Life Through a New Lense

It's been almost two years since I've returned to our Home of Angels in Uganda.  There isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss them or Edwin and I don't speak and pray over the many unsettled issues occurring in our community of Mpumudde.  

COVID-19 along with the variant 2 has spread across Uganda as it has around the world, but only one percent of a population of 48 million people have been able to be vaccinated.  Edwin has been elected to be in control of the task force for our community of 32 villages.  These people have no idea what is happening to them and can't understand why only 5 people are allowed to bury the dead.

Uganda has been locked down since the election violence in January 2019.  Maybe a few reprieves, but not many.  Because of these lockdowns, there is now extensive famine.  Each day many come to our compound gate weeping for help because there is no food and they've gone days without eating.  Most  stores around us and community markets are closed and with the rainy season on, there is no food growing anywhere.  For Edwin and Precious to have to witness starvation daily.... I have to tell you that they do it with such grace.  

President Museveni addressed the  nation again hours ago stating that the government will provide all shots for teachers and staff by October.  In the meantime, older children will be doing online learning with a cell phone.  Our little ones will learn in our grass hut by screen and projector.  Our teachers have had their shots and will be able to assist them at home.  

Now comes the most important part....our "Angels".  Everyone is doing fine, locked in and learning a new way to live.  Hope and Desire will be the first to leave their home of 12 years and are preparing a plan for how they will live. With the help of Mama Precious, they will be just fine but until the country settles and opens up, we will keep them with us for safety. 

With all that is going on at Home of Angels, we haven't been able to get a recent picture of the children.  We chose this one because even though it a year old, they are still this happy every day.  Junior at the back is a head taller than Edwin now.  We promise to get more for the next blog.

The rains this year have been hard on the compound.  Our grass hut had to be redone as water started seeping through the grass on to the kids eating their meals.  The eucalyptus poles are at more of a slant so the rain will be able to run off.  We should be good for 10-15 years now.

Can't wait to see this finished

It will be exciting to see Ptarmigan primary school full of kids next year....the trees are growing so fast and I remember when they were planted not long ago.  Your choice of trees are really beautiful Edwin.

Precious had a dream to build a Bible school where people could come and learn at anytime.  We will use it as a Sunday school and whatever comes in the future to do with our church being built on the other property below.  Everything has been interrupted with COVID, but we are not letting that deter us.  

On the compound with Ptarmigan nursery school and the church, the wall will be completed as soon as we can get shots for our workers.

We have again been blessed to have a donation of food for the elderly that are suffering so much.  Because of lockdown, the village leaders have agreed to deliver it to the most needy.

Thank you Tsawwassen Rotary Club for donating enough for us to purchase a CCTV camera setup.  We have 8 cameras installed both on the school and home compounds.  Because of the famine, the violence has escalated in our area and many are losing everything they have.  When people get this hungry, they will do almost anything.  This way, with a monitor for Edwin both on his phone and in the house, he will know if they try anything.

This picture just came in as I was finishing the blog.  The rains have been heavier than they've seen them in a long time.  Last night, most homes on our road that had iron sheets for roofs, had them blown off; people in the low marsh areas were swept away and for us...we were also hit.  The lower wall of concrete blocks on our school property fell on top of 2 homes on the other side.  Both homes were totalled.  Everyone was sleeping and in the brick home, 2 children, ages 12 and 16 were knocked unconscious by our blocks falling on them.  The parents made it out.  Edwin rushed both children to the hospital where they are currently.  Our staff put the parents into the nursery school under cover for safety.  The other home was a mud hut and it was completely demolished and they were also helped.  Our wonderful long time employee Sula has volunteered to rebuild their mud hut.  

We'd like to ask you all to include in your prayers for all the suffering people in our area.  The mamas having babies and because of no food, cannot give them milk; the people with polio that struggle to crawl to place where there is food; the people with HIV/AIDS that can't take their ARV meds without food; or helping the sickle cell anemia people that can't find food.  Please will you also pray for Edwin and Precious who are the "Rocks" of Home of Angels that they won't get sick from stress.  

God bless you all