Flashbacks

Don't you all agree that the word "journey" describes life in the broken world we're currently living in?  When troubles weigh heavy on our hearts, we can only find comfort in the knowledge that He protects us and we must trust Him.  That's what all of us are doing at Home of Angels right now.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we have some disturbing news.  Ebola has now hit our city of Jinja. It's moved north over the past month from the capital city of Kampala, but we knew it would only be a matter of time.  Edwin was asked to be on the "Eradicating Ebola" team for Jinja, helping to prepare posters, equipping vans with loudspeakers explaining to the people about Ebola.  They did the same with COVID and it made an impact. This team will travel a radius of approximately 100km.  Edwin can only help with decisions because of the workload he and Precious currently have at home.

 Schools will be permanently closed on November 25th and there is no word yet regarding churches.  Parents cannot afford school fees without working so this means no wages for the teachers.  We're able to stay open because our children are secure inside our walls and the new home is almost finished allowing the staff who teach throughout the week as to not expose themselves outside the walls going home.   

With global warming, the wind and rains have been continual throughout this past month.  Edwin and Precious have tried very hard for pictures but it hasn't been easy. We've never missed a blog in 14 years so whether we're dealing with diseases or climate change, the blogs will go on with flashbacks.  

It's been decided by the community committee what to name our church and they chose "Center of Grace".  It will open on Christmas day, pending restrictions, and an estimate of over 500 people will attend.  If all goes well, our plan is to utilize everything we have for a Christmas service.  We have the bus to pick up the elderly and challenged plus all the equipment to operate, but most of all we know Jesus will be attending.  Dr. David Jeremiah's team has sent us a digitally downloadable video of "Why the Nativity" and it's possible to have it put into the Luganda language.  Thank you Dee!!

A few years ago we planted 15,000 conifer seedlings on our compound where the primary school is now.   We were given a piece of land in Muyauge to transplant them at the stage close to what you're seeing here.

It will be another 15 years before they are mature.  

I did get permission for this picture by the way... In the past, when I was there, I took this picture of Edwin washing the floor. In Canada we have the luxury of using special equipment to wash but for Edwin and Precious, it's using your hands.  I always thought that the clothes were difficult.  Each child must wash their own clothes daily before they go to school.

This is George.  He has polio which is very common in Uganda and came to our gate asking for help with food and a little money to survive.  For any of us in the Western world, we would never hesitate.  He literally crawled in the gate and was so humble.  

This was taken when Global TV had lent me their camera.  Usual procedure: Bring in poles, drop them on the ground, leave them for 6 months, come back again and dig the holes.  Leave, and back again in months later to attach the wires.  They came to HOA on Friday morning, cameras rolling and I'm excited telling them they will be on Canadian TV.  Off come the poles, holes dug, poles all standing in 5 hours.  Gone!!

We came back Saturday morning to make sure they weren't stolen and the wires were up and all was working.  Our neighbours kept calling wondering how much we had to bribe them.  Apparently a miracle had happened.

This is our latest picture of the house being built  for our girls phasing out at 18-year-old. Due to Ebola, the plan had to be changed.  The stage of the girls to move in here will be another year so the teachers will be residing here so our schools will be able to stay open.  It's almost day by day changes now.

One thing very traditional at Home of Angels is our Christmas party for our kids and 200 neighbourhood children.  They wait all year for December 25th because they get to have a full meal, a balloon and most of all a soda pop. To finish off the party, they watch the Jesus video.  Some of these kids attend our nursery school.  They go home when the day ends and eat dinner currently speaking English.  Parents want to learn and they now are being taught a few words by their own children.

We were donated the funds from the sale of "Faithful the Cow" to be used to drill a borehole at HOA.  When our electrician was finished hooking it all up and many children were lined up with their jerry cans, he turned the hose on them.  The mothers were shocked....how can they waste water when we have to walk 8km a day to fetch it??? After the initial shock wore off, the laughter was overwhelming.  None of them had ever had water on their bodies like this.  We continued to let them play until the mud was up to their ankles.  To this day we are still pumping 5,000/litres per day.  Thanks again Laury and Tom!!

