Enjoy this short video of Jana and Nancy's airport arrival and welcome back!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
More photos from Uganda to enjoy!
Blaza Blaza wants to be a pastor one day. He will be one of the first children raised up in the church to serve the Lord in this way. He is going to university now.
Happy to be in a new pillowcase dress!
Boys at Wabigalo receive new shorts!
Today, the church in Wakiso meets under the big tree.
In the future, the 200 member Wakiso church will meet in a building constructed on property donated by Mr. Mbizira and his family.
The pastor at Kisangito receives cloth gift from NCCOC's Tabitha Arise class.
Isaac and his future wife, Sheba.
Pastor Oklello is the part time preacher at the Kampala church. Here is his kind family. With the rest of his time, he is a part time electrician. His wife sells embroidery.
The youth group at in Wakiso performed for us!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Nearing the end of our trip ...
Hello friends!
It's been a long time since we have been able to post or use the internet. Apparently the modem is down at the church building and they need to buy a new one. We have been able to get on a couple of times at a cafe that has wireless access (for a fee).
We are near the end of our trip and have been having an incredible time.
We have visited all the church plants- Wakiso, Wabigalo and Kasangati. Each place has its own personality and testimonies. We have been very blessed by being able to meet and spend time with so many people.
Just to give you a very brief recap of the week- On Sunday, we worshiped with the church at Kampala again with Francis preaching. We presented dresses to the girls and shorts and puzzles to the boys in the Sunday school class. After church, we had lunch at James Okello's house, the preacher at Kampala. He and his wife are from Northern Uganda from the Luo tribe and the food was delicious and really healthy.
That afternoon, we were able to return to Wabigalo and give out the pillow case dresses and shorts for the boys. The children had prepared an awesome program of songs including the Ugandan national anthem, traditional dancing and some hymns. It was really special. Thank you so much to everyone who made the dresses and contributed to the shorts. That evening, we took Tazo and Blaza Blaza out to dinner, along with Isaac and Willie, at a beautiful restaurant overlooking Lake Victoria. We wanted to celebrate passing their exams and encourage them to continue to do well in school. They are both incredible young men.
On Monday we went to Kasangati and spent the whole day, visiting with people. I did a health education talk and Nancy did her pottery presentation again. They were the most attentive audience I've ever seen and asked a lot of awesome questions. This was one of my favorite places to visit. Afterwards we briefly visited Johnathan's house, the minister sent out by the Kampala church to work in Kasangati. He supports his family by selling and repairing used shoes. He has an incredible testimony of how God has worked in his life. He has a lovely family- 2 boys and 2 girls. Both of the girls have beautiful singing voices and love to praise the Lord. All of his family are Christians so it was very special to meet them.
On Tuesday we spent the whole day at Wakiso, a village district on the west side of Kampala. It was a really fun day. The Sunday school class and the youth group had prepared some beautiful songs and a skit. The Women of Grace ministry there also did some singing and dancing. Nancy and I did our presentations again. We also toured the future church grounds. Mr. Godfrey and his family have donated land next to his house for the church. They have cleared the land and have an ampitheatre style church building planned. Currently they are planting a garden there until the funds are raised to build the building. We had a wonderful time there and another tasty meal.
Wednesday we spent the morning visiting different church members in their homes. It was so special to see their homes and be able to greet them. Once again I have been so humbled by how much I have and how little other people survive and thrive upon here. We were able to pray with them and present them a cloth from the Tabitha ministry at North Central. In the afternoon, we took a flying trip to Jinja to see the source of the Nile and visit the Source Cafe operated by the Jinja Church of Christ. That was amazing to be able to see the Nile. We also got a bottle of water from the Nile which Nancy almost drank out of last night! I scared her to death but stopped her just in time!
Today we are meeting with the Women of Grace ministry here at Kampala. Nancy is encouraging them and coaching them on how to improve their already beautiful work of beads, bags and purses. God is blessing them greatly. I will share more later.
Our time to leave is fast approaching. It seems hard to believe. Tomorrow is Nancy's birthday and I think there is a special celebration planned. We are also going to Fred's home for lunch.
Thank you all again for your prayers while we are gone. We appreciate all of them. Please pray for energy and strength as we wind down the last couple of days. We have a lot packed in the next 2 days and don't leave until midnight Saturday night. Both of us are back at work on Monday morning so we will need God's strength. What a blessing this trip has been to me. I can't wait to get back and share more of the moving and hilarious stories of all God has done while we are here.
Blessings,
Jana
It's been a long time since we have been able to post or use the internet. Apparently the modem is down at the church building and they need to buy a new one. We have been able to get on a couple of times at a cafe that has wireless access (for a fee).
We are near the end of our trip and have been having an incredible time.
We have visited all the church plants- Wakiso, Wabigalo and Kasangati. Each place has its own personality and testimonies. We have been very blessed by being able to meet and spend time with so many people.
Just to give you a very brief recap of the week- On Sunday, we worshiped with the church at Kampala again with Francis preaching. We presented dresses to the girls and shorts and puzzles to the boys in the Sunday school class. After church, we had lunch at James Okello's house, the preacher at Kampala. He and his wife are from Northern Uganda from the Luo tribe and the food was delicious and really healthy.
That afternoon, we were able to return to Wabigalo and give out the pillow case dresses and shorts for the boys. The children had prepared an awesome program of songs including the Ugandan national anthem, traditional dancing and some hymns. It was really special. Thank you so much to everyone who made the dresses and contributed to the shorts. That evening, we took Tazo and Blaza Blaza out to dinner, along with Isaac and Willie, at a beautiful restaurant overlooking Lake Victoria. We wanted to celebrate passing their exams and encourage them to continue to do well in school. They are both incredible young men.
