VISITING WITH YVONNE

VISITING WITH YVONNE

On Friday, I visited The Prestonwood Academy when Yvonne is the Assistant Principal. Normally on Friday the children have chapel. It was a joy to visit the children chapel. It was fun to see even the little children read the Bible and lead prayer.

Later on, we visited St. Mark’s Christian school, where Jon teaches. It is just a Boy’s school.

RICHARDSON SCHOOL HOME COMING PARADE

THE PARADE

That evening we went for the Parade at Richardson schools. Yvonne’s grand daughter goes to this school. Normally around this season, schools play football. American football is not like Uganda football. They call our football soccer and they play their football using hands.

So on this particular day, Richardson High school was going to be playing football. And normally old students would come to show support, and parade for a long distance and this is the reason it is called Home coming.

People from all groups came to parade in support. Some however were advertising their businesses since many people turned up to watch the parade.

It was quite an interesting parade, with different groups adorned in attractive costumes, fashions, colors and masks. Some came with their dogs, others preferred to ride on top of vehicles and trucks.

It was an exciting event.We were so excited to see Jesca, Yvonne's grand daughter.

We went home so excited.

VISIT TO DALLAS

THURSDAY SEPT.24
AWANA INFLUENCES THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY
I left Elk City Thursday morning with Whitney who was going to check on her mother in OKC. I boarded the plane to Dallas at 1:20 and with in one hour i was in Dallas.
Jon picked me up.
Yvonne and Jon are amazing people that have been so supportive to our ministry for the last two years. Yvonne was very instrumental to start AWANA in our church. AWANA is a program that helps to evangelize and disciple children.
AWANA has done amazing things in our community. Bugongi community in Kabale, is known to be a very bad place for thieves, prostitutes, drunkards, witchcraft, drug addicts to mention but a few. When we first came in this community in 1997, no one could believe that anything good would come out of it. But with the introduction of AWANA, children begun to learn about Jesus and memorize scriptures. Children would invite their friends to AWANA. The most interesting part would be games; many children enjoy soccer, rope skipping and other games. Children would come for games and then run away. So the AWANA leaders came up with a new plan; they decided to start with the part of reading scriptures and then teaching of the word before going for games. Before the kids realized this, they were already hooked up and believed Jesus. In a moment, children every where were singing gospel songs and reciting scriptures. One lady came to church and confessed she would not have come since she comes from a Moslem background, but her daughter who comes to AWANA prays every day for with her in Jesus' name. she is now a member of our church. Soon AWANA children influenced the entire community.
Today, every one testifies that the Bugongi community has changed! Glory to God!
We are grateful to Yvonne and the Prestonwood Church AWANA that has helped us to do this much for our community. They donated to us Uniforms, game skits and books.
Today we have more than 180 children that come to AWANA and their lives have been transformed.

SPEAKING TO CHILDREN ABOUT AFRICA

WEDNESDAY SEPT 23

TALKING ABOUT AFRICA
Stephanie, a teacher at Fair view School made arrangements for me to speak to children at her school. She teaches Grade 3 and she thought it would be interesting for her children to learn a thing or two about Africa.
I went with Whitney, who has been to Africa herself and she had taken several pictures.These pictures were helpful as we tried to give the children a true picture of what it looks like to leave in Africa.
I talked about the difference in Education systems with the USA. It was hard to imagine how it feels like to sit in a classroom with so many children without air conditioning. They could not imagine how kids in Uganda walk all the way to school, leave alone walking barefooted. I explained that it is a great joy for a child to go to school in Uganda, since education is paid for at all levels and yet not many children can afford school fees.
I talked about the food we eat back in Uganda, they wondered how matoke tastes like. I explained that most families eat Posho and beans.
We also talked about the weather difference and the difference in seasons. Uganda being on the equator, does not have the cold and hot seasons as they do in the USA, we simply have dry and wet seasons. Wet season are normally cold at night. Kabale, is much different, being hilly, it is always cool especially at night.
The kids were excited to know that most families in Uganda use make shift and pit latrines for restrooms, it was hard to imagine how the children in Uganda use them.
It was also hard to imagine how the children sleep under mosquito nets to avoid Malaria, for those who can afford. They wondered how the children breathe under those nets. I explained that there are tinny holes that make it easy to breathe. The children felt sorry to know that thousands of children die of Malaria every day.
We showed them the pictures of some animals in Uganda. Children wanted to know whether all Africa is a jungle as sometime depicted. They wondered if there are roads and Electricity in Uganda. I explained that not all is very bad in Uganda. There are a lot of poor people in Uganda and thousands of Orphans and widows because of wars and AIDS, but there are some people that have good jobs and live a relatively good kind of life in Uganda.
Later on a children sent me a note that says: "I am 12 years, but i will help to support children in your village when i become 24..."