None of these children know the date when they were born except for Hope and Desire.  They had the chance to pick a date and every year, when possible, they would frost the cake any way they chose.  The water was next....we don't do this but when the birthday child was sitting ready for everyone to sing, a brother or sister would sneak up behind them and pour a bucket of water over their head.  It was great!

I know many of you are aware of who Hope and Desire are.  They were the first children that were here before the land was finally cleared to build HOA.  They ate weeds off our land for food.  Long story short, they were both accepted into YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in a town 11 hours north of us. They are close to finishing now and Hope (white sweater) was in the top six in her exams which means she will get a passport for travelling.  The destination chosen for her is Canada but it's not before she attends YWAM in Kenya.  For Desire, the story is a little different.  We don't know what happened.  She was always the top student but she will still be OK because we'll make sure of it.  She will have a trade or maybe work in our church.  Time will tell.

Wow for a blog I had little information to share, this was amazing.  Pays to be old and a "Chatty Cathy".

We would like to ask you for your prayers for the safety of our Home of Angels and the people in Uganda.  Please also pray for Edwin, Precious and our team of people currently holding it together.  No matter how chaotic the world may become around us, we can find quietness and strength in our Heavenly Father's love and power.

Riding Out the Storm

Our community in Uganda is no exception to experiencing the struggles of our world today.  Our friends and neighbours have gone through a vicious cycle of poverty this past year because of global warming.  With little information of world events and no understanding of why their planting seasons have changed, their journey certainly describes life in our broken world.  This is one of the reasons our church is so important right now.  To teach the people that in their times of genuine struggle and pain, we can know God's peace and permit it to rule our hearts. 

I've been getting many calls and emails regarding the outbreak of Ebola in Uganda and is it close to us?  The epicentre is in Mubende, 152 km east of Kampala and 217 km south of Jinja City and at this time they are monitoring it very closely.  I will keep you all updated and thanks for being so concerned. 

As many of you know, 13 years ago, I and others started baking banana bread to help a few children in a garbage dump have a small home.  They wanted to be called "Angels" instead of "Orphans".  Their dream came true and we were able to make this happen because of a very kind man named Jimmy Pattison.  He allowed me to receive all my ingredients at no cost so we could send 100% of sales to Uganda for construction.  Now that the children have learned English, they wanted to make him a sign, but as you can see, they struggled as to who was going to do this.  Voila.....two signs and an expression of deep gratitude was expressed from all the children at Home of Angels.

 

  

Here are one of the wonderful staff groups at a Save-on- Foods store in Abbotsford.  They have been amazing as have many of the other stores been over the years.  Whatever store it may have been, the managers and staff  have been so supportive and the biggest surprise for me is how quickly our banana bread has always sold out.  Most stores had banana balloons of some kind but look at this one. How perfect was it to have a massive gorilla, that I'm sure must be from Africa, towering over us! 😏

Our church is finished except for a little painting on one side but I couldn't wait to show you.  It 's been registered in Kampala and we've been approved to open but because of the deaths caused from floods washing away homes and the typhoid and cholera on the increase, there are currently many funerals in our community.  It's the custom to attend if you had known the deceased.

It's almost time for the boys to be out planting the grass and trees around the compound.

Besides the Ebola, we have also have a Scabies outbreak and this did effect us inside Home of Angels.  Again, contaminated water from the heavy rains is the cause.  A microscopic scabies mite will burrow into the upper layer of the skin where it lays eggs.  This causes intense itching.  Currently in our community there are many cases and we think that an outside child attending our school may have brought it to class.  If caught immediately, it can be controlled. Edwin has every child in HOA and all teachers on a special creme.  The families of the children attending school outside have also purchased it.  

There are many classes in our new Bible School but what they've realized is that the numbers must be cut down for each class.  There is a great interest in the Bible and whatever they learn here, they take out to teach to friends and neighbours outside our compound.  Pastor Richard and his team are starting to change lives. 

Construction has started on the girl's home outside the compound walls but with the continual rains, it's been slow.  The next five girls that will be phasing out in 2023 will be housed here but in the meantime, due to increasing gas prices, it will be a lot cheaper to house the teachers here until the time the girls will accommodate it.

The Love Project

There are currently 87 families with mentally and physically children living in our Love Project.  They are hoeing the beans and maize recently planted.  With the schools open now, they are making chalk for the teachers and the same soap that was such a hit before.  Every month, each family saves $3.00 to be banked to purchase more supplies for the following month.  They have also made enough extra to purchase a small piece of land for more planting.  Precious still continues to be their accountant and guide them when necessary. 

 

Whenever there's a village meeting or a death in one of the surrounding villages, you will hear the drums.  Initially in Africa, drums were traditionally used for communication and it's still the preferred way in the bush. I was sent this without sound which makes sense, but you can visualize the effort by watching this.  

No matter how chaotic the world may become around us, we can find quietness and strength in our heavenly Father's love and power.  Thanks everyone for your help to continue us on our journey to become self-sufficient.

 

Rainbows of Hope

 Over these past thirteen years we've realized that in our times of genuine struggle, we can know God's peace and permit it to rule in our hearts.  Maybe we can't always see the road ahead, but taking it as it comes and not as we wished, we've realized that sometimes it takes experiencing what we'd feared the most to feel real hope.  That's exactly what's happened at Home of Angels.

Edwin, Precious and Pastor Richard are continually looking for the broken people and places, trusting God to give them the wisdom and skills in making them better again.  With the children, who are our priority, we are training them to obtain a skill for survival outside our home walls.  The final phase will be a sewing centre built on the 3rd compound.  Containers with used clothing have been stopped by the government from entering Uganda, so sewing is a huge need, especially for women's clothing. 

These six trades being taught to our children have been noticed by the public.  Many homes raising orphans have them phase out at 18-years-old without any skills for survival.  We've been informed by the police that the boys usually end up in prison and the girls get pregnant.  City officials have now requested permission to use HOA as an example for other homes to follow.  

Global warming has effected our entire world, but in Uganda where we live, they see it by their seasons changing.  Many people don't understand why years of planting a certain season has changed to a different part of the year.  If they can afford seeds to plant and that's always an "if", why is there little sun and also why are the rains so torrential that everything, including their homes are being washed away?

Throughout all these sad situations are "Rainbows of Hope" both at HOA and in our community.  Our children are so happy having a good education thanks to their sponsors; to experience love of having a family and a daily meal.  In the community we provide work for our neighbours, have had help feeding the hungry and constructing boreholes in areas with no water.  Now with our church, we are able to gift Bibles for many.

Junior will be finished with school in December but until then he has work when he's not studying.  He loves it and eventually will be able to have a little house on his own in 2023.  Little Junior is now 6'3'.

Until we can start the two homes for the children that are phasing out, we are utilizing the land to grow maize for our Home of Angels.  Due to the rising costs, Edwin decided to use the land for crops until the construction starts. The children will harvest and prepare it for storage until the winter.  

This is our movie star Yasin who starred in the Human Project filmed by Apologetics Canada.  I am so sad to be on this side of the world right now because seeing these children growing so fast, I'm hardly recognizing them.  

The children pounded the cobs and removed the kernels producing 700 kilos from this crop.  Because Uganda is a landlocked country and most products come through Mombasa, we are preparing for the worst with an election this week in Kenya that has been known to be quite violent.  Many people have already migrated into Uganda for safety.  

The church is almost completed except for the finishing coat of paint over the primer and the grounds to be cleaned up before the boys will plant the grass, one root at a time.  It was supposed to be open at the beginning of August but Pastor Richard recently lost his mother.  In Uganda when a family member passes, it can last two weeks with family members waiting to greet the friends and family coming from a distance.  The funeral was a few days ago with approximately 2,000 people attending.  

Another view from the side.  This church will hold up to 500 people but the community is very excited and they're realizing that there could possibly be many more.  

               This is an example of the rains now.  You can get an idea of how very strong they are.  

Because of so much happening in our area and currently at our home, I don't have a picture of the finished room to show you.  This room is in the Bible school that Precious donated.  Paster Richard has 19 pastors that will be attending classes in the very near future coming from as far away as Kenya.

If you look verrrry closely, you will see many faces....many many faces, I would say over 400 faces.  I recently found this picture that our friend, Johnny made from "Hackers for Charity" in Jinja.  When we sent the container to Uganda, a donation of 700+ sunglasses were donated to the people.  Johnny had the brilliant idea to give the boda-boda (motorcycle) drivers each a pair because many of them couldn't afford helmets.

Currently, we're housing 38 children at HOA.  Our dream is still for 50.  Most of them are young but the first group that arrived in 2013 are about to leave in 2023/2024.  Hope and Desire were accepted into YWAM last year and they'll be leaving first.  We wanted to make a gift for each child as they departed that would be a memory of their past, their brothers and sisters and all the activities they were involved in.  

For Hope and Desire, they have been very blessed at YWAM.  We have been instructed that they will need a passport in 2023 as they'll be travelling somewhere in the world to another YWAM centre.  We literally shake our heads realizing where they started and where they're heading in their future.  The remaining girls that will be leaving next year want so badly to go when it's their time to phase out but that's a subject for another day.  We've been very blessed and all of us realize that these blessings will continue into the future.  God is in full control and He won't let us down.  

So many of you are praying for us and we all want you to know how grateful we are.  Thank you!

Restoring Dignity

Edwin and I have always believed that each one of God's children has a special purpose and a unique personality.  Each child that has entered Home of Angels has their own devastating story to tell and believe me, some of those stories are heart-wrenching.  Most of us are led to believe that happiness is a final destination when they come into a home like ours but it's a journey and doesn't happen overnight. 

Thirteen years later, we are now starting to see the results and it's been all worth the wait.  The trust is there; they have a family who loves them and most of all, they know that God is in full control of their lives.  They can go into the community and help the poor and the widow; they can help provide food to the hungry and most of all, they show the people that they really care with their smiles and love.

We wanted to also let you know that an assessment was done on our Ptarmigan primary school by the District Education Officer for Jinja and surrounding districts.  Our kids were tested in their level of English abilities and they did so well, we were rated #1 school in Jinja and also #1 for the best environment for learning.  What an honour.

Edwin was also called to attend a meeting with the probation and police officers. They wanted to get permission to use HOA as a role model of a good home to raise children.  It's to do with feeding the children with healthy food, separation of girls and boys at night and so on. Many children in orphanages have no skills to survive when they leave and the boys usually end up in prison and the girls get pregnant.

Speaking personally, I want you to know that our God is an amazing God.  When I see all the things that have happened, I'm blown away.  It's not Edwin and Precious and it's not an old lady and a loaf of banana bread.  He's used all of us, including many of you to be a part of this amazing family.  Thank you!! 

Eva is so proud of the door mat she made in the trade centre.  The older girls are working hard to learn a skill to fall back on when they phase out at 18-years.  Most of the kids grew up inside our walls and without a trade, they wouldn't have had a chance to survive with the cost of living the way it is now.

I've recently learned a lot from this picture.  I've seen people in Uganda sitting on top of them trying to get a cell connection but what I didn't know is that they also can be built under ground.  Our main house was built ten years ago and apparently has one of these hills growing down.  Until we can find the queen, they won't stop enjoying our wood.  

One of the last times I was able to go back to Uganda, the wooden frame of my bedroom window fell completely out.  We thought the land had settled but with all the other destruction in and outside the house, it's more than likely they were at work then too. Termites and army ants are similar but the wings on the termite are longer than it's body.  We're in the process of repair now and hopefully be able to locate their home soon.

So I found out today from Edwin that I am REALLY old.  Average life in Uganda is 40-years-old and I'm heading to almost double that.  I beg to differ when I see Jaaja here who is 100-years-old.  This is Mariam and Yasin's Jaaja (Grandpa) and they take good care of him.  His stories are amazing.  He would tell me how he would sit in his mud hut with a fire and watched lions circling at night.  There was no alcohol then and all he did was hunt and dig.

Bridget and Lovisa in their new uniforms.  The children love school and I mean love it.  They go every day except Sunday and still can't get enough.  If this video at the end works, you'll understand why.

Our LOVE Project is growing again.  We started out with 32 families with mentally and physically challenged children and we are now up to 87.  They have formed their own community and because

of people like Precious teaching and helping them, they're surviving.  Soap in Uganda has tripled in cost and a poor person cannot afford it.  Bottom line, everyone is desperate so Precious taught them to make soap and sell it in 1 and 5 litre bottles plus 10 and 20 litre jerry cans.  They split the money and all donate $3.00 of their sales to their newly opened bank account.  Precious is the treasurer.  That money will allow them to purchase the ingredients to make more next time.  They are also making chalk for schools.

