Friday, July 6, 2012

Meet the 2012 ACT Mission Team. Seated (l to r): Karen Viele, Sydney Roeder, Katie Brinklow, Dale Anderson. Back Row (l to r): Sue Waechter, Dave Viele, Lazara Aragon, Curt Zastrow.

We leave for Detroit in about one hour! 4 coming from Midland, 1 from Decatur, IL, 3 from Holt, MI. We come slamming into another trip. This time, many things crashed and burned at the last minute causing some stress and lots of details. One passport stuck on the desk of the Ugandan Embassy and they were less than helpful getting it back; cash for all the trip expenses, ordered a week ago arrived just 30 minutes ago; laptops promised and not received so a quick trip to Saginaw this morning to buy a new battery for another laptop to take and leave for the Ugandans. Taking a seat on the plane in Detroit will be such a relief!

We are 8 in number and are allowed 3, 50-lb bags apiece plus two carry-ons. That makes a total of 24, 50-lb suitcases and many smaller bags, one being a precious violin (Karen V.)! 

We go this time to make and teach lots of music, update the clinic with new equipment, check in on our MEP partners who make all our beautiful baskets and jewelry, visit all 70 orphans at their schools and hand our gifts from their sponsors safely in about 5 of those 50-lb bags. We will also worship together at an ecumenical worship service with Curt leading the worship and us singing along. Katie will spend time with the adolescent girls talking with them about adolescent sexual health and how to keep good boundaries along with our ACT Uganda Board Chair-Elect, Lydia. Sydney is in charge of the distribution of 329 beautiful pillowcase dresses sewn by loving hands here and matched with 329 little t-shirts and packaged (in about 7 of the 50-lb bags), Dale will be working with the Agricultural Team there and we all will attend a very important agricultural workshop put on the government officials just for us. Lazara has the dream of photographing the people and handing them copies of the pictures. This will be a big surprise for them. Dave Viele will be helping the staff with office efficiencies and finance and I also hear he has been diligently practicing the recorder! I also count on Dave to help me with assessing the office renovation situation and taking lots of photos. Karen and Dave are donating 70 recorders and music books to the orphans. Curt will be presenting the Gospel through puppetry and slight of hand for the children at the schools. And lastly, Sue will try hard to keep everything on track as well as lead the meetings for the existing programs there. 

We found out this morning we have gotten rooms at the Adonai House in Kampala where we have stayed before. This is very good news. A wonderful and safe compound that caters to mission groups from around the world. The next blog will most likely come from their computer after we arrive. 

Stay tuned, stay well and thanks for your thoughts and prayers!