THE TEENAGE CLASS
Later, that afternoon, Tim the Teenager leader at UMC asked me to share with his class. I shared about the different challenges our children go through and how disadvantaged most of them are.
They asked me so many questions, especially to do with my family and children, the food we eat and how our church looks like. They were surprised to know that i have 4 children of my own plus other 5 orphan teenagers my family looks after.
They wanted to know how long it takes to go to Africa.
I was surprised how most of these children have a heart for Missions and are touched by the suffering children in 3rd World countries. I guess when they grow up they will be a blessing to the African children.
I was so happy for the opportunity to talk about Africa, Uganda and particularly,our community in Kabale.
To know more about our community write to me at:jbakashaba@gmail.com or write to Whitney in the USA at :whitney-123@hotmail.com

SUNDAY IN ELK CITY-OKLAHOMA

CHILD SPONSORSHIP-TRANSFORMATION PROCESS
Jeff and family go to a UMC, so on Sunday September 20th,I went with them to church.

I was given an opportunity to share with the Bible Fellowship Class that morning. I taught in the word and shared my story from our community. I talked a lot about Child Sponsorship in Kabale and the life of a sponsored child, since most members of this Bible Fellowship sponsor children in our community. The members asked questions concerning their children and the difference made by their support.

A sponsored child in our community is much different from children that are not sponsored. We give our sponsored children; School uniform, shoes, medical care, lunch on top of school fees. They also attend Saturday classed at church where they learn the Bible and other skills. We have witnessed these children transform by and by. They have grown spiritually, socially and morally. They also speak good English.

Most children in are community have lost their parents or are too poor to afford school fees. In Uganda, education is paid for right from Nursery to University, so disadvantaged children like the orphans and the poor normally can’t go to school. Our community is so full of such children every where, who can’t go to school, they have no food or clothing and have no place to call home. Our vision is to put to school as many children as we can and get from the streets. Education develops the brains of children to handle different challenges in life; children given an opportunity to develop mentally will often be successful and effective in life!

This way, we will break the cycle of poverty and lack since a child can learn skills and be given tools to be self sustaining and help his siblings and family.

Most of the children involved in crimes, have not gone to school and in most cases they on the streets look for ways of survival. Our dream is to offer solutions to this dilemma in our pursuit to transform our community.

Our dream is to take as many children to school as the Lord provides. It takes $35 a month to take a child from the street and take him to school.

For more information call or write to Jeff and Whitney Smith at: 580-225-0719 /580-210-8639(cell)/580-210-8659(cell). E-mail: whitney-123@hotmail.com.

LIFE IN OKLAHOMA

OKLAHOMA
THE FALL FESTIVAL

I spent my first day in the USA in prayer for direction and guidance from the Lord. It was time to rest and focus on what I will be doing in the USA for the next two weeks.

The next day, Saturday, I went with Jeff and Whitney to visit the FALL FESTIVAL in Elk City.

This function is organized by the Chamber of Commerce every year during the Fall with purpose to collect revenue.

People come from different places with different crafts and art work, and display them all around in one place for people to come and buy. Food is also sold from stalls set up outside the building.

This Saturday, there weren’t as many arts and crafts as other days as narrated by Jeff.

But it was so interesting to see so many art works and different art products displayed all over, with very many people who had come to buy and visit the place.