September 2019 Newsletter

We emailed our September Newsletter but wanted to post it here for those who have not signed up for our email updates. If you would like to be added to our list, enter your contact information here and we will include you next time: https://tinyurl.com/WeinsteinSignUps

It seems like a long time since we began our Journey to Uganda, but other times it seems like just yesterday. Thank you to everyone who has and continues to encourage and support us during our "Journey to Uganda". Whether you are someone who has committed to supporting us monthly, has provided a one time financial contribution, showed up to help us pack, consistently prays, left money on my porch to buy a treadle sewing machine, donated and organized sewing supplies, sends emails and/or texts to check in with us, - each one of you is an important component of our Journey. It is just like a body, where every part is important (see Corinthians 12: 15-20). We can't be successful without everyone doing their part. So, thank you for being a part of our crazy lives right now. We can't believe that we are in Uganda, writing this on a Saturday morning while most of you are sound asleep on the other side of the world.

We are calling Gulu, Uganda our home for the next year or two. Gulu is a thriving town of 150,000 people located in the northern part of the country. There is construction everywhere as sidewalks are being installed, drainage features constructed, and roads paved.

What could possibly go wrong? We left our home at 3:30 on Wednesday August 14 and reached our destination of Gulu Uganda on August 16 at approximately 6:00 p.m. with nothing remarkable to report. What could go wrong? We had the backing of friends, relatives, our home church (The Grove) and our sending agency (Harvest Alliance). We were "prayed up" and knew that we were walking as God desired. What could go wrong? After all, we had been to Uganda a total of 12 times between the two of us so we knew what we were getting into. What could possibly go wrong? If you read our blog (Weinsteins2Uganda.blogspot.com) you already know that 2 days after we moved into our house, while we were sleeping (and apparently were helped to keep sleeping by a whiff of a gas such as chloroform) someone entered our house and took everything of monetary value. If you haven't already, please go to the blog for details. Our house was a hive of activity the next few days. People we knew from Gulu Bible Community Church stopped by with hugs. Church leadership intervened on our behalf with the police. People listened, talked, and let us know that though we were miles away from our loved ones, we were loved right here in the midst of it all by the locals.  When the news hit our home turf, we received so many texts and emails with expressions of love and concern that we are still overwhelmed by the knowledge that so many people care about us. Although I am still processing this experience, we are moving on with the things we have come to Uganda to do.

Tea at Three I wanted to invite a few of my friends over to surprise them with the plans that are taking shape for the sewing ministry. So I did. Did I know that tea meant a full feast? No, I did not. Fortunately, I have Evelyn in the house. Evelyn, who is helping me learn to cook the Ugandan way, also prevents me from making a major social error such as only having tea and the lovely chocolate chip cookies that I was going to prepare on the stove top. She helped me through the menu planning mode and we ended up with a meal fit for a queen. Pasted beef, fried pork, millett, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes; enough food for everyone and leftovers. When my friends showed up, they were wearing traditional Ugandan garments and brought gifts of cassava root, bananas, roasted g-nuts, and beans. I went back to my bedroom and put on the dress that they had surprised me with 2 years ago. We had fun eating, and I showed them the two treadle machines that they and other ladies in the area will be using. After the excitement of seeing the space for the sewing machines (I think I'll call it a studio) we settled down to visit. And what do you do when visiting at a tea? Why, shuck beans, of course! I love it here!

Age is Just a Number In Uganda babies, children, teenagers, and young adults are seen everywhere. The absence of older people (especially men) was something that struck me on my first visit. In Uganda, the median age is less than 16 years old. (The median age is the age where half the population is younger and half the population is older.) In contrast, the U.S. median age is almost 38 years old. A few weeks ago we met a young pastor and his first comment was,"I heard that a couple was coming to Gulu, I thought you would be younger. Maybe in your 20's or 30's." Another time we heard that the church leaders were looking forward to us sharing our wisdom, knowledge, and experience from our more than seventy years of life. We are both "only" 62 years young.  It is a matter of perspective. Back in Riverside, we are following a generation of those who grew up in the Great Depression and fought in World War II. We've respected and learned life lessons from them. It is a hard concept for us to grasp, but over here, we are those role models. A pretty weighty realization. These boys fashioned cars out of plastic bottles, using bottle tops for the wheels. Children at the Gulu Bible Community Church Preschool Jeff is with Stephen, the young man who we have sponsored through World Vision since he was a child.

