New Year, New Website, Different Blog Address

The thought never crossed my mind that I would be spending so much time in front of a computer screen working on a website to just to serve in Uganda. Reading the Bible? Yes. Creating new sewing lessons? Yes. Thinking of meaningful ways to relate to ladies in Uganda? Definitely. But here I am, in the home stretch of completing our website. The address is theweinsteins.org Rather catchy, right? The direct link to our blog posts on the website: (Click here for blog posts)< We have new email addresses to match the website address. Jeff@theweinsteins.org Yvonne@theweinsteins.org

Happy News!

Jeff and I left for Uganda on August 15, 2019, one year ago. We thought back on the things that happened during our time there. There were highs and lows, but we want to mark the year by remembering the positive things that happened. 

Most of all, we want to make sure that it is abundantly clear that the support and kindness shown to us by many is not taken lightly. 

Our work in Uganda was possible only because of our supporters in the US who donated, prayed, and encouraged.

Thank you.

We are continuing our work remotely and are looking forward to the time that we can return to Uganda.

Too Good Not to Share - Fresh off the Press!

This morning I awoke to an email with a food distribution report from Pastor Simon Oloyojok. When we receive donations for food, we wire the money to a church in Uganda, Gulu Bible Community Church. Pastor Simon and other staff members of GBCC then purchase food and other supplies and distributes them. 

The bottom line is that between 192 to 240 people benefitted from the latest $500 sent from your generous donations, 

Rather than dissect the report, I am posting it here - it includes a complete financial accounting and pictures, Please enjoy and remember that if you have encouraged, prayed, or given monetary gifts, YOU have made a real difference.

We are Concerned About Our Friends.

Our lives, in a nutshell.

Since our return to the US in early April, we have had the pleasure of talking to family and friends. Based on questions that are being asked, we realize we have not done a good job of keeping people informed about our lives right now. So, here is all you need to know about us (at this time)....

We are:
Living as guests in a lovely home in Riverside owned by our dear friend, Susan Miller;
Driving a car owned by our church, The Grove;
Paying rent on the Mission House in Gulu, Uganda. We also support our housekeeper, her three children, and our guard who all currently live there;
Planning to return to Uganda. We don’t know when. All borders and the airport are closed because of COVID-19;
Continuing our ministry. We do this in several ways, but currently our major focus is to raise funds for food for Ugandans;
Thanking God for each person who supports us. We rely on your gifts for living expenses and send any remaining funds to Uganda for food.
Extremely concerned about the people we know in Uganda. When we left in early April, the country was in a state of lock down due to COVID-19. Travelling was restricted to "footing it" (walking) and a strict curfew was imposed. The result? Gardens located out of town in the villages could not be reached, food could not be harvested, and people immediately began to feel hungry. Then the government shut down all businesses except open air food stalls. The result? People had no jobs or income, so could not purchase food, even the dried beans and rice which were available.
Many people live in rented premises. They are torn between looking for money to pay rent and for putting food on the table. 
All the teachers in private learning institutions at all levels are out of work, and struggling to sustain their families.
The boda boda (Motorcyclists) are out of business since they are not allowed to carry passengers...yet this is a livelihood business for those who did not make it far in education.
Since then the government has allowed some businesses to reopen, but the economy is out of balance and the poor are still unable to purchase either fresh or dried food.
Prior to COVID-19 we enjoyed living in Gulu, Uganda, even though it is definitely part of a third world country. Poverty and hunger were evident, but not as severe as they are right now.
Currently, people we know personally are very hungry. This is very disturbing to us. It is one thing to hear an organization asking for funds to “feed the starving children in Africa”. It is quite another to know those very hungry people by name. 
Trying to be a part of the solution. We transmit money to a pastor in Gulu we partner with. His house is on his garden plot so he has been able to weather the storm thus far.  He then purchases dried beans and rice and distributes them to the community. Our friends and relatives here in the US have been very generous and donated funds to send to Uganda. We have trimmed out any discretionary spending to be able to contribute, too.
Hoping you are able to help buy food, too. Here is your chance to help make a real difference and provide food to those in urgent need.

If you would like to help our ministry with a one time or monthly monetary gift, click here. All donations are tax deductible.

Donations at Work:

It was so exciting to see the photos from one of the recent food distributions. Here are just a few of those pictures.

Add caption

No Money, No Food

Note sent to us by our friend, Pam.

I am continuously reminded of the generosity of our friends and supporters. Sometimes it is in response to a direct appeal for funds, as in the recent face-mask fundraiser. Other times it is an unsolicited response to something that touches them. Here is one recent example of the latter.

We are in frequent contact via texts and emails with friends in Uganda. One is Patrick, a young pastor who looks up to us as his parents. Contrary to habits, he had not responded to our texts for a number of days and we were worried. When he finally texted us, he apologized and said he had been ill. His symptoms included headaches and dizziness. 

We found out he had not eaten. He had no food. He had no money.

It turns out he had used all of his money to buy food, which he then gave away to others who had none. I gave Patrick the motherly “you need to take care of yourself or you won’t be able to help others” talk. 

One of my long-time friends (we’ve known each other since high school, and that’s a long time) Pam Ballen, asked me if I had heard anything about how things were going in Uganda.  I told her about Patrick sharing everything he had. “If you really want to know….. It’s an extremely difficult time. As a result of the lockdown, curfew, and limited transportation, food is scarce. And people don’t have money to buy the food that is available.”

A few days later a note came in the mail with a large check. The note: "Can't send food - which we have a lot of- so will send money! Hope this helps." 

The memo line of the check: Food for Uganda. 

Generosity exemplified. Pam.

💖Give Now💖

Thanks for the donation of $6300!

A total of just over $6,300.00 was donated to us during the face mask fundraiser. Our goal was $6000. The extra funds raised have been sent back to Uganda to help people purchase food during this critical time. Right now the country is on lockdown and many of the Ugandans involved in our mission activities are in dire need of food.

-Blog Post Rumination:
 "...exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think or imagine..." (Ephesians 3:20) That about sums up what happened when we decided to try selling face masks to pay off some of the cost of our plane tickets home. We never even thought that people would donate so much. We were surprised when we surpassed our goal, but I don't know why; God is a big God who loves to take care of His children. 

The Blog Post:
We just completed our "Uganda Be Kidding Me" face mask fundraiser. Our plane tickets to fly home were $3000 each (one way) for a total of $6000. Uganda Be Kidding Me! A typical one-way flight is normally in the range $600 to $800. The $6000 was an expense we had not anticipated, but COVID-19 happened and it was imperative that we fly home. 

Uganda be kidding me! After 3 days so many face masks had been ordered that we stopped taking orders for fear we wouldn't be able to fulfil them.

The next 2 1/2 weeks we did nothing but sew, package, mail, and deliver face masks. Over 270 were made! Praise God for the help of members of the Raincross Quilt Guild and friends who stepped in to share their time and talents. Yvonne would still be sewing, probably until the 4th of July, without their generous volunteering!

Uganda be kidding me! Many many people paid more than the recommended amount for the masks. Such generosity touched us.

Uganda be kidding me! People donated without even ordering masks just because they wanted to help us. What generous people we know!

Uganda be kidding me! As of today, the total raised is just over $6,300.00, exceeding our need of $6000.  The extra funds have been sent back to Uganda to help people purchase food during this critical time. Right now the country is on lockdown and many of the Ugandans involved in our mission activities are in dire need of food.  And donations keep trickling in. We never dreamed that we would raise enough from this fundraiser to completely pay for our tickets home. God is good. People are good.

Uganda be kidding me! Yes, I was surprised by the total dollar amount people donated. But, no, I am not surprised by the extent of the outpouring of love that was shown to us. It is very humbling. We have the best people in our lives.

Thank you for donating, ordering, volunteering, and encouraging us. We are so touched by the generosity of everyone. We feel cared for and loved.

Thank you!

Completed Masks

Jeff keeping track of orders.

 More Completed masks

Parts of the masks ready to sew.

Ready to package.

Packed and ready to be picked up.

Uganda Be Kidding Me!

They charged you HOW much for 2 one-way airline tickets from Uganda? $6,000? Uganda Be Kidding Me! Face Mask Fundraiser Although missing our Ugandan friends who became like family, we are very blessed to be back in Riverside during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was quite a memorable time getting everything in place before we were finally allowed to leave Uganda. If you haven’t read about it, check out our blog at: Weinsteins2Uganda.blogspot.com We were fortunate to be on the last flight out of the country which was arranged by the Embassy. It was a commercial flight. Unfortunately, the one-way tickets cost nearly $3,000 each for a total of $6,000. Usually round-trip tickets cost anywhere from $1,400 to $1,900. This $6,000 is an expense that is not a part of our budget. In addition, we are maintaining our home in Gulu and paying staff until we return. We have been making face masks of Ugandan fabric and giving them away.  A friend suggested instead of giving masks away, we use them as a way to raise support for funds to cover the cost of the tickets. After prayer and careful consideration, that is what we are doing and would ask that you please support us in this way. We realize there are a lot of people who need financial assistance at this time. This makes us especially appreciative of anyone who is willing to come alongside us and support this effort. Thank you.  Questions and Answers Q1. How much do the masks cost? A1. The suggested donation is $8.00 per mask. A friend pointed out that Yvonne will need to make 750 masks to raise the entire $6,000. We are up for the challenge, but would also appreciate other suggestions on ways to fundraise. People have been so generous to us, and we feel strongly that we must put in personal efforts to raise funds. Q2. May I donate for more than one mask? A2. Sure. There is no limit to the number of masks that you can have. Q3. The masks are amazing and I would like to donate more than the $8.00 suggested for the mask I am going to receive. Is this possible? A3. Yes, that would be wonderful!  Q4. I really do not want a mask, but would like to make a contribution. Is this possible? A4. That would be such a blessing! Q5. With this pandemic our finances are not where we would like them to be. I love the masks and would like to show you that I support your mission. A5. We would love to send you a face mask so that you will remember to pray for us. A donation of $8 was only a suggested amount. If you find that you are not able to donate at this time, just email Jeff with your request and we will make it happen. Here are the details on ordering the masks and contributing money toward the tickets. Step 1: Review the choices of fabric on the order form: https://forms.gle/ZrDeck3gn5nmPRs98  Step 2:  a) Send Jeff an email at: Jeff.trailman@gmail.com telling him which fabric and number of masks you would like; or  b) Complete the order form by clicking here: https://forms.gle/ZrDeck3gn5nmPRs98 To make a donation: If you would like a receipt for taxes, make your contribution though our sending organization, Harvest Alliance, at this link: https://tinyurl.com/jeff-yvonne  If you do not wish to have a receipt, please use Yvonne’s PayPal account: mrsweinstein@fastmail.fm Use the “send to friends and family” option. Thank you for your love, prayers, and financial support. This has been quite a journey, and would not have been possible without your participation on our Weinsteins2Uganda team. People are making many types of face masks. The type we make is shown above.

The REAL Reason We Came Back to Riverside

April 9, 2020 Update

Some Observations and Random Thoughts

There are many things that I could have included in this update but haven’t because it would have ended up a 20-page document. Here is a summary of what is NOT included:

·       The utter magnificence of having loving support on both sides of the globe.

·       Friends and family members who cheered us along using the internet.

·       A church family who stepped up in tangible ways to help our transition back to the US. Thank you, Gibeault family, for allowing Andy to pick us up at LAX very late on a Saturday night;  The Andersons for providing a luxurious yet homey place to stay the first few days while we took care of business and began to overcome jetlag; Bob and Cathy Adams for the offer of the use of your place in Lake Arrowhead (we regret that it was snowing so that arrangement did not work out); Susan Miller for providing a house to call home in Riverside; and the Grove for the use of a car.

·       Friends in Uganda who supported our decision to abruptly leave: Pastor Martin and Hope Onen and others, who prayed for us and provided suggestions for smooth travel; Evelyn and family who are staying in our home until our return; Gabriel, our friend and guard, who is keeping the property in order; and the many pastors and their wives who texted us to encourage us during our difficult days there and as we are transitioning.

·       A description of the 48-hour trip home from Gulu to Riverside. It was interesting. No lines in customs. Very few people in the airports. The lack of education regarding expectations of quarantine in the US.

·       And, of course, a big good God who loves us. He provides. He knows our needs. He carries us through. He holds our future. We are blessed!

Here is the update:

We are safely back in Riverside.

We were not scheduled to be here for a visit until July. We had our tickets for the flight and were looking forward to visiting family and friends.

But our plans changed drastically, just as yours did, with the intrusion of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We will go back to Uganda when the airport reopens.

Now you know all of the important things. If you want details, keep reading.

*Let’s Get Together! *

I thought that it might be interesting and fun to have a chance to meet to ask questions, hear more, or just socialize with us. I am sorry that it cannot be in person with refreshments, but we have the next best thing – ZOOM!
I’ve scheduled a Zoom session for Saturday, April 11 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. If you would like to join us, use this link:

Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/9515006484?pwd=blJNUGo3QmJMbDJhUTdyc0I3aFIxUT09

Meeting ID: 951 500 6484
Password: w2u

April 9. 2020 UPDATE

Two weeks ago, we were following a happy routine. Ladies were arriving for sewing. Men were coming for fellowship and exercise. We had reached our stride. Then Ugandan President Museveni, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, took action to prevent the entry of the virus into Uganda. He closed all borders and the Entebbe Airport. He also prohibited the gathering of more than 5 people. The sewing and computer classes stopped. So did the sounds of young men enjoying sports.

It made me feel uncomfortable knowing that there was no way out of Uganda now.

At that time, there were no known cases of the virus in Uganda.

Just like in the USA, the mandate of no large gatherings had a profound impact on the ability of churches to meet. Unfortunately, the majority of Ugandans don’t have access to technology to allow them to attend services virtually. And there is no mechanism for online giving, so we worry about how our pastors will survive with no income.

A few days later, one case of COVID-19 was reported. A few days went by, and a few more cases were reported. Museveni announced that only stores selling food could remain open.

The US Embassy sent an email indicating they were working with the Ugandan government to allow one commercial flight out of the closed airport. Instructions on how to purchase tickets on the flight were included. Jeff and I talked about possibly flying back to Riverside. We considered how the US was being overcome with cases of COVID-19, and how there were so few cases in Uganda. We discussed the potential exposure to the virus while traveling versus staying in Uganda and restricting visitors to our home. Our adult children shared their concerns. Ultimately, we decided to remain in Uganda.

The days went by and the number of cases in Uganda rose. (Currently, there are 53 cases.)

As more and more restrictions were placed on the Ugandans, I became more and more concerned about what this would mean to our safety. It was well known that the place we rented was occupied by “wealthy Americans” and the concern was about the increased risk for break in because we had food available. We had one round-the-clock guard, Gabriel, who was on-duty during the night time hours and available during the day if a crisis arose. However, his only weapon was a bow and arrow which would be little deterrent for a large crowd. We discussed hiring a guard armed with a gun for nighttime. This would free up Gabriel for disturbances during the day. Even so, I remained unsettled about our safety. I had already experienced the stress caused by the break in when we had first moved in and did not feel completely secure when I heard sounds in the house at night time. Jeff, good husband that he is, reassured me that there was little cause for concern.

Things reached a tipping point for me with another Embassy’s email informing of the use of gunfire to force shopkeepers to close businesses. The email included a warning that due to food shortages there would be an increased potential for civil unrest and looting. The email indicated that they were going to work with the Ugandan government to allow one final flight out of the Entebbe airport to allow Americans to leave. Jeff began to reassure me that things would be fine, but I stopped his comforting pep talk. After a discussion, we agreed that leaving Uganda would be the best choice for us.

The Embassy was up front about the cost of tickets and that this was not a flight that would be paid for by the US government. Tickets were going to be approximately $2500 each one way, a hefty price but a low cost to pay for our safety. This expense was something not included in our monthly budget, and we know we will need to raise additional support.

We found out that there were only 3 ventilators to serve a region of 1.5 million people. Not good odds for adequate health care if we were to become ill. And at our “advanced” age we were very concerned about treatment options.

On Friday March 27, we submitted our information to the Embassy to be placed on a list to be allowed to purchase tickets. It was a weekend spent in prayer waiting to hear if we were accepted. Before noon on Monday, we were informed that we would be able to purchase tickets – when/if the flight was approved by the Ugandan government.

Of course, things did not go smoothly. That evening, President Museveni announced additional restrictions to the nation, most notably prohibiting travel by motor vehicle except for bodas (motorcycles) delivering food. How were we going to get from Gulu to Entebbe, normally a drive of 5/6 hours?

The next couple of days were spent reading Embassy emails with updates on negotiations to allow the flight and instructions on how to purchase tickets. There were some twists and turns including: our power going off in the middle of ticket purchase resulting in our internet going down, the airline’s website crashing which resulted in messages saying that all the tickets had been sold (boy, was I upset at this point), and rejection of our credit card. Ultimately, we were able to purchase the tickets on the flight which would leave on Friday April 3.

It was not until late Thursday afternoon that our friend and driver Robert was able to obtain the permit allowing us to be in a motor vehicle Friday. The uncertainty of how long it might take for inspection of our travel documents by police or military required an early start. Along the way, we were stopped 5 times; twice our paperwork was inspected and we were waved through, three times the officials called for further verification. Ultimately, we made it to the airport with several hours to spare.

Even with cancelled flights along the way and long layovers in the quiet airports, we made it home safely. And we are very happy to be home!

 

Sporting our masks made of Ugandan fabric, we arrived at LAX

When Things Change They Change Rapidly

Greetings from Gulu!

Last Wednesday March 18th, our home (The Mission House) was a busy hub of activity. At all daylight hours it was being used for sewing lessons, computer trainings, exercise and sports, overnight visits by young pastors, and a new chicken raising enterprise we are hosting in our storage room in the building behind our home. Wednesday evening Ugandan President Museveni addressed the nation, talking about the Coronavirus and how there were no known cases yet in Uganda. He gave orders to close churches, schools, and other large gathering places. He is prohibiting more than 5 people from meeting. These restrictions became effective midnight Friday the 20th of March.

Chicks, a part of the chicken growing enterprise housed in our storage room.

Folks gathered on the front porch to visit next to the sewing studio.

Young men enjoying an evening on the volleyball/basketball court.

So we in Uganda have had our daily living changed just like you. Our changes just came about more abruptly. Thursday there was a mad scramble for many parents to find spaces on the public buses so that their children could arrive home from boarding school before Friday. A ticket to ride the bus from Kampala to Gulu increased overnight from 20,000 Shillings to 65,000 Shillings.

As a result of these directives, there will be no more people entering our home; we have the perfect guard, Gabriel, to enforce this. He lives on the premises and has become like a member of the family. Gabriel is anxious to keep people out of our living space; he makes us feel secure in that respect.

This morning, the 22nd of March, we awoke to the headlines that the airport and all of the borders were being closed effective today.  Click here to read the article on the airport and border closures. My preferred boda driver, George, told me that the price of salt his wife uses has already risen from $800 sch to $2600 sch, because it is imported across the border from Kenya. Before he told me this I had paid him an extra large amount because I just wanted to bless him. I had seen that there were so few people on the streets I knew his business was (and would continue to be) suffering,

Our plans to visit the U.S. this summer are now on hold.

We are set with the food and supplies we need for a month.

We are praying that this horrible virus will wind itself down soon, or stop abruptly without affecting more people, or touching the lives of the ones that we love.

Please pray with us.

Here are our email addresses if you would like to contact us:

Jeff: jeff.trailman@gmail.com
Yvonne: mrsweinstein@fastmail.fm

To find out more about our ministry, or to donate, click here.

Yvonne and Hope

Just had to share this picture of me and my friend Hope at church yesterday. (I’m the one on the right.)

My name is....

I realize that after seven months in Uganda...I miss my name. My name is Jeff or Jeffrey. Thanks to the British influence in this country I have met a few Ugandans named Geoffrey, but it is not the same.
Nobody calls me by my name. 
To our friends I am Papa or Daddy, or Muzee (word to honor an elder). 
On the streets of Gulu they call out “Hey big man” or “Boss man." On occasion I am called Muzungu (white westerner). Even Yvonne rarely calls me Jeff (I can’t repeat what she calls me).
So when I saw “Jeffs” at the western style market I had to buy them. They are like a small Cheeze-It with an Indian spice. I have also seen “Jeff’s Tech Service Center” in town. I will have to stop in one day and say hello to my fellow Jeff. So if you send me an email,
Facebook message, or WhatsApp can you start off the text with “Dear Jeff” just because? 
Thank you, 
Jeff

Jeff's Tech Service Center

Sounds of Grief

The wailing went on for at least 2 hours. I knew something horrible had happened by the intensity and raw hurt in the sound coming from the woman next door. I wasn't sure what to do, so nothing was the option that I chose. The wailing finally petered out to just sobbing, then to nothing. Over the next 24 hours the sobbing would begin, then end, again and again.

The next day when we were outside under the mango tree talking to our dear friend Robert, the sounds of several people singing began next door. A peculiar look came over Robert's face. He speaks Acholi, the local language. Robert said the song was sung when someone died, and that he could tell that it was a child. The song was interspersed with the sobs of the mother next door. Robert said that when he had walked past the opening to the yard next door, he knew someone had died because the stalks of a banana tree had been placed on both sides of the opening to their compound.

Over the next few days, there was crying, singing, and talking from next door. Lest you think that we were eavesdropping, you need to understand that the people next door sleep inside but the rest of the day is spent outside in whatever shade they have from the trees in their compound. I've included a photo that I took right after we arrived; I thought the assortment of structures  and activities was fascinating. I especially appreciated the juxtaposition of the straw hut and small stucco house, tin shed (and a wooden house) next to our property which contains a large and permanent house.

The intermittent sounds of grief left me sad and wondering what I should do. I found out that, no different than at home in the US, it would be appropriate to pay a visit and take some basic staples such as oil, tea, and soap. So we bought the basic items, and included a non-essential item, sugar. Robert went next door with us to translate. The father and mother met us in the center of the compound, and explained that their three year old son had died of pneumonia while in the hospital. The grandmother joined us and pointed to a 4 foot high freshly-turned pile of soil and indicated that he was buried there. The mother didn't cry the entire time we visited. Our gifts were accepted, and Jeff added a very small amount of money. Other children from the family joined us in a line and introductions were made. The father told us how much he appreciated our visit. He also told Jeff that he enjoyed it that Jeff waved while passing by on his daily walk.

Over the next few weeks, sounds from our neighbor's yard returned to normal. I wonder if life had reached its new normal with a child missing from the family. I wonder if the young boy would have died had there been better health care. I try not to wonder if the mother still sobs.

So This is Christmas?

No, this is not a post about whether or not it might be difficult to be away from our family and friends during the holidays. You can probably figure that one out yourself. No pity party.
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Yes, this is a post about why I can walk around town and not tell that it will be Christmas tomorrow. No gaudy decorations (no classy ones, either.) No Christmas carols being gently piped outside so that when you walk around you'll be in the spirit to spend money. No unusual rushing, no children crying about what they want, no parents frantically trying to buy presents for family and friends.
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Several weeks ago on FaceBook there was a friendly battle about whether it was too early to decorate your home. So as I watched the comments on FaceBook and looked around Gulu, I kept thinking that it must be too early. Okay, it is still too early,  But here we are - Christmas is tomorrow. It must still be too early. The only sign in town that something is different is that there are more people on the streets. This is because villagers have just harvested their crops and have come into town for shopping and to celebrate. And live chickens are being sold on street corners for dinner on Christmas.

Still, I wait for Christmas to arrive.

I looked forward to church last Sunday. I love Christmas carols. But no; no carols were sung. It was explained to me that the celebration of Christ's birth happens on Christmas day. On that day, people wear the newest clothes that they have. Some even stay home, I've been told, because of their lack of a new dress or suit. I've been told that on Christmas the church services will be very special with Christmas music, dances, and skits. I'm looking forward to participating in this tomorrow, even though I don't have a new dress.

I haven't quite decided if I like the way things are done here with respect to the celebration of Christmas. I could conclude that this is a better way, focusing on the day that Jesus was born. That would be easy. "Yes, that is what Christmas is all about," I would say. Too easy.

Things are just different here with respect to Christmas, just like they are with just about everything else. That is just a fact. Not good, not bad. It is just the way it is.

Have a Merry Christmas wherever, whenever, and however you celebrate.

5 Tips Everyone Should Know

Here are some of the things I've learned so far which make me a better person. I hope they help you, too!

Our egg trays in their place on the counter.

1. Raw eggs won’t go bad for at least a week and a half in warm temperatures even if kept unrefrigerated on the counter 
2. Women do not whistle (even while they work)
3. Mosquito nets won’t work if you nap in the middle of the day unless you pull them down around the bed just like you do at nighttime.
4. Bats fly out from the attic of a house at dusk at a rate of about 1 per second for 45 seconds, and 
5. Never use a toothpick on a bumpy road!

A little bit of education can be a bad thing.

A little bit of education can be a bad thing.

We found out there is a large opportunity for support raising at the end of the year as people reflect upon finances and decide where to donate for tax deduction purposes. Since we are so new to this missionary thing, we decided to sign up for a course about end-of-the-year support raising.

