Janews

14 January 2011… 5 months down, 13 to go

It takes SO long getting ready for Christmas, and then it is over so fast! I hope that you enjoyed the festive period and grabbed a few moments to marvel at God’s step into humanity.


Christmas Day
Christmas in Uganda was great, despite a spot of homesickness, but thanks once again to Skype, cell phones and God’s niceness, the day was filled with people I love. Christmas breakfast was an elaborate affair shared with Lizzie, before we both hurried off to our respective churches. I just missed the rain as I jumped from the bodda and mounted the 10 flights of stairs to Calvary Chapel and into a special and beautiful service filled with the ‘tingle’ factor. A very skinny, chocolate-distributing Father Christmas made an appearance, confirming my hopes that he is, in fact, a Christian.


Onwards to Kampala’s shiniest mall called Garden City with 5 street boys for a slap-up meal of chicken’n’chips from various providers in the food court (for the record, Chicken Express was neither the best nor quickest). I shed a secret tear looking around at them and thanking God for making the day special for them and me. And from there to a Christmas dinner and get-together with a lovely family and their friends, orchestrated by Lizzie. The day was made even better by a phone call at 11am UK time by Pastor Pete at Sawyers Church, and an exchange of greetings and stories over the phone and microphone. I felt very special and wrapped up in love as my church family sang ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’ down the phone, and swallowed another lump in my throat! The day ended with a Skype home and present-opening together across the 4000 miles. Sadly, my brother didn’t make it to Devon, so the parents had to face their first Christmas without the kids… they seem to have survived rather well. Tea at the Grand, darling?

On a Jolly
Lizzie and I then drove to Lake Bunyonyi (via the Equator) which is a beautiful, quiet and CHILLY place in SW Uganda, near to the Rwandan and DRC border. We had 6 wonderful days on the lake bouncing between the 29 islands, bird-watching, reading books, sleeping late in our ‘luxury tents’ (I’m not sure ‘camping’ was the right term after all… we had a double bed each) and swimming. It was terrific, and I enjoyed the sensation of needing a jumper and pair of socks! But living entirely without electricity was interesting, especially finding the tent in the dark. Thankfully the fireflies and lanterns helped.

Highlights included: walking around the island accompanied by kingfishers and weaver birds, swimming from one island to another and back, playing cards in front of the roaring fire, showering outside under a cleverly engineered bucket-shower, eating wonderful food with 3 good friends, reading a great book, and being surrounded by breathtaking beauty.


Back to the real world…
We returned back to the Oasis office on Monday 3rd January, only to be struck down with various ailments! Gill got malaria and suffered for 2 weeks, and 8 other employees fell ill with colds, ‘flu and, in my case, a bacterial infection and VERY sore back (connected?). Our training programme has been pushed back 2 weeks, but a lot has been achieved in terms of moving desks, resettling and beginning to pick up work for new job roles. The Central office, where 5 of us sit has been reshuffled and feels great, and what was Bambejja (which is now called the House of Hope) is utterly transformed to accommodate our 4 new departments – it looks fantastic!


The first quarter of 2011 will be a lot of admin and planning. We are overhauling our website in line with Oasis’ new branding, writing newsletters and annual reports, and I must put everything in place for various short and long term teams arriving from April. All of a sudden, it seems like a short time before returning home for a visit in July/August and for good in Feb 2012!


Please continue to pray for colleagues moving into new roles and departments, and especially for those assuming roles of management and leadership. We are very excited to get started on projects, and work towards meeting targets. The new strategy should unwind very satisfactorily, since there will be clear goals and targets which will help quantify our level of service to the locality. Our work will be specifically channelled through agreed and long-term methods, rather than trying to help lots of different people – far better for the community, and far easier to manage and develop.


The rest of life
Non-work life rotates a lot around home at the moment! I’m not 100% well, and enjoy evenings and weekends resting. Hopefully the energy will flood back in, and the travelling adventurer will emerge once again, but for now, a cup of tea and good book does very nicely.


However, in 2 weeks, Emma Stone arrives for 1 month. We are off to Mbale for 1 week to spend with the Beersheba Project, camping at Murchison Falls for 3 days, and avoiding election riots (between 9-14th Feb) by holing up at home with plenty of food, water and DVDs… I’m really excited about Emma coming to see and explore Uganda, and also getting involved in some kids/youth work whilst here, which is her forte. She also has some charity work lined up with Frontline...


Calvary Chapel is becoming home more and more, and I am really enjoying both the services, and also spending time with Frontline Ministry. Sunday morning services are spent side by side with boys associated with Frontline, and also often accompanied by my neighbour Elspeth – I’m delighted she has started coming! The words, prayers and songs acquire a depth of meaning to me unknown before because they are shared with the homeless. The Bible reads differently… Prayer shifts… Songs become either profound or ridiculous…

Thanks so much for your love, and for reading this far!


God bless you in ways you hope for, and in unexpected ways


Lindsay x

From the Birds Nest, over Lake Bunyonyi