Two weeks?

Mary Beth and I spent the afternoon shopping for the rest of her odds and ends for the trip. We finally found a couple of acceptable "long" skirts for church in Uganda, some t-shirts and other clothing essentials. Then we shopped for the array of "others" -- cold medicine, stomach medicine (NO salad, NO salad, NO salad!), bandaids, toothpaste, etc., etc., etc. Our goal is to pack tomorrow (for the most part) and be done. We'll see. Liz, Mary Beth's dear friend at church, dropped by a MONSTER tin of nabs and peanut bars! Thanks a ton!

The shots are done, and with the exception of a nasty yellow fever reaction, all went well. (That wasn't too bad -- feeling a little crummy and a random red rash at the injection site.) Mary Beth will start taking Malarone for malaria prevention two days before she leaves and all through the trip. She also has a good antibiotic just in case Montezuma seeks his bacterial revenge!

So, I guess we're really almost there.

Today's church service was lovely. Our pastor's daughter, Brittany, and brother-in-law, John, did a beautiful hymn/reflection medley that moved us all. So, Mary Beth is reading John's mom's (Mama John -- career missionary in Africa) biography right now and after church she said to me, "Oooh, I just read about when John was a baby and had nasty bumps all over him and Mama John opened up one and it was full of worms and she had to figure out what to do!" Well, there you go. Nothing else to say.

Three Weeks is Not A Whole Lot of Time!

Three weeks from today and Mary Beth will be in Texas, training for the mission she's been planning for over a year! Where does the time go? For us, it seems like mere moments ago she was starting kindergarten and now she's nearly done with high school and planning to launch herself into the mission field.

I am sure these weeks will fly by with the preparations and packing ahead of us! Fifty pounds doesn't seem so large of a load when you consider 7 weeks' worth of stuff! Luckily, there are two opportunities for laundry.

This is a tremendous adventure for the whole family and one we embrace whole-heartedly and yet with some fear and trepidation. Keep those prayers of support coming!  God bless!

Where to, what's the weather and other details ...

Where to?
David and I are traveling with Mary Beth to training camp in Garden Valley, Texas. We'll help her register, attend a parent orientation and be able to have dinner with her before saying our goodbyes. She'll have 2 more days of training during which she'll learn the abstinence school program for Kampala, plan games and activities for the children in the IDP camps and get to know her team.  Then they are off to Uganda [Houston to Dubai (United Arab Emerates) to Entebbe (Uganda)].
What's the Weather?
No one needs to ask to know that it will be HOT, HUMID and fairly miserable in Texas in June; however, it's winter in Uganda! So, Mary Beth's supposed to be prepared for the cold season! The average daily highs are upper 80s (winter at the equator) and evening lows are mid 60s. So, it will probably be somewhat drier than here and about the same during the day (ok, so that's wishful thinking for a July in the 80s here!).
And another thing or two ...
We have to bring two big jars of peanut butter and two squeeze jars of jelly. They collect those from the kids, so I guess we know the lunch option for the summer. Smart folks!
We'll get to hear from Mary Beth personally when she arrives in Uganda and then every other week via the director's phone ($6.00=5 minutes), so we won't go all summer without some personal contact.
And the countdown begins! Mary Beth's finishing her last thank you notes; we're sending out postcards and magnets as prayer reminders, buying some trip essentials and praying like crazy! Thank you so much for your continued support and well wishes. God bless!

Leadership in Uganda

Of course as parents, we're very interested in making sure the trip is well-supervised and safe, so we've been interested in finding out about the leaders. Emily Barnes is the Project Director and will supervise Mary Beth's C trip (June 14 to August 5) while Jana Cobb and Chris Biddix will be team leaders. There will be two shorter (A and B) trips that overlap, so Mary Beth will meet those folks and their leaders too.

GE has a Uganda 2010 with Global Expeditions facebook group that you can follow and see some more of the people who are going to Uganda this summer.

Here are the bios of the leaders sent to us by Global Expeditions:

Emily Barnes- C trip Project Director

I am extremely excited to serve as one of your PD’s this summer. I have been serving with Teen Mania and Global Expeditions since 1998 (Mexico twice, Costa Rica, Panama, South Africa, and Thailand). I also lived overseas in Thailand for four years, serving at a Christian missionary run school. I moved back to America in 2008 and moved to Colorado Springs and the Rocky Mountains to be closer to my nieces and nephew. I’m originally from Ohio, so a true Ohio State Buckeye to the core! I’m in my 11th years as a fourth grade teacher, and love kids immensely.

We are all going to have an amazing time together changing the world. Be prepared for God to really change your heart as well. You’ll be challenged in a way like never before. I pray you come with a humble heart ready to serve and grow.

Jana Cobb- C Trip Team Leader

Hey guys! My name is Jana Cobb and I’m going to be a TL on Uganda C! I am SO EXCITED about this trip and meeting all of you! A bit about myself: I’m 22 years old and I live in Texas (the San Antonio area). I’m a junior in college in which my major is English. I’ve been on four trips in the past with Global Expeditions; I’ve been to New Zealand, Cambodia, Thailand, and Costa Rica. They all have been amazing experiences and I’m expecting the same for this summer!

I want to encourage you guys to continue working hard in preparation for this trip. Keep on fