Thank you to a very signifigant supporter!

A Big thank-you to Mr. Lindsay Brucks of Canadian Food for the Hungry in Saskatoon Saskatchewan. Mr. Brucks has been a fantastic supporter to us, and is a key figure in helping us and our partner First Lutheran Church in Kelowna in our efforts to send a container to Uganda for the Resource Centre. Tuesday April 15 th, the container leaves Kelowna BC Canada.

Mr. Brucks is the International Medical Equipment Distribution Program (IMED), manager at CFHI. IMED is a program that collects, refurbishes, and ships used hospital equipment to hospitals that do not have sufficient equipment to provide adequate health care to the people in their areas. IMED is also involved in the shipment of food and other supplies to relief situations when needed.

Thank-you Mr. Brucks, God Bless You!

Reading:

TROUBLE WITH AFRICA: Why Foreign Aid Isn't Working
Author: Robert Caldersi

Three Cups Of Tea
Author: Greg Mortenson

Race Against Time: Searching for Hope in AIDS-Ravaged Africa
Author: Stephen Lewis

Giving: How Each Of Us Can Change The World
Author: Bill Clinton

Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure Of Humanity In Rwanda
Author: Romeo Dallaire

Geldof in Africa
Author: Bob Geldof

On the Move
Author: U2's Bono

Quote from "On the Move":

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house.

God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives.

God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war.

God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."

Bono

From the Congo

"If we maintain a good level of education amongst the population in countries like Democratic Republic of Congo, then there is always a hope...that the future will be better.  A better educated population leads to better questions, and better questioning population leads to a better government."  Marcus Bleasdale, photojournalist in the Congo.

Consulting with Sam Turya, from Kabojja Senior Secondary, at the Resource Centre site.

Located in the Ntinda area of Kampala, The Eva Ruf Resource Centre will serve children in the surrounding commmunities.

Simple Gifts

There is a lovely Shaker melody, dance, and song from about the mid-19th Century called "Simple Gifts."  The idea of simple gifts is profound to me.  The most precious gifts are so simple:  a song, a lingering salad lunch with honest conversation, a late-night hug from a friend, the delight of a child, a story...

An African friend asked us "What does Africa have to offer as a gift?"  I think the question may have come from a desire for reciprocity; to have a mutual relationship, rather than be the object of continual charity.  Well, Africa has given me so many simple gifts...but, completely profound gifts...gifts that make me cherish and live every part of my life better.  I pray, that as we all offer our simple gifts, a book, a dress, an afternoon of time, a box of crayons, a year of vacation time, that the meaning of the gift will be profound.

The lyrics to the dance-song are below. I hope each of you finds many simple gifts in your day.  Let's all meet in the valley of love and delight.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

Uganda's Awesome Beauty

After a second trip to Uganda I find myself once again collecting my thoughts, trying to gain some perspective on the experience . I am trying to use a good measure of discernment as I consider the impact of my time in Africa on my life. I am keenly aware that some of this journey can only be understood by those who have actually travelled there. It is much easier to identify with those who share the experience of going to a place like Africa, but it can be of great benefit to others if those of us who have made the trip share the experiences we've had effectively.

I think that when you spend time together working in a place like Uganda you come back as family. You are left with a treasured sense of who the people you have made this kind of trip with really are. This condensed and gruelling life experience reveals what people are made of... good , bad, and indifferent. The experience is so far outside of what is “normal” to us here in North America that you come out of it with a better understanding, not only the people in the developing world, but it uncovers who we are as individuals to each other. A new genus of humanity is formed, the classification being “common understanding created through a significant shared life experience”. This is a group I am glad to be part of...I really celebrate the gift that it is in my life!

It all sounds rather silly…but it is a reality nevertheless. When I meet others who have done this kind of work I can extract a spirit of understanding from them that embodies the common ground that is shared by those of us who find ourselves involved in Global Initiatives. I guess I feel changed at the core of who I am, and I recognize and find comfort in discovering that in others.

As we now prepare to bring our team along I wonder what there stories will be. How will we navigate through this with them? How will we struggle...

It is all to be determined, we will all soon be in that "special" family, I am full of hope and anticipation.

JULY is drawing near...