Bad move on our part.

Granted, the course did have helpful templates to send to current and potential supporters. There were bible verses to use, with places to plug in names of our country and the names of our ministry. But they felt phoney. We know the best way to ask you to support us is to be genuine, tell our story in our own words, and to let you know up front that, yes, this post will end with a request for funding. Move on right now if you want, but we hope you will give us just a little of your time to tell you about what we have accomplished in Gulu since arriving a few months ago. We hope that you will see the importance of our work to individuals in Uganda and will choose to support us financially.

We found out that our home church, The Grove Community Church in Riverside, refers to our residence as “the Missionary House”. At first this was amusing to us; it is our home. But as things have evolved, the term makes more and more sense. The garage has been set up as a place for sewing and we call it “The Sewing Studio”. One of the rooms in the building behind our home has been converted into a “Fellowship and Fitness Centre” with gym equipment. Two rooms inside our home host visiting pastors (only one has a bed, the other has two sleeping pads that we would like to exchange for 2 twin size beds soon). Our living room has been used for a planning/study session by the leaders of Gulu Bible Community Church. Our dining table is always in use for computer lessons. Do you get the feeling that this house is truly not “ours” but “His?”

Our days are now filled with teaching ladies how to sew, doing outreach in outlying churches, hosting visiting pastors, encouraging church members and friends to exercise, doing computer trainings, and providing resume services to the community. We have settled into a nice ebb and flow of an “always busy but we never know just what the day will hold” mode. Our days are so unlike the ones that we left in Riverside - there we rarely entertained, and this house of sustained activity has been a huge adjustment. We also need to remind ourselves to say “no” or we might have ladies sewing from 5 am to 10 pm every day instead of 10 am to 5 pm; or men exercising through the night.

The major milestone we are looking forward to is an exhibition in the Marketplace in Gulu on December 28. It is an open air bazaar where tote bags made by our sewing ladies will be sold. Please pray that the sales are successful.

Pastors here rely on tithes and offerings to survive, just like in the US. Yvonne’s most touching moment was when one of the young pastors whose wife is learning to sew, confided that “she now has hope”.

We would like to share some information about our current financial situation. The Grove Community Church provides 15% of our monthly budget. Individual/family contributions total 43% of our monthly requirements. We contribute from our personal funds to make up the balance.

This is your opportunity to support a ministry that has eternal impact to the people we reach in our bible classes, and also provides hope to individuals through our sewing ministry.

To continue to support us on a monthly basis, we thank you for your kindness and generosity! No action is necessary on your part unless you would like to increase the amount that you contribute.

If you would like to join us as a new donor in making a difference to individuals in Uganda, please click here. Monthly donations help us plan for expenses. We are genuinely grateful for any amount you are able to contribute, either one time or on an ongoing monthly basis. Your gift is tax deductible.

Thank you for considering supporting us.

Yvonne and Jeff Weinstein

Here is a timeline and some photographs of activities over the months:

Mid-August: Arrive in Uganda. Begin to set up house with essentials such as kitchen supplies and bedding. Nighttime theft while we were asleep of all our valuables. Amazingly generous response by friends and church community of donations of cash to partially recover losses.

Early September: 3 treadle sewing machines purchased.

Mid September: Social event held at our home (aka “Missionary House”) Yvonne invites 10 ladies over to have tea, eat, and hear about the free sewing activities available to them and others in the community. Began meeting and researching with Gulu Bible Community Church leaders for Vision 2040 (Church planting in 10 African Nations). Our home (aka “Missionary House”) first used for lodging for visiting pastors.

End of September: Exercise equipment (barbells and dumbbells) purchased. Almost daily walks (2 miles) into town to build relationships with shopkeepers.

October: First of monthly visits for Men’s and Women’s programs (Bible and sewing) in Adjumani and Anaka. Hired local church member/tailor to teach ladies to use treadle machines. Began computer trainings. Outfitted room in the back building for use as a “Fellowship and Fitness” Centre. (Painted room, built weight bench, hung mirrors, painted inspirational texts on walls). Church members and pastors begin coming for exercise.

Mid October: First Quilt top finished. Yvonne invited to “Women of Virtue to show how to bake cakes and hand sew clutch purses.

November: First tote bag completed. Plans are made to sell tote bags at a local exhibition on December 20

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