On Monday we went to Kasangati and spent the whole day, visiting with people. I did a health education talk and Nancy did her pottery presentation again. They were the most attentive audience I've ever seen and asked a lot of awesome questions. This was one of my favorite places to visit. Afterwards we briefly visited Johnathan's house, the minister sent out by the Kampala church to work in Kasangati. He supports his family by selling and repairing used shoes. He has an incredible testimony of how God has worked in his life. He has a lovely family- 2 boys and 2 girls. Both of the girls have beautiful singing voices and love to praise the Lord. All of his family are Christians so it was very special to meet them.
The children of Wakiso entertained Jana & Nancy with singing.
On Tuesday we spent the whole day at Wakiso, a village district on the west side of Kampala. It was a really fun day. The Sunday school class and the youth group had prepared some beautiful songs and a skit. The Women of Grace ministry there also did some singing and dancing. Nancy and I did our presentations again. We also toured the future church grounds. Mr. Godfrey and his family have donated land next to his house for the church. They have cleared the land and have an ampitheatre style church building planned. Currently they are planting a garden there until the funds are raised to build the building. We had a wonderful time there and another tasty meal.
Fred took us hunting for monkeys in his backyard.
Today we are meeting with the Women of Grace ministry here at Kampala. Nancy is encouraging them and coaching them on how to improve their already beautiful work of beads, bags and purses. God is blessing them greatly. I will share more later.
Our time to leave is fast approaching. It seems hard to believe. Tomorrow is Nancy's birthday and I think there is a special celebration planned. We are also going to Fred's home for lunch.
Thank you all again for your prayers while we are gone. We appreciate all of them. Please pray for energy and strength as we wind down the last couple of days. We have a lot packed in the next 2 days and don't leave until midnight Saturday night. Both of us are back at work on Monday morning so we will need God's strength. What a blessing this trip has been to me. I can't wait to get back and share more of the moving and hilarious stories of all God has done while we are here.
Blessings,
Jana
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Grasshoppers, everywhere!
Apparently this is the season for grasshoppers. Grasshoppers are big business. In western Uganda, there are thousands of collection sites for grasshoppers. They put up big floodlights over top of sloped sheets of tin. The tin ends in rain barrels which have sacks in them. The grasshoppers are attracted by the light, land on the tin and slide down into the barrels. They are then cooked- like stir fried with or without spices and eaten in great quantity. The sellers on the street even have take out containers if you don't want to stand there and eat them. Everyone I've asked about them always says, "Oh, you can make a lot of money from grasshoppers." Then they say, "but it's seasonal. " : ) Today in the class, one little girl had a small container with about 8-10 grasshoppers in it. We had to pause a few times as she found some more. We wanted to make sure she put it in her container. Another little boy found another 1 or 2 and Nancy tried to get him to put them in the other girl's container, not knowing you don't mess with someone's grasshoppers! They are serious business. I have promised I will try them while I'm here so I will let you know how they taste!
Blessings,
Jana
Monday, November 28, 2011
A Visit to Wabigalo!
Jana & Nancy visited in Wabigalo and delivered little dresses made at this year's women's retreat, to some of the little girls at the school.
Here are the little clay people that the children in Wabigalo made. While teaching them about God and how He created man from the dust of the earth, the children learned that only God could breathe life into man.
Children of Wabigalo.
Nancy and Jana join in with songs of praise.
Jana teaches about health care to Wabigalo children.
Able and Peter joyfully prepare the little pillowcase dresses to distribute.
Patiently waiting for their dresses.
Jana & Nancy help a little one try on one of the dresses.
Another model.
And another.
Pretty in pink!
Looks like a good fit.
Beautiful!
Precious!
Terzol prepares coffee for guests. His first time to do this and he was so happy!
Francis leads Wabigalo children in a song of greeting to us!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Children, Children Everywhere!
We are now back at the BLRC after spending most of the day at Wabigalo. Wabigalo is one of the slums in Kampala where there is a church plant. Being a slum, there is incredible poverty, single parents, unemployment, disease, poor water availability and poor access to education. Kampala Church of Christ (KCC) has established a mission point in Wabigalo at a small elementary school. Most of the people who come on Sunday are children and a few of their mothers. The children love to come and sing, have Sunday school and then the regular service.
Today we had about 60 children who attended our health education and God the Potter classes. Before Nancy and I taught the kids who actually come to the church had prepared some songs of welcome for us. They did a wonderful job of singing, dancing and praising the Lord. I went next and talked about some basic health issues- brushing teeth, not smoking, clean water, and handwashing. I had some pictures of black lungs which was really shocking to them. They had a lot of questions about lung cancer and second hand smoke. They listened so well and seemed really engaged. In addition to Nancy and I, Vivienne, Abel, Peter, Francis, Isaac, Tazo and Fred went with us to the meeting.
Nancy did an awesome presentation with clay, talking about how God created us, and breathed life into us. Each child had a lump of clay and made a person they tried to breathe life into. It was a great object lesson but also challenging as their attention span was rapidly shortening. We then worked on a memory verse from Isaiah 64:8, "Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and You are the Potter." To each one who recited it, we gave a piece of candy and a foam flower sticker (everyone actually got something!).
After that we played with a pop up tunnel, did face painting, jump rope, as well as karate and rapper picture poses. The kids love seeing themselves on the camera. There were too many kids there to pass out the pillow case dresses and boys' shorts, so we are going back on Sunday to them out to the kids who regularly are a part of the children's ministry there.