The LOVE project store outside their homes

This picture is a few years old.  When I see pictures now, I can hardly recognize these children and I cannot put into words how much I miss them.  

In order to make sure our kids have a trade under their belt, we are building a small house they can stay in when they must leave HOA at 18-years-old.  This will only be for girls as the boys are still young.  Thank you Ames Family Foundation for your kind hearts.  We're thinking of making some more "John's John" over here.

We had to have this video put on YouTube for it to work properly for sound but this is our surprise for you.  Every child at Home of Angels is now speaking fluent English like Lovisa is here.  Lovisa is the same girl that acted in the "Human Project" a few years ago.  Before that, she rarely ever spoke.  The children wanted to thank the Ptarmigan family for the education they're getting so our shy Lovisa volunteered to speak.  They are all so grateful for the education they're getting here.

I have to share one more thing.  In our nursery school, the tiny little ones are learning English also.  They go home after school each day, have dinner and continue speaking English.  The families are so surprised and are learning a few words from them.  

Joy in Difficult Times

 Are you one of those people that find yourself in the midst of uncertainty, confusion and chaos with what's happening in our world today?  How easy it is to lose sight of everything we have to be thankful for in times like these?  Let's look for the broken places, trusting God to give us the wisdom and skills to make them whole again.

In 2009, when Edwin and I started, this entire picture below was bush with maybe a couple of homes.  It was a coffee plantation that was given to Edwin by his father to build one home for homeless children.  Edwin and his friends cleared it and in 2010 Home of Angels was born.  Edwin and I want you all to know that this wasn't just us who made this happen.  It was God and He used this old lady and a loaf of banana bread together with a young man in Uganda who's heart was also to help children.  He brought many of you to partner with us, encourage us, help me to bake the 15,000+ loaves of banana bread and most importantly, pray for us to succeed.  Thank's to all of you for being part of our journey.

Many of you are asking about your sponsored child.  We have eleven older children that are attending schools six days per week outside the walls of our home. Hope and Desire are currently attending YWAM north of us and the younger children are also attending our Primary and Nursery school six days a week. With COVID, the rains and interruptions in communication, it's been difficult to get pictures until now.  I hope you see your child in one of the pictures below.  Another question asked is, how is Home of Angels set up?  Thank goodness for Google Earth because now you can see the three compounds and where each building is located.  Our medical clinic and gardens are near and within walking distance. 

Another question many of you are asking is "What are our future plans?"  There's only one answer and that's to become self-sufficient where Edwin and Precious will be able to operate on their own.  This won't be tomorrow of course, but we're working on ideas to make it a reality in the next couple of years.  We want to get our church in full operation; the Trade Centre up and running where our children will be able to learn a trade when phasing out so they will survive on their own. We've recently been recognized for this.  It's not easy for children leaving homes at 18-years old to survive without any training.  Because of that, the officials in Jinja have asked permission to use Home of Angels as an example for other homes.

Of course!!  Let's get everyone doing this and help these kids. 

We've come a long way from one little house for boys.  The community has built up all around us and honestly, we have been so blessed by this.  They help us and we help them and it's worked out very well.

This diagram shows the church without a roof but in reality, everything is finished except the seats.  The wood for the pews for 500 people has been drying for two months and now the men are working hard to make them.  It should be another month before completion, hopefully for the next blog.

I have to tell you who these girls are because you might not recognize them.  Right to left is Zakia, Annet, Mariam and Eva.  Yes, they are now allowed to grow their hair.  These are some of the older girls that will be phasing out of Home of Angels in 2023.  They're currently learning to sew and doing quite well I'm told.  These are also my banana bread "queens".  They all learned to make it when I was there, so now with their new oven for baking, they can get all the practice in they need.  

From left to right we have Zakia, Ivan, Sam, James and Junior.  The girls are Mariam, Eva, Annet and Joanne.  It's been two years + since I've been back and I'm having a little trouble recognizing them now.  They have turned into amazing young adults and we are very proud of all of them.

