Jamie's Posts

Today is my last day in Uganda. Tomorrow I will be leaving for a computer engineering conference in Austria to present my UW senior project. However, I will meet up with the team in London, and arrive home with everyone in Seattle on Monday. I am very sad, because I will really miss the STAO kids and staff, and our incredible team. The things I will miss the most:

Kids yelling our names as we arrive at STAO, who literally pull us out of the taxi van with their tiny arms, then do this crazy hug and jump thing that shakes your whole body, all while continuously screaming our names: “Jimmy! Jimmy!” or “Katie! Katie!” or “Dell! Dell!”

Hand washing clothes with Sam, Kate, and Jessica, and laughing insane amounts to the point of ab cramping. Oh, and wet laundry fights.

Holding five children’s hands… at the same time.

Holding a child until they stop crying.

Going for a run at 7:30am, and soaking in the green banana trees, the reddish brown dirt, the “a muzungu! a muzungu!” rhythmic chanting of our 2 year old quartet neighbors, and watching a line of small brown children lug bright yellow jerry cans full of water up a long rutted hill. This country is gorgeous, and I will be leaving part of myself here in Uganda.

Our team. I love them so much, and have been blessed ALL the time as we are together eating, debriefing, “devo-ing” (devotionals), and hanging out waiting for the single bathroom to open up :). God has blessed me with such amazing friends!

Today, a 10 year old boy who I don’t even know his name, was devastated that I was leaving tomorrow. I hadn’t even played with him very much, yet as I hugged and held him, he just cried. I can’t fathom the impact that we may have unknowingly and prayerfully have had upon these kids, or even the impact that these kids have had upon me.

Later today, we had Sunday (or Thursday?) school. Irene, the teacher, sang out commands and the 25 or so kids, who sang, danced, or recited bible verses in unison. Seriously, African kids are superkids compared to Americans! No joke :). Pastor Nelson came and taught the kids, “We are the world, we are the children”. Dale and Rachel joined a 12 year old girl named Doroka, and practiced a hilarious skit about trying to serve two masters. 19 year old Nicolaus busted out the “Ragga” tunes and we all learned some sweet Ugandan dance moves until we dripped with sweat and pulsed with satisfaction. It was a perfect end to my stay at STAO.

Thank you so much for your prayers, we are truly feeling them here. God has been so faithful in our travels, health, and hearts. We have witnessed miracles here - all 96 of the kids at STAO tested negative for HIV!! God is so powerful, and so gracious to show us how powerful He is. This was no coincidence - this was a miracle of the Lord! Whooo!!! Thanks for reading, and God bless,

Jamie

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Praise the Lord! The new STAO building is ALMOST DONE! The construction workers are plastering concrete over the exterior, and then it will be completed! We hope that this project, which has been in construction for over three years, will be done by the end our trip. The building is comprised of three gorgeous apartments, each with four rooms. It has a red aluminum roof that slants and peaks over each of the neighboring apartments. The windows have curly designed bars for security, and there will be electricity in every room.

Sam, with his amazing construction management skillz, has been doing an incredible job purchasing materials and paying for labor. You can always see him walking around the big piles of concrete or bricks alongside Sula, the job site manager. Despite all of the financial difficulties (there have been a lot, and have been VERY stressful), Sam has said that everyday, God has provided just enough money to get through the day. God has been so faithful!

We will be purchasing a sewing machine for the building, which widows can use to generate income. We are also planning on buying some computers, allowing STAO to generate income from educational classes.

Thanks for reading, and please pray for God anointing on the building, and give thanks to him for His faithfulness!

Jamie

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Praise the Lord! What joy and smiles we have experienced! When we arrived, children flocked around the van, and I found myself looking down in two big eyes that had a pair of arms wrapped around my leg! Who would embrace so easily? They are fearless lovers - these kids who have no mother or father. Even muscles Sam had kids hanging off his arms

Church is held in a brick, open-air structure with a rumpled aluminum roof. There are tiny pin prick holes in the ceiling, with small streams of sun making stars on the ground. The kids are in the front rows so they can see, with muzungus (they call our team “muzungus”, which means foreigner) specked on the benches, each bouncing a small child on their lap. We are smile magnets. Irene, a dynamic and shining Sunday school teacher, called up the children and they sing “Move, move, move and claim the land!”. Kids from two to twelve years old do the “Calypso” strut across the stage, back and forth, with a seemingly innate rhythmic ability that even rivals my skillz.

John Mark and Nicolaus played “Children of Africa, we were not born to suffa”, and invited Rachel and Danielle to the stage to sing! They did a great job, even when the song switched to singing in Lusoga!  They team was also invited to the stage, and we introduced ourselves to the 100 or so congregates.  Pastor Nelson wanted us to sing something, so we sang “You are Good” with Dale and Danielle as leads, and Rachel on the keys.  We were better than Hillsong, fa sho.  Glory to God!

Pastor Nelson preached from Revelations, declaring that Jesus - who has perfect authority and perfect wisdom to break the perfect seal on the scroll - this Jesus has come to set us free from our sins. With zeal he preached the good news, and with equal enthusiasm Pastor Ivan simultaneously translated to Lusoga or English.  I could feel the Holy Spirit moving and the people responding.  At the end of service, the music busted out, and we all know that I got some moves! Sam got some kids to clap a sweet beat, one girl taught Shawna how to shake it, Danielle - well… she tried, and I showed the kids how to embarass oneself by booty-shaking. I learned it from my mom. It was great! STAO sure knows how to make church fun

Something I’ve been really proud of the team for is that no one complains. We have no furniture and our floors are so hard, our skin is constantly sticky and oily, the goats bleet bloody murder at 6am, and the kids swarm around us like the ants around our now spoiled loaf of bread in the cupboard. But praise the Lord - we know He has called us here, and we are privileged to be in His will.

All is well, and we are getting along great.  We have the confidence that the Lord wants us to be here.  Thank you for reading, and thank you for your prayers!

– Jamie

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My mom rented “The Last King of Scotland”, and we’re gonna watch it tonight and get all freaked out by Idi Amin and his dictatorship and execution of thousands of people in Uganda. “Oh geez, and you’re going there?!” is what you’re probably saying right now. Yeah, as if. Get me a time machine first, and don’t forget the crystals. Though with these guns (*flexes biceps*) I’d be just fine anyways. …ummm… or not.

Okay, I want to quiz you - in your opinion, how dangerous is Uganda right now? On a scale from 1 to 10 where:

1 - Fairies frolic amongst fields of flowers. Pillows are everywhere.

10 - Step one foot in Uganda and it’ll be chopped off by some rebel.

If you’re actually curious, google search with words such as “Uganda”, “peace”, “LRA”, or “Juba”. Make sure the articles you read are from 2007. Find out for yourself, and help others to get out of public hysteria and fear.

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