One minor comic relief item... Apparently this is the season for grasshoppers. Grasshoppers are big business. In western Uganda, there are thousands of collection sites for grasshoppers. They put up big floodlights over top of sloped sheets of tin. The tin ends in rain barrels which have sacks in them. The grasshoppers are attracted by the light, land on the tin and slide down into the barrels. They are then cooked- like stir fried with or without spices and eaten in great quantity. The sellers on the street even have take out containers if you don't want to stand there and eat them. Everyone I've asked about them always says, "Oh, you can make a lot of money from grasshoppers." Then they say, "but it's seasonal. " : ) Today in the class, one little girl had a small container with about 8-10 grasshoppers in it. We had to pause a few times as she found some more. We wanted to make sure she put it in her container. Another little boy found another 1 or 2 and Nancy tried to get him to put them in the other girl's container, not knowing you don't mess with someone's grasshoppers! They are serious business. I have promised I will try them while I'm here so I will let you know how they taste!
All in all, it was a fantastic time with the kids. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good, that is His nature- as they say here!
More news from Kampala!
Greeting you from Kampala!
Hello Everyone from Jana and Nancy! We are enjoying fresh milk coffee prepared by Tazo at the church building/BLRC as we wait to go out to Wabigalo. Wabigalo is a church plant where there are a lot of children. Nancy will do a modified Potter's presentation for the kids and I will do a modified health talk for the kids on handwashing, first aid, toothbrushing, etc. We'll also do some fun crafts with the kids and visit their homes in the village.
We have had an amazing last few days. I can't even remember where I left off with blogging so I will just pick up where I can remember. I am continually humbled by the incredible obstacles people have overcome and how eager they are to give God all the glory for His provision and care. We have met and shared with so many people.
On Wednesday, we went to Francis' home. He is one of the church leaders who does a lot of evangelism and really has a heart for ministry. He lives in a compound surrounded by his extended family. He also has the heart of an entrepreneur. He is in charge of the Kampala Church of Christ Chicken Project as well as going out to preaching points, doing home Bible studies, working his own garden of yams and sugar cane. He was able to share his testimony of how he came to the Lord and what an impact the church has had on him. As we visited his home area, he pointed out a plot of land he'd like to use to start a youth center for children's ministry. Apparently parents here don't spend a lot of time with their children or really have the concept of bringing up a child in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord." This is even more apparent when the parents aren't Christians. His family prepared a wonderful meal of matoke (boiled and mashed cooking bananas), rice, beans, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, greens and a fruit we never had before. We met his mother who is in her 70's and told us stories of Francis' childhood. We also had a wonderful discussion with Francis, Fred (another church leader) and Willington ( a church member who has been driving us around). They have some wonderful visions for the church and ideas for future ministry. Nancy was really able to help them conceptualize and start seeing the big picture with her gift of program management. It was a really blessed time.
Not so blessed was the long drive back of a few miles that took almost 2 hours. I have literally never seen traffic like this in my life. In West Africa, there are cars, trucks, motorcycles, bikes, pedestrians but Kampala takes the prize in gridlock. We sat at an intersection for at least 30 minutes while a traffic policewoman had traffic go the other way. I jokingly asked if there were emission laws here in Uganda. Willington's quote was "you (vehicles) can smoke as much as you want!" This was as we were following a truck belching black, foul smoke. Anyone with asthma would have a hard time here.
On Thursday, we visit Joy Llwanga's farm. Joy is a member of the church who is a widow as well as an entrepreneur. She was able to take a course in entrepreneurship for women and gives God the glory for a grant she received to buy land to farm as well as start her own chicken project. Her chickens now lay enough eggs that she has a contract with 2 large supermarket chains to supply them with eggs. She prepared an awesome Thanksgiving meal and had even killed and prepared a turkey for us. She knew it was our American holiday and honored us with the turkey! Our African Thanksgiving meal included matoke, rice, boiled pumpkin, boiled yam, greens, peas, potatoes with mayonnaise and fresh squeezed juice. We had a great visit with her and toured her smaller farm that surrounds her house.
We finished up the day by visiting Kampala Baptist Church (KBC) to speak with one of their assistant pastors, Johnson Mayaga, who was so gracious to meet with us for about 2 hours. We learned a lot from him about ministry, what is needed and his perpective on what is needed in partnership with America. The Kampala C of C works with KBC on some things. KBC is officially licensed to have weddings performed. This is where Isaac and Sheba's wedding will take place. We learned a lot that we will be sharing with the global missions team when we return.
When we returned last night to the church, we had a wonderful time visiting with 2 young guys- Tazo and Michael ( aka Blaza Blaza). These 2 guys have been through a lot to get to where they are now. If you have talked with Nancy about Kampala, you have probably heard of them. Michael came to Kampala to find work when he was about 17. He lived on the street, sold muffins around town and had a very difficult time. God graciously provided him the opportunity to go to school and he has excelled. He is in his 2nd year of a business management degree and takes his education very seriously. He is also a young leader in the church actively involved in evangelism, Bible studies and leading the worship at church. Tazo is a young guy who is an orphan and lives at the church center and is going to school. He was sharing how he was forced to survive on the streets by finding cast off onion peels on the trash dump and ended up selling them just to get food to eat for the day. He had a lot of friends that also were forced to live on the streets and are now dead or in prison because they turned to thievery instead to scrapping to work. Tazo is also an amazing young leader in the church involved in ministry. His joy of life is infectious and unbelievable considering all he has been through. God has been watching over him and helped him survive some pretty horrifying experiences. We closed the evening by sharing Psalm 139 with them, about how God is always with us even when the darkness surrounds us. Michael prayed for us before we walked next door to our hotel for the night.
I wish you all could be here to meet and get to know some of these amazing people. North Central is doing an amazing ministry by partnering with the church here. We hope you all had a blessed day full of Thanksgiving and praise to God for all the ways He has blessed us. Although we were far from our homes and families, we were so blessed to be with the family of God here!
Blessings,
Jana & Nancy
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thanksgiving in Kampala
We spent Thanksgiving on Joy Lwanga's farm. Below are some photos from our day.
We had a wonderful dinner which included pumpkin, sweet potatoes, greens, gravy, fresh turkey, rice, roasted banana and matoke.
Happy Thanksgiving blessings,
Jana & Nancy
We had a wonderful dinner which included pumpkin, sweet potatoes, greens, gravy, fresh turkey, rice, roasted banana and matoke.
Happy Thanksgiving blessings,
Jana & Nancy
Cousins of our thanksgiving dinner in Kampala!
Our turkey dinner!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
A video from Isaac and the KCOC chicken project!
Isaac shows us KCOC fruits of labor ... we love you Isaac!
Photos from Kampala, Uganda
Francis Nsubaga, one of the leaders at the Kampala Church of Christ, heads the chicken project. Over fifty layer chicks were purchased to begin this project. The project was designed to not only help generate income for the church but also to be used as a demonstration project for those who might want to learn how to raise chickens.
A photo of the layer chicks from 2010 ... the chicks have turned into chickens and many eggs for the Kampala chicken project.
Many eggs from busy chickens!
Nancy gathering eggs!
Nancy peeling boiled eggs.
Chairman Rebeccah and Secretary Annette of the Women of Grace Project. They are displaying the official letter requesting final certificate from the government for establishing their new business. Under the certificate are many projects including making and selling beads, the mushroom project, and sewing.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
We're in Kampala!
Follow Nancy Harbron & Jana Treadway on a NCCOC Global Missions trip to Africa!
11/22/11 DAY 12: Kampala, Uganda
Hey Everyone,
I finally have access to the internet! It's been a while since I've written so there's no way I can catch you up on everything. But, I will try to share some key things with you.
We had a wonderful trip to Uganda last Wed. The smoothest small plane flight in Africa I've ever had! We unexpectedly flew through Bujumbura, Burundi so we got to fly over Lake Taganyika in Burundi and over Lake Victoria on the approach to Kampala.
The Queen Elizabeth Game Park was an amazing testimony to God's creation! I was overwhelmed by all the awesome animals we were able to see. James Okello, the preacher for the Kampala Church of Christ, and Rebecah, who operates the cafe at the church, accompanied us along with Andrew Lwere, who most of you met when he visited North Central a few years ago. His fiance, Kimberly, an American missionary from the Mbale team also was on the trip. The six of us plus our driver, Jovida, had a wonderful time going around the game park. We were in a van whose top opened so we could stand up and look out. We also took a boat ride on the channel between Lake Edward and Lake George in the game park. The highlight was definitely seeing a group of lions- 4 females and 3 cubs. We were able to follow them for about an hour and saw three chases of warthogs and cob, a type of antelope. We also saw a lot of elephants, hippos, tons of birds (including the Uganda national bird- the Crested Crane), a leopard (which is very rare to see), lots of different types of deer/antelope, Cape buffaloes, Colobus monkeys, baboons, and I can't even remember what else. If any of you have been to one of those drive through animal places like the Wilds, near Cincinnati, then you have a small taste of what it was like. It was so amazing to see all of these animals up close. The last night we were there, we came upon a lone female lion hunting and 2 young male lions. They got a little too close for comfort as we all dived back down into the van and tried to close the roof quickly!
Sunday morning worship at the Kampala Church of Christ was wonderful. We were able to attend both the Luganda and English services. We were warmly greeted by everyone here and all of the Christians send their warmest greetings to North Central. Everyone here knows Nancy AND loves Nancy! She did her God, the Master Potter Presentation as a part of the English service. People were paying very close attention. She did a great job! We visited and visited with people after the service. I was very happy to meet Joseph Irwaat and find him doing well. If you remember, he was attacked and sustained a skull fracture a little over a year ago. He still has headaches and neck pain as well as some numbness in his right hand, but he praises God that his life was spared and he has so few limitations. He thanks everyone for their prayers and assistance that was given to him at the time of his attack.
That evening, Nancy and I attended the Living Streams ministry, the singles ministry, that is held at 5 pm. They decided to have a time of sharing- a lot like our Connect Services. Different people shared their testimony, some people sang songs (some of them original compositions) and we even had an acapella Christian rap "act." I don't know if his was original or not, but I really enjoyed it. We went out to dinner and visited with Isaac and Andrew that evening after the meeting. Isaac had been in Mbale for a graduation at Messiah Theological Institute and didn't get aback until around 6 pm. We had an awesome time catching up with him. He and Andrew are two of the most humorous guys I've ever met- both in Ugandan and American humor, kind of a rare thing!
Yesterday was a totally full day that I will save for another blog entry so as not to make this one too long. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting these people I have prayed about and seen in pictures for so long. Some of their testimonies are unbelievable. I will share one with you in closing. I spent time with Violet today. She is a member here and part of the Women of Grace bead ministry. Before she became involved with the bead ministry, she used to suffer stress related heart pain due to worrying about how she would support herself and her 3 children. Her husband doesn't really support her and her children and spends time with other women. He lives several hours away. She wants all 3 of her children to go to school so they can have a better life. She came to church every Sunday, but when she became a part of the women's ministry she felt like she had found a second family. She is now able to partially support herself, send her 3 kids to school and no longer suffers chest pains from stress. She told me that the bead making is important, but more important is how her life has been transformed. She has grown closer to God through closer relationships with the other women. They pray for one another and support one another as they also study God's word together. She is so thankful that God is working in her life and through the church here. I will try to upload a picture tomorrow.
