shared what they had learned from a visit to St. Jude Family Projects (scroll down to see post on St. Jude).

The leaders listened intently and were keen to learn more on how they can help themselves, and their neighbours by implementing the integrated farming methods used at St. Jude. One of the most animated moments in the afternoon session was a discussion on biogas. After Jana told the group about the biogas stove she had seen at St. Jude, a woman stood up and said she wanted to see this biogas for herself!

The afternoon concluded with the leaders reflecting on the skills, knowledge, and talents they already had in their hand. Then, with each leader holding their list, we prayed that God would help each leader to begin to effectively utilize what they had to show love to their neighbour.

We are eagerly anticipating the 2nd and final day of the conference this coming Saturday!

Papa Ted's Birthday

Today was a very special day in Tilling, as the GROW family honoured Ted's birthday.

It began in the morning with Joseph blessing Ted with Abraham's blessing in Genesis, and concluded in the evening with the older school children and staff blessing Ted with singing, birthday wishes, and a special prayer.

The Nursery School children presented Ted with a birthday hat they made for him!




The birthday hat was not the only unique gift.


Ted was also given an African kikoy. He's wearing it like a Masai warrior, but we thought it gave him a bit of a Father Abraham look, especially when Mama Kevina found a staff for him!

The GROW Nursery School children were very special guests at the party.

They sang and danced for him.

Then they gathered around and helped him blow out the candles. Ted gave them a quick lesson on blowing out candles before the big moment. They caught on quickly!











Cake was a new taste experience for many of the children. They loved the icing!

They couldn't wait to pray. They wanted to eat cake.














Cakes in Tilling are not easily come by. There are no ovens ... that we know of! This cake was specially ordered from a woman in Kumi (30 km away) and cost 50,000 shillings (about $25.00). To put it into perspective, lunch for 4, including cold sodas, cost less than the cake!

The oven that baked the cake is another story. Winnie has those pictures on her camera. Will try to get them on the blog another day.







Mama Kevina was, and still is, rather dismayed that the team came and went last year without planting a tree. She was determined that Ted would make up for it, and had him plant 2 of them as part of the birthday celebrations!

With the Nursery children looking on, Ted planted this umbrella tree seedling.






With a little help from his small-sized friends, Ted also planted a mango seedling.

Young Dan, manager of the poultry, had a special surprise gift for Ted.

He carefully selected 2 5-month old chicks, 1 male and 1 female. It is a gift that touched our hearts deeply for Dan has so little, yet he is willing to give so generously of what he does have. It was, for him, a costly gift.

Dan will be looking after the birthday chicks, along with Dowdy, when we return to Canada.

I'm sure we'll have enough chickens to trade in for a goat by the time we get back to Tilling!

Three more days of adventure

Here we are stopped along a muddy footpath 25 km east of Kumi, on our way to visit the farm of Pastor Ben.

I admit to being somewhat concerned at this point, wondering what on earth we would do should we get stuck so far from town.

Our AMA cards would be of no avail way out here!

The menfolk taking a closer look at the situation.

Pastor Ben oversees 9 churches in the Kumi area. Three years ago he decided to turn his overgrown ancestral land into a fruit farm. He was determined to be a leader, not only in the pulpit, but in finding ways to meet the practical challenges that his congregation faced.






He did not have much money, but was willing to research, experiment, and work hard. Every Monday he rides out to the farm on his motorcycle to work in the gardens.

Here he is with a papaya tree loaded with fruit, or from Pastor Ben's perspective ... cash flow.

We learned a lot of valuable information from our day with Pastor Ben, as he shared his insight into how the land could be more productive.

Our van was loaded with papayas, passion fruit, and collard greens, as we headed back to Kumi.



The next day saw us driving about 30 km in the opposite direction from Kumi, on our way to Tilling.

Along the way, we stopped at Joy Nursery School in Nyero to check things out. Another aspect of this trip's research endeavour.

With a determined effort we arrived in Tilling at the Living Learning Centre in daylight!

Ted got right into the welcome celebrations!



Meet Dowdy, the very much alive rooster being held by the woman in the photo. This lady was ministered to by the team last year. She said that they truly showed the love of Jesus to her when they came to the hospital to see her.