Eye Can See Clearly Now Three years ago I started bringing reading glasses to Uganda as part of the High School Mission Trek. This ministry was first started by Ron Richmond of the Grove and glasses have now been given out in Mexico, South America, Belize, Thailand, and Uganda. These non-prescription magnifying type glasses are a blessing to help people read again, reduce eye strain, and allow them to do close up work like sewing and manual labor. When we arrived in Anaka for a three day visit, Pastor Alfred had included time for glasses distribution. We had not brought any glasses with us on this trip, but I let him know that the Adult or High School Teams would bring them next year. He said that there were over one hundred pairs left from the High School visit in July. I was touched when he wanted me to give them out because this was my ministry. I hadn't realized just how very much I had become associated with eyeglasses in the community. Working with Shirley Moran and church volunteers we were able to hand out thirty pairs of glasses to the community members in just ninety minutes. What a blessing to be able to be used as a part of such a life-changing ministry.

On the Road Again During our first three weeks our good friend Shirley Moran from Kentucky joined us. She helped us settle into our new home and travelled with us around the country. Together we visited the Grove's church plants in the towns of Adjumani and Anaka. We attended Sunday services and led programs and interacted with the community in both locations. In Adjumani we visited one of the refugee camps that is inhabited by the Dinka people from South Sudan. Over one million refugees have moved into Uganda from this country immediately to the north. We met with the church's youth soccer team, Yvonne and Shirley led a Women's Program, and Jeff talked with the Men's Leadership Board. In Anaka we visited the church's grain storehouse, and walked through the market area praying for the vendors and their businesses. Yvonne and Shirley met with the women of the church and taught a lesson on how they are God's handiwork, created by Him for a purpose.  Jeff held a reading glasses give away and met with the men to talk about leadership and the roles that men need to play in the church, the family, and the community. It was very rewarding to see how these young churches have grown and the impact that they are having on their communities. During the programs for the women at both churches, ladies were given jewelry which had been donated to remind them of how precious and unique they are.

No Prior Experience Needed by Jeff Before we left Riverside I had several people ask me what I would be doing in Uganda. My answer was usually…I’m not sure, or whatever the Church needs. Yvonne knew she wanted to teach sewing and use that as a ministry to fellowship and help generate income for the women. But I was a bit uncomfortable and unsure about what God had planned for my life in Uganda. After meeting with the leadership of Gulu Bible Community Church we are now “Church Mission Specialists”. Our roles will be to offer expertise and guidance to evangelism, church planting, discipleship, and leadership development. We will also visit and support the pastors and churches planted by the Grove in Lira, Anaka, and now Adjumani. Pastor Martin Onen has proposed his “Vision 2040 which has a goal to plant 10,000 churches in ten African nations in the next twenty years. Yvonne and I will play a small part in this plan as we do research in best Christian practices, look to build relationships with agencies in different countries, and establish systems that can be replicated and used for trainings. In addition to her sewing ministry Yvonne has been asked to use her computer skills to train the new pastors, help with websites, newsletters, and report writing. I will use my background to assist with developing business and leadership classes, and helping with programs for the men in the community. So, if you ask me next year what I did during my time away from Riverside, I think this will be my answer.

Ways to connect with us: Our Blog: Weinsteins2Uganda.Blogspot.com Facebook Group: Weinsteins2Uganda Email: mrsweinstein@fastmail.fm We love to chat: use FaceBook Messenger To Donate: http://harvestallianceintl.org/contact/