I have been very humbled at how little people have and how they are surviving by God's grace. We, as Americans, don't know how blessed we are. After seeing where some people live here and what they have been through and overcome, with God's grace, I have nothing to complain about. I have been trying to focus on gratitude in my life, and this trip has been a humbling reminder at how far I need to go on that.
Thank you all so much for your prayers for me and Nancy. God is blessing us so much by allowing us to come on this trip. I look forward to sharing more about it in future posts. Please continue to pray for our health, safety and our eyes to be opened to what God is trying to show us while we are here.
In Him,
Jana
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Photos from Rwanda
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11/15/11 DAY 5: Our time in Rwanda
Jana Jenkins and her helpers receive knitted cloth's from NCCOC women. They were very happy to have them.
Our Time in Rwanda
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11/15/11 DAY 5: Hope House, Christ Church Rwanda, and more.
Post from Jana:
Hello from Rwanda!
It's been a full two days since the last time I wrote. I won't go minute by minute what I've been doing but did want to share some things. I did get to go by the Clothes Washing for the street boys. There are 11 boys who live full time in Hope House who were in the most desperate circumstances. Attempts were made to locate their parents and/or family members and no one could be found. They are able to go to school, have a home, spiritual guidance and houseparents who live with them. The Sunday Clothes Washing is for 30 of their friends that they have invited to come. These boys were given a new set of clothes. They come on Sunday and wash the previous week's clothes, eat a meal, take a shower and have a Bible class. The missionaries are currently in the process of trying to locate their families to see if they can go back home. If not, then attempts will be made to place them with families. It was wonderful to see them laughing and playing for just a few minutes respite from their difficult and dangerous life on the streets.
From there we went to CCR (Christ Church Rwanda) for the second service. It was wonderful to meet and worship with fellow Christians. Nancy did an awesome job with her presentation on God as the master potter. Her visual with the clay being thrown to become soft and then shaped on the wheel was very powerful. A very large group of missionaries and Nancy and I went out to eat at a wonderful Indian restaurant afterwards.
Later that afternoon, I went to a baby naming ceremony for a baby that was about 1 month old. His father works for Africa Transformation Network, the NGO the missionaries work with in their various ministries. We went to the house of Charles and Annett Mapundo. We were greeted with platters of Rwandan potato chips smothered in roasted peanuts- quite good! - and served Orange Fantas. The children present (there were about 25-30 ) then came up and suggested a name for the baby. The parents went back in a bedroom and pretended to consider the names the children had suggested. They then came out and announced his name (which they'd already chosen!). His name is Mark Mapundo. It was a cute ceremony with the kids trying to guess which name they would pick. Older men then stood up and pronounced blessings on baby Mark and his parents. Due to the genocide, many extended family members were killed so friends of the family or more distant relatives step in to take the place of parents or uncles during these important ceremonies. We then ate some great Rwandan food- green beans, carrots, macaroni, beef with sauce and french fries. It was great to celebrate the birth and naming of this precious baby.
Afterwards, I went out to a peaceful, beautiful restaurant ( we didn't eat that much at the ceremony!) with Louise and her teammate, Jill Shelby. We had a wonderful time eating sushi and dim sum and relaxing and enjoying fellowship as we overlooked the valley with twinkling lights. Jill's husband, Chris, works with the street boys as part of his ministry.
Earlier in the afternoon, Marty and the three older Koonce boys returned from their Boy Scout camping trip. They were able to make bows and arrows and do a ropes course at possibly the most beautiful, scenic Boy Scout camp I've ever seen ( in pictures). It was great to see all them and see how much they've grown.
(Please be advised: the following paragraph contains descriptions of Rwandan genocide)
On Monday, Nancy and I ran some errands with Dave Jenkins who then dropped us off at the Genocide Memorial Center. I've read so many books and seen documentaries on Rwanda and the genocide but nothing prepared me for seeing that memorial and trying to fathom the unbelievable suffering humans perpetrated on other humans. It broke my heart to see the testimonies of those who survived the genocide. They might have physically survived but the emotional, spiritual wounds are deep. I've also been able to hear some testimonies of Christians who survived the genocide. Thinking of James 1:2- "consider it pure joy, brethren, whenever you face trials ... " made me think of this Christian brother's testimony concerning the genocide. He said that he found it impossible to thank God for all he lost and what he went through in the genocide, but he does thank God for who he has become and how God has worked in his life since then. What a powerful testimony! I don't know what I would have done if I had to suffer through seeing my mom's head hacked open with a machete or my child clubbed over the head and thrown down a latrine while still alive. I'm sorry to be graphic, especially if there's any young people reading this, but these people went through this and worse. It was very humbling, very troubling and a very emotional visit to the memorial for me. The hardest part to go through was the children's section upstairs where about 15 children, ranging in age from 18 mths to 14 years old were memorialized with pictures. The last part was a room with just picture after picture of victims hanging on the wall. May God continue to heal the hearts, minds and spirits of those who suffered this awful time and also those who perpetrated it. Often the same people who killed live in the same neighborhoods with victims who survived. These people need God and His healing touch to move forward in their lives. Please pray for all the missionaries who are living and working here to help bring the good news of God's ultimate healing and love.
This post is already so long I think I will continue it later. I have been deeply blessed by being able to come to Rwanda, reconnect with my friends, the Koonces, and to visit and get to know so many others. I thank God that he has allowed me to do this. Tomorrow morning, very early, Nancy and I will fly to Entebbe, Uganda to meet up with some of the Christians from Kamapla. I am so excited to see them and to make new friends there as well.
Until next time- blessings!!!
Jana
Post from Nancy:
In the Morning, Jana and I went to see the Genocide Memorial. At the memorial, there was a museum which told the horrific story that took place over 100 days in 1994. It is also the location for the bodies of a quarter of a million innocent people, a small portion, of those who were brutally tortured and murdered.
Seeing the country today, you would not know that this had happened. Rwanda is clean, safe and orderly.
I knew that the memorial would be very difficult to see ... and it was. I found it especially difficult to see and process what I had seen, since I had just spoken to several people at church the day before, who had been through this very difficult time. In my lesson, I refer to the trials that we go through in life and that we need to go through them to build character and to shape us. I have a couple of examples of pottery that show the difference between going through the hot hot kiln (Furnace) until the piece is fully matured versus a piece that is removed from the fire too soon. The mature piece is shiny, full of color and beautiful. The immature piece is rough, dull and lifeless looking. The principle taught is that we need to go all the way through trials in order to take on the full character intended by the potter. As I reflected on the principle and saw the trials I saw the Rwandan's had gone through, this was NOT a trial intended by God. It was horrific and evil. Certainly, God is Good. He is also Sovereign and can make good from such horrible things ... and that is what He is doing in Rwanda today!
Nancy
11/15/11 DAY 5: Hope House, Christ Church Rwanda, and more.
Post from Jana:
Hello from Rwanda!
It's been a full two days since the last time I wrote. I won't go minute by minute what I've been doing but did want to share some things. I did get to go by the Clothes Washing for the street boys. There are 11 boys who live full time in Hope House who were in the most desperate circumstances. Attempts were made to locate their parents and/or family members and no one could be found. They are able to go to school, have a home, spiritual guidance and houseparents who live with them. The Sunday Clothes Washing is for 30 of their friends that they have invited to come. These boys were given a new set of clothes. They come on Sunday and wash the previous week's clothes, eat a meal, take a shower and have a Bible class. The missionaries are currently in the process of trying to locate their families to see if they can go back home. If not, then attempts will be made to place them with families. It was wonderful to see them laughing and playing for just a few minutes respite from their difficult and dangerous life on the streets.
From there we went to CCR (Christ Church Rwanda) for the second service. It was wonderful to meet and worship with fellow Christians. Nancy did an awesome job with her presentation on God as the master potter. Her visual with the clay being thrown to become soft and then shaped on the wheel was very powerful. A very large group of missionaries and Nancy and I went out to eat at a wonderful Indian restaurant afterwards.
Later that afternoon, I went to a baby naming ceremony for a baby that was about 1 month old. His father works for Africa Transformation Network, the NGO the missionaries work with in their various ministries. We went to the house of Charles and Annett Mapundo. We were greeted with platters of Rwandan potato chips smothered in roasted peanuts- quite good! - and served Orange Fantas. The children present (there were about 25-30 ) then came up and suggested a name for the baby. The parents went back in a bedroom and pretended to consider the names the children had suggested. They then came out and announced his name (which they'd already chosen!). His name is Mark Mapundo. It was a cute ceremony with the kids trying to guess which name they would pick. Older men then stood up and pronounced blessings on baby Mark and his parents. Due to the genocide, many extended family members were killed so friends of the family or more distant relatives step in to take the place of parents or uncles during these important ceremonies. We then ate some great Rwandan food- green beans, carrots, macaroni, beef with sauce and french fries. It was great to celebrate the birth and naming of this precious baby.
Afterwards, I went out to a peaceful, beautiful restaurant ( we didn't eat that much at the ceremony!) with Louise and her teammate, Jill Shelby. We had a wonderful time eating sushi and dim sum and relaxing and enjoying fellowship as we overlooked the valley with twinkling lights. Jill's husband, Chris, works with the street boys as part of his ministry.
Earlier in the afternoon, Marty and the three older Koonce boys returned from their Boy Scout camping trip. They were able to make bows and arrows and do a ropes course at possibly the most beautiful, scenic Boy Scout camp I've ever seen ( in pictures). It was great to see all them and see how much they've grown.
(Please be advised: the following paragraph contains descriptions of Rwandan genocide)
On Monday, Nancy and I ran some errands with Dave Jenkins who then dropped us off at the Genocide Memorial Center. I've read so many books and seen documentaries on Rwanda and the genocide but nothing prepared me for seeing that memorial and trying to fathom the unbelievable suffering humans perpetrated on other humans. It broke my heart to see the testimonies of those who survived the genocide. They might have physically survived but the emotional, spiritual wounds are deep. I've also been able to hear some testimonies of Christians who survived the genocide. Thinking of James 1:2- "consider it pure joy, brethren, whenever you face trials ... " made me think of this Christian brother's testimony concerning the genocide. He said that he found it impossible to thank God for all he lost and what he went through in the genocide, but he does thank God for who he has become and how God has worked in his life since then. What a powerful testimony! I don't know what I would have done if I had to suffer through seeing my mom's head hacked open with a machete or my child clubbed over the head and thrown down a latrine while still alive. I'm sorry to be graphic, especially if there's any young people reading this, but these people went through this and worse. It was very humbling, very troubling and a very emotional visit to the memorial for me. The hardest part to go through was the children's section upstairs where about 15 children, ranging in age from 18 mths to 14 years old were memorialized with pictures. The last part was a room with just picture after picture of victims hanging on the wall. May God continue to heal the hearts, minds and spirits of those who suffered this awful time and also those who perpetrated it. Often the same people who killed live in the same neighborhoods with victims who survived. These people need God and His healing touch to move forward in their lives. Please pray for all the missionaries who are living and working here to help bring the good news of God's ultimate healing and love.