She also said how much a letter she had received from Connie had meant to her. When Dan offered to care for the bird, we were asked what it's name would be. Well, if it was a hen we would have called it Connie. But when we discovered it was a rooster, there was no other name to give but Dowdy (Ateso for David)!

Josephine's Dream ... St. Jude's Family Projects

On Friday, Josephine and her husband, John, were successful business owners, driving from Kampala to their family village near Masaka, taking food and money to their family who were starving due to rebel activity.

On Saturday, their life took an abrupt turn, when, on their way back to Kampala, they came to a bridge that had been taken out by the rebels. Access to the city was cut off. It was 1986.

Overnight they went for having it all, to having nothing ... well, almost nothing.


John had land in the village that he had inherited, but it had become overgrown with bush. They built a shelter from banana leaves and with a mattress and blanket given to them by John's 2 brothers they began life anew.

John's father gave them 2 piglets. When the first litter came, they did not sell a single pig. Instead they let those pigs have more litters until they had 45 pigs. The reason ... manure. They knew that feeding the soil would make them money in the long run. They were patient and determined.





They sold the pigs for an 8 month old exotic heifer cow. The neighbours laughed and scoffed at them. But, all too often he who laughs first, laughs last. A year later, that cow had its first calf and began producing 30 litres of milk a day. They had more than enough to drink ... and to sell!

The original plot of land was only 3.7 acres. It's amazing what she has managed to do with it.
Space is maximized by building 2-story structures for the animals. This building houses goats on the bottom and chickens on the top.


If you read the previous post, you already know how life on this farm revolves around manure.

Here the group is having a focused discussion on the "animal waste" collection pit outside the goat enclcosures.
















Water, its collection and distribution, is also a high priority on the farm.

If you look closely at the photo, you may recognize the recycled water bottles, which are filled, and turned upside down to strategically water small beds of vegetables. The bottles have a hole in the bottom ... which is now the top.

Mulching with dried grass and maize stocks help retain the moisture.




In the background is a huge space-saving 2-story chicken coop!

On the right are the pig pens.

In the foreground is an underground water reservoir that harvests water run-off. The 6' deep tank is lined with heavy gauge plastic and covered with a layer of plastic and boards to prevent mosquitos breeding and to keep people from falling in. Crushed moringa seeds clear the water making it usable for animals, plants, and household washing.


This is the bucket for a bucket drip irrigation system. Small irrigation tubes are connected to the base of the bucket allowing water to trickle to the roots of plants.




















Charles, our tour guide, is holding a black tube which has holes strategically drilled into it.

Water enters the black tube from either a bucket (previous photo) or from a larger hose connected to a water storage tank.








Ted told our guide that he wanted to see the water pump which pumped all the water.

We didn't realize what we were in for, as the trail took a decidedly steep downhill turn. But, then, what kind of adventure would this be if there weren't a few unexpected turns here and there?

Visit to St. Jude Family Projects in Masaka...Agnes's Farm

Starting with this picture is somewhat like getting to the theatre part-way through the movie. Sorry ... the 'add image' button has decided to go on strike without giving notice! Maybe I've maxed my blog photo limit???

1. We spent 2 incredible days at St. Jude's learning how much can be done with improved knowledge and skills in farming, starting with what is already in your hand.
3. Here Ted is taking a few irrigation notes.

After touring St. Jude (see next posting), we visited the home of Agnes, a woman who received training and support from St. Jude. She told us how the life of her family had been transformed in 7 years from one of abject poverty to where she is today... a healthy family, a productive farm, and a restored marriage. Following are some pics from the visit to her farm.

The goat's enclosure is raised off the ground and the floor sloped to facilitate the collection of manure. Manure ... it's the topic of conversation at St. Jude's!





Space is maximized in this integrated farming concept ... Agnes got creative in her design of this heart-shaped raised bed for cabbages.

Having them grow in her front courtyard utilizes the space. Conveniently located next to the house, it saves time and energy with meal preparation. Manure added to the soil helps retain the moisture and provides nutrients.







In addition to teaching improved crop and animal production methods, St. Jude teaches participants how to build wood-conserving stoves.

With less wood, more food can be cooked and kept warm for longer periods of time. And a chimney keeps the smoke out of the cook's eyes.

Agnes's daughter is showing us the stove.






As I said earlier, manure is the topic of conversation. You might not be able to detect it from the photo, but the floor of the cow pen is sloped allowing urine to flow to the collection pit (where the yellow jerry can is).



