Monday, November 14, 2011

Nyberima Cultural Group

This is my new friend Robbinah. She is a hard working servant of the LORD. I am truely blessed because God has put her in my life to help me get the Women of the Proverbs under way. Robbinah works for an organization called Kaana Foundation that helps build the capacities of people who are living with HIV and also those caring for children living with HIV. In which case are most families in Uganda and in Africa who care for one or more children or adults children from outside their immediate family who live with HIV.  The director of Kaana Foundation, Isagara has also committed to help me establish Women of the Proverbs through the proper connections in the community, a baseline data questionaire to assess the resources and income of women who are the head of households and generally give me wisdom.  
And although the Women of the Proverbs does not state that it supports and builds the resources and capacities of people living with HIV and vulnerable children living with HIV, there are few women in Uganda who do not carry a heavy burden of providing resources for education, meeting the daily needs of multiple children and daily nurture of the least of these, children living with the HIV virus. In fact each day i encounter people in my neighbor hood, women and children at church and aquaintances who live with this haunting virus. Kaana Foundation and Women of the Proverbs serve the same population through similar strategy but different avenues and the same desire to reach out to vulnerable people living in poverty to build thier capacities for living and caring for families through Bible knowledge, art and hand craft - Disciple a Woman, Disciple and Nation!      
These are the leaders of a Cultural Group that create hand crafts to bring income to their families. They also disciple young girls, teach them to cook and mentor them in nurturing and bringing up their children. This group is making beautiful baskets and floor mats to sit upon. These are local cultural ways of living and blessing family life that includes weddings, festivals, burials, brides and also serve the tasks of daily living. 
The few men, women young and old work together to bring blessing and honor to their families and perserve cultural ways of life. After Justin told me about their group, explained the blessing of the bride with incense and beauty oils from cow ghee we enjoyed looking at the baskets and discussing what would help their group. I presented our proposal to bring two members from their group for several trainings in Busoro for one week multiple times through the year. These women will be called the Lydia's they will be the Trainers and train others in their group by passing on knowledge, information and skill.  

 I asked the group for a local proverb and they said, "We have many proverbs!"

"Though we have no hump we can still do something." This referred to the hump on the shoulder of healthy Angola Cattle. The hump must be a sign of being hearty and strong. They are saying though they are not strong and healthy they are working to do something good for their families. 

Robbinah has used the same funny local proverb on several occaisions when we have been discussing the Women of the Proverbs that goes, 

"Too many rats cannot complete a task."  


Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Legal Guardianship Granted

 Unknown to the three other people in the room I had tears in my eyes  
while Judge Kibiito read the terms of the legal guardianship he had  
granted to me of Anna Kymigisha and Lydia Kwikiliza. The details were  
what I had anticipated but hearing them out loud made it powerful and  
above all, binding. They were the very details of my commitment that  
I'd poured out my heart to God and to the girls on paper and in prayer  
about on Monday morning overlooking a stunning view of His very  
creation. It was the closest thing I have ever done that held such a  
weighty a commitment as this and more than any other i had made in my  
entire life. It is a commitment I would not have dared enter in to  
without God's presence and the work of the Holy Spirit in my life and  
theirs. Throughly convinced of these truths that he is Emmanuel and  
apart from him I can do nothing.  At home Kym waited for me with a  
sitter, sick with malaria and having taken strong medication to defeat  
the parasites in her body. She will likely return to school by the end  
of the week.  I doubt that Kym and Lydia have any idea what this  
means, besides they will be able to go to America. However Uganda is  
where i hope to make my home so that they grow up here and have every  
advantage so that one day perhaps they will return to Bundibugyo and  
be one way God works light in to the darkness. This will be through  
the Spirit in their lives to will and work his good purposes. I will  
do my best to bring them up to know God, the love of Jesus and I will  
pray that they will bow their knee to the LORD of Creation.

            Psalm 95
Sing to the LORD a new song;
 sing to the LORD all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, Praise His name;
 proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among the peoples.
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;