This post is already so long I think I will continue it later. I have been deeply blessed by being able to come to Rwanda, reconnect with my friends, the Koonces, and to visit and get to know so many others. I thank God that he has allowed me to do this. Tomorrow morning, very early, Nancy and I will fly to Entebbe, Uganda to meet up with some of the Christians from Kamapla. I am so excited to see them and to make new friends there as well.
Until next time- blessings!!!
Jana
Post from Nancy:
In the Morning, Jana and I went to see the Genocide Memorial. At the memorial, there was a museum which told the horrific story that took place over 100 days in 1994. It is also the location for the bodies of a quarter of a million innocent people, a small portion, of those who were brutally tortured and murdered.
Seeing the country today, you would not know that this had happened. Rwanda is clean, safe and orderly.
I knew that the memorial would be very difficult to see ... and it was. I found it especially difficult to see and process what I had seen, since I had just spoken to several people at church the day before, who had been through this very difficult time. In my lesson, I refer to the trials that we go through in life and that we need to go through them to build character and to shape us. I have a couple of examples of pottery that show the difference between going through the hot hot kiln (Furnace) until the piece is fully matured versus a piece that is removed from the fire too soon. The mature piece is shiny, full of color and beautiful. The immature piece is rough, dull and lifeless looking. The principle taught is that we need to go all the way through trials in order to take on the full character intended by the potter. As I reflected on the principle and saw the trials I saw the Rwandan's had gone through, this was NOT a trial intended by God. It was horrific and evil. Certainly, God is Good. He is also Sovereign and can make good from such horrible things ... and that is what He is doing in Rwanda today!
Nancy
Monday, November 14, 2011
Communion in Rwanda
11/13/11 DAY 3: Christ's Church in Kigali
This morning (Sunday) we went to both services. For communion we serve ourselves at the tables to remember Christ. We shared the Lord's supper with about 200 Rwandans and missionaries.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Lord's Day
Follow Nancy Harbron & Jana Treadway on a NCCOC Global Missions trip to Africa!
11/13/11 DAY 3: We're in Kigali
From Jana:
We had a great trip, minus some heavy turbulence from NJ to Brussels. I loved the smell of cooking fires when we arrived in Kigali and walked to the terminal. I knew I was back home on my second continent! It was a sweet reunion with Louise and her youngest son, Trevor. I briefly got to say hi to Dave and Jana Jenkins at the airport before they whisked Nancy off! I am looking forward to seeing them again this morning at CCR. I stayed up way too late catching up on the rest of Louise's family, her husband Marty and her other three sons- Tucker, Taylor, and Tanner. They return from a Boy Scouts camping trip this afternoon so I'm looking forward to seeing them as well.
This morning, Louise, Trevor and I are going to one of their newest ministries- Hope House- a ministry for street boys. on Sunday mornings, they have the boys come and give them a clean set of clothes and boil a big pot of water to wash the ones they leave for the week. The clothes have to be boiled due to lice and scabies that are a part of living on the streets. Just like the Breaking Chains ministry, a lot of these boys are glue sniffers and live on the trash dump. While they are there, they also can take a shower and eat a meal. Hope House is a residence that is currently supporting 11 boys who were the most desperate. I am looking forward to meeting them and helping with the clothes washing. After that, we will go to second service at CCR to meet up with Nancy and the Jenkins. We will have lunch with them.
I'm so thankful to be here and see the many ways God is leading his people to minister to the least of these!
Thanks for your prayers. Hope to have some pictures for later.
Hope you all have a blessed Lord's Day!
Love,
Jana
From Nancy:
We made it to Kigali!! We had a safe and good trip. I am staying with the Jenkins and an visiting with them now. Jana is staying with her old team mates, the Koonce's. They both met us at the airport...and yes, all of our luggage made it. Tomorrow we will be going to both services where the Jenkin's worship. I will be teaching about God the Master Potter with the potter's wheel. The wheel that I will be using is the one Dave had made for me 10 years ago in Uganda. I did not bring my wheel as I thought I would because Dave found the old wheel and Isaac found a wheel to rent in Kampala. God is good!
We don't have many options for internet here in Rwanda. Wi-Fi is not so popular...But I will do my best to provide daily updates.
Many Blessings to all of you. Thank again for your prayers.
Nancy
11/13/11 DAY 3: We're in Kigali
From Jana:
We had a great trip, minus some heavy turbulence from NJ to Brussels. I loved the smell of cooking fires when we arrived in Kigali and walked to the terminal. I knew I was back home on my second continent! It was a sweet reunion with Louise and her youngest son, Trevor. I briefly got to say hi to Dave and Jana Jenkins at the airport before they whisked Nancy off! I am looking forward to seeing them again this morning at CCR. I stayed up way too late catching up on the rest of Louise's family, her husband Marty and her other three sons- Tucker, Taylor, and Tanner. They return from a Boy Scouts camping trip this afternoon so I'm looking forward to seeing them as well.
This morning, Louise, Trevor and I are going to one of their newest ministries- Hope House- a ministry for street boys. on Sunday mornings, they have the boys come and give them a clean set of clothes and boil a big pot of water to wash the ones they leave for the week. The clothes have to be boiled due to lice and scabies that are a part of living on the streets. Just like the Breaking Chains ministry, a lot of these boys are glue sniffers and live on the trash dump. While they are there, they also can take a shower and eat a meal. Hope House is a residence that is currently supporting 11 boys who were the most desperate. I am looking forward to meeting them and helping with the clothes washing. After that, we will go to second service at CCR to meet up with Nancy and the Jenkins. We will have lunch with them.