The cow was most considerate and gave us a live demonstration as we stood by!




(left: Josephine, founder of St. Jude)
(right: Agnes, farmer)

Here we are with a parting gift from Agnes: a basket full of eggs, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, and a cabbage.

Farmers can attend a 7 day training program at St. Jude's. Wouldn't it be an incredible opportunity for people in Tilling to learn how to maximize their land potential and improve their families quality of life?

Agnes has been able to feed her family a healthy, balanced diet, send her children to a good school, and build a new house! She now shares her knowledge and expertise with others in the community.

Chasing "Happiness"

After 24 hours of nonstop flights & layovers, we arrived safely in Kampala on time at 7:45 am. Jetlag hit with a vengeance about 3 pm and all thoughts of staying up until after supper went fast asleep.

Unfortunately, Ted woke up Tuesday with dizziness and nausea which persisted throughout the day. We are so thankful to God, that he woke up this morning feeling much better. And it's a good thing ... I can't imagine how rough the trip to Masaka might have been for him otherwise.

Masaka is about 1 1/2 hour drive southwest of Kampala. But, with the majority of the highway under construction, it took twice that long with potholes, dust, and the usual construction slow downs. Here we are chasing "Happiness". I had to wait another hour until we arrived in Masaka before I could open mine!







Last night, Winnie and Jana (widow from Tilling joining us for St. Jude farm tour) arrived in Kampala ... all the way from Kumi by taxi! A taxi is a van filled to capacity. Packed like sardines with luggage on your lap and the possibility of chickens at your feet. Poor Jana. This was her first trip to Kampala and instead of arriving by bus (Greyhound style) she had to take a taxi because the buses were full of back-to-school students.

Then to top it off today she has to drive through construction dust clouds, nauseous from motion sickness and petrol fumes.

This is the first time she has been more than a few hours away from Tilling and it's a bit of a shock. She is so courageous. Not knowing English, or the local dialect, she is dependent on Winnie to translate, not only the language, but so many others things that are new to her experience.


(Oops ... lost a photo ... I know Lawrence, you told me told to keep it simple. So I'm going to listen to you, and Ted ... he needs to sleep and that means I need to turn off the laptop, so I can turn off the overhead light and play musical plug-ins and turn on the lamp ...)

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak ... So [we will] not fear, for [God] is with [us] ... [He] will uphold [us] with [his] righteous right hand." Is 41

Photos of Living Learning Centre

The front of the Centre faces north. This is the west side of the Centre showing the kitchen window and kitchen entrance. The window at the corner of the house nearest the water tank is the kitchen pantry, which now doubles as the solar power collection/storage headquarters (see photo further down). Beyond the water tank you can just make out the bedroom & bathroom windows, which face the south. The brown object jutting out of the ground in front of the kitchen window is a tree stump!




The raised water storge tank holds about 1000 litres and water has to be hauled to fill it. We have arranged for gutters (eavestroughing) to be installed and for a 5000 litre tank, which will be placed on a pad at ground level. The ground level tank will then collect rain water, which can be pumped with a manual pump to the raised tank. It's amazing the amount of water that comes pouring off the Centre's roof during a rain!




The team ate very well! Rice, sweet potatoes, matoke (steamed, mashed green bananas), Irish potatoes, beans, cooked cabbage with a tasty seasoning, a variety of cooked greens, free-range chicken, smoked beef in peanut sauce, farm-fresh eggs, pineapple, papaya, sweet bananas, watermelon, fresh roasted groundnuts, chapatis...Everything was organic, prepared from scratch and was cooked over a wood fire outside or on these charcoal cookers in the Centre's kitchen. The cooks were awesome!





Here's the solar power collection, storage & inverter system, which converts 12v DC into 240v AC for everyday use at the Centre. It will produce enough power for lighting, computer use, and charging of cell phones. There are 4 solar power panels installed on the roof, each producing 130w of electricity per hour under full sun. There are 4 batteries, each capable of storing 200Ah. Together they store 800Ah, which equates to 800 x 12v = 96w hours, of which only 60% can be used. Fully discharging the batteries will damage them. (Ted)

Leading a Mission team for the first time was a challenge ... you never knew what they might be "getting into"!

I discovered this photo on my camera after the team had left ... Sylvia looks like she's enjoying the ride!