Half Way Point February 1, 2009

January 31, 2009 marked the midway date of our 9 month African adventure. (It exactly coincides with the 5 year anniversary of the night Tim proposed but I doubt there’s a connection).

For those who haven’t heard, we are staying a month longer in Kampala, Uganda and shaving off that month from our time in Malawi. We’ll still plan on heading home for the Saint Family Reunion in early June.

After the holidays, we were shocked to realize that we had only until the end of January to wrap things up here and we simply needed more time. We asked for another month on our apartment lease – never thought I would do that! – and are scrambling to tie up loose ends on many projects. Here are a few of the things we are working on – we’d sure appreciate your prayers:

• There are four slums in Kampala where the Sports Outreach team works. Each one is unique and a story in itself. Tim would like to develop websites for each slum project (similar to the rough draft he did for Life Eternal Ministries of the Nateete slum here) which can be accessed from the main ministry website. He’s been collecting verbiage and pictures and hopes to at least get the framework built before we go.
• Tim wants to get all the forms used here into electronic format so reports can be emailed or stored in a shared drive rather than sending hardcopies through the mail (yes, it IS the new millennium, folks!). I am working with the office manager to get all her accounting forms and ministry reports online as well; it’s not difficult, just time consuming.
• We want to go to the Detention Center we visited once a month one more time and deliver some uniforms that were handmade by the tailoring project in one of our slums. Melissa also brought some clothes over for the teen-aged girls. Please pray for these kids as they are not necessarily criminals (some are); they have sent to the center after being picked up off the streets.
• There is a 3-day training we are attending next week to help the older ladies in the projects help themselves rise above their current circumstances.
• We had new linoleum laid, the walls painted and desks built for our little school room. School starts again next week and we are interviewing for a permanent teacher. Please pray the solid Christian lady we are meeting with Monday works out. A huge thanks goes to Julie Muchlinski and her teacher friends for sending over boxes of school supplies. It is so exciting to see the enthusiasm of the kids as we start a fresh new year, and we are glad to be able to be here for the first few weeks. Praise.
• Tim has a brilliant idea about starting an account here with money to start up small businesses. If one of the Good News Football Club members wants to supplement his income, he can fill out the business plan template and, once the plan is approved by the board, use the seed money to get started. He will have a pre-determined timeframe for repayment so the next guy can use that money. Details and contracts need to be ironed out before we leave.
• We have to clear out our entire (2-room!) apartment. Most of the items are spoken for, so it’s just a matter of coordinating pick ups. Since we are not sure what our accommodations will be like in Malawi, I have to be prudent in what kitchen items to take with us. Pray our bags don’t exceed the weight limit!
• Tim is looking into starting a window screen business. With Malaria being so prevalent, easily installed and inexpensive window screens could be life-saving. We pray that obtaining a business license and figuring out who would run it here will not take long.
• We need to write a what is sure to be a lengthy report for the leadership team of Sports Outreach Institute. Tim spent some time with the Executive Director from the states and promised to send a detailed report of our impressions and suggestions after our 5 month stint in Kampala.

Those are just a few of the items on our “Ugandan To-Do” list. We’d appreciate your prayers for clear-thinking, stamina and an ability to prioritize. We are confident with God’s help we can finish strong! Thanks!

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