I'm so thankful to be here and see the many ways God is leading his people to minister to the least of these!
Thanks for your prayers. Hope to have some pictures for later.
Hope you all have a blessed Lord's Day!
Love,
Jana
From Nancy:
We made it to Kigali!! We had a safe and good trip. I am staying with the Jenkins and an visiting with them now. Jana is staying with her old team mates, the Koonce's. They both met us at the airport...and yes, all of our luggage made it. Tomorrow we will be going to both services where the Jenkin's worship. I will be teaching about God the Master Potter with the potter's wheel. The wheel that I will be using is the one Dave had made for me 10 years ago in Uganda. I did not bring my wheel as I thought I would because Dave found the old wheel and Isaac found a wheel to rent in Kampala. God is good!
We don't have many options for internet here in Rwanda. Wi-Fi is not so popular...But I will do my best to provide daily updates.
Many Blessings to all of you. Thank again for your prayers.
Nancy
Saturday, November 12, 2011
What will we be having for Thanksgiving?
Follow Nancy Harbron & Jana Treadway on a NCCOC Global Missions trip to Africa!
11/11/11 DAY 1: GOODBYES FROM THE INDIANAPOLIS AIRPORT!
What do you think we will be having for Thanksgiving on Joy Lwanga's farm? Comment below.
11/11/11 DAY 1: GOODBYES FROM THE INDIANAPOLIS AIRPORT!
What do you think we will be having for Thanksgiving on Joy Lwanga's farm? Comment below.
Friday, November 11, 2011
We're Off to Africa!
Follow Nancy Harbron & Jana Treadway on a NCCOC Global Missions trip to Africa!
11/11/11 DAY 1: Indianapolis airport, Newark, NJ, and on to Brussels, Belgium.
We made it to the airport in time for our flight this morning without incident! Thank you for your prayers!
After checking three large bags that contain "Little Dresses for Africa," shorts for little boys, meds, a ham for the Jenkins and other cargo, we took the long walk to our gate. Our excitement is high as we realize the plans we have been making for months are unfolding before us! Please keep us in your prayers and check our blog daily for updates. Below you'll find a brief itinerary of our travel:
11/11/11 Depart for Kigali Rwanda to visit Dave & Jana Jenkins and Jana's West Africa mission team
11/16/11 Depart Kigali to Uganda for a short trip to Queen Elizabeth National Park to see the majesty of God from a new perspective.
11/19/11 Return to Kampala until December 3rd.
12/03/11 Return to Indianapolis.
While in Rwanda and Uganda, here is a short list of what we will be doing –
God bless all of you!
Nancy & Jana
11/11/11 DAY 1: Indianapolis airport, Newark, NJ, and on to Brussels, Belgium.
After checking three large bags that contain "Little Dresses for Africa," shorts for little boys, meds, a ham for the Jenkins and other cargo, we took the long walk to our gate. Our excitement is high as we realize the plans we have been making for months are unfolding before us! Please keep us in your prayers and check our blog daily for updates. Below you'll find a brief itinerary of our travel:
11/11/11 Depart for Kigali Rwanda to visit Dave & Jana Jenkins and Jana's West Africa mission team
11/16/11 Depart Kigali to Uganda for a short trip to Queen Elizabeth National Park to see the majesty of God from a new perspective.
11/19/11 Return to Kampala until December 3rd.
12/03/11 Return to Indianapolis.
While in Rwanda and Uganda, here is a short list of what we will be doing –
- Nancy will be teaching about God the Master Potter with her potter's wheel
- Jana will be teaching Women's healthcare classes
- We will also do several house visits, meet with the various churches, including new plants, learn about the goat and chicken projects and new school plans for orphans.
- Additionally, we will be working with the Kampala church leaders on future strategies for growth throughout their communities.
God bless all of you!
Nancy & Jana
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Time flies!
Unbelievably, today is our last clinic day. We should be seeing the congregation from Sarte (pronounced 'sot'). This area is one of the poorest in Port au Prince and they, like the other congregations, will travel here to our site in Santos. Take a look at the picture of the family coming through the gate and you can see how challenging bringing people in can be. A couple of the crowd control guys reflected how much they're reminded of the persistent widow in the Bible. To me, I think of "knock and the door will be opened to you."
Today, Wednesday, will be our last day for clinic. Thursday is scheduled to be our travel day. Always I have mixed feelings about leaving. I look forward to seeing my family, but it is hard to leave the 'family' I have here.
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to share my experiences here with you.
Because of Christ,
Jeanne
Monday, March 14, 2011
Good Morning!
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| Bernedin and Nathalie interpreting for the pharmacy. |
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| Woodsy helping in the pharmacy. |
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| Dr. Don from Ohio |
We are just now letting the first 50 people in the gate. They first go to a waiting area where Dr. Richard from Ohio teaches about Christ. Then they are registered to see the doctor and nurses, optometrist, then wrap up at the pharmacy. Our team is working very well together, looking after each other. We all feel blessed to be here! I'll try to send pictures of our interpreters; without whom we could not do what we do. They work very hard and long.
Saturday we saw about 500 paients and gave away a lot of 'mother/baby bags' containing cloth diapers with pins, washcloths, blanket, a couple of outfits and some baby wash/shampoos. These bags were collected by Linda Goldman, and Mary Bryson's Church's Senior Saints' Ladies collected the items to fill the bags. This is what I really enjoy about mission trips. Different people from different places working together to bless others. God is glorified! Please continue to keep these sweet people in prayer.
Have a blessed day!
Jeanne
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