Back Row - left to right:  Elijah, Yasin, Eddie, Frank, Alan, Silas and Paul 

Front Row - left to right:  Jimmy,  Jeremiah, Andy, David, Yahigha and Eric  

Front Row - left to right: David, little Sammi, Remme, Jeremiah, Andy, Yahigha and Silas

Middle Row - left to right: Shakira, Elijah, Alan and Eric (all kneeling)

Back Row - left to right standing: Betty, Bridget, Tracy, Chloe, Ratisha, Paul, Lovisa, Barbra, Eddie, Precious and Yasin 

Front Row - left to right:  Joweli, Remme, Andy, Sammi, Jeremiah, David and Yahigha

Middle Row -  left to right:  Yasin, Betty, Paul, Silas, Eddie, Alan, Chloe and Precious

Back Row - left to right:  Lovisa, Ratisha, Frank, Elijah, Bridget, Barbra and Tracy

Lovisa teaching the kids a traditional dance

The Bible school is almost finished on the outside with one large room completed on the inside.  Pastor Richard has a network of nineteen pastors that he is currently working with that will use this one room until we can complete the rest of the school.   

Sula is planting grass in front of the Bible school.  He plants one root at a time and it's always done to perfection.  It turns out to be the thickest green grass I've ever seen and has absolutely no chemicals ever put on it.  

Edwin and Precious' friend has offered to teach our older children to make door mats to sell.  These children will be the first group to leave, but before they do, they will be teaching their other brothers and sisters coming up behind them.  We hope to teach a good variety of trades for their journey outside our gates.

Have a good summer everyone and thanks again for all you do to help us.

    

I Am With You

 All of us at Home of Angels really believe that He is with us.  As you read and see the pictures below, you'll understand that this could not have been done by Edwin, Precious and I alone.  This project that started out to be one small house for a few kids out of a garbage dump who didn't want to be called orphans.  Back in the day, Edwin felt he wanted to provide a Christmas party on the street for them; hire some aunties to cook and create a little happiness.  He even went to the extent to buy star stickers for their foreheads.  

Women even came from our community to prepare their food so they could celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Everyone helping and everyone happy.  Wow, that did it for me.....I was in 100%.

Almost thirteen years later throughout the rainy seasons, pandemics, famine and death, here we are by the grace of God still able to carry on helping the poor and the sick.  It's unbelievable!  And don't forget about YOU ALL.  Whether you collected cans, and yes, almost $20,000 worth of cans from one dear lady; baked 100's of loaves of banana bread for some amazing fundraisers; donated for the construction of both schools, homes, church or sponsored a child.  We're all so grateful.             

It sounds like I'm saying goodbye....I'm not!  We all just wanted you to know that by helping us, you've made a huge difference in the lives of so many people and I promised everyone in Uganda, I would be sure to let you know how grateful they are.  Thanks for trusting them.

For the sponsors, I'm really sorry that the older kids aren't in any pictures.  They are all attending school off the property, 5 days a week and it's difficult.  But, the end of term is soon and they promised those pictures on their holidays.  Get ready, you might not recognize them.

A Christmas party on the streets of Jinja for children in the garbage dumps. Aunties that gave up their time to make a difference for these children, cooking and serving many hungry young ones. 

The three new kids are getting along well at Home of Angels.  Here we have little Andy pretending to be a a motorcycle driver taking Jeremiah and Remme to shop in town.

These are the children from Home of Angels that are in Primary school.  It was their first day so they all didn't have all their uniforms yet.

This is an example of one of the classrooms in P-4.  The desks for every level were hand-made.

This is a sample of one of the P-3 classrooms, again all hand-made chairs and desks.

The wall outside the Primary school and the Trade Center is being painted.

The Trade Center where they will be learning to bake, sew, make soap and door mats

The girls are doing very well at learning to sew and loving it.

Multipurpose Soap

The church is looking beautiful. The Minister of Health and Engineering in Jinja had their inspection and told us the windows had to be removed to be made larger for proper ventilation and for better lighting as we have many power outages in our area.  Actually, a very good idea as it won't get so hot inside with as many as they're predicting to attend.

  

This is Mariam and Yasin's grandfather and with our kids in the background I can see that "God's Little Angel's Ministry" is out on a Sunday making a difference to the elderly and sick.  These are bars of soap and food.  Jaaja is almost 100-years old and can't move around at all now.

Thank you for helping us make a difference in the lives of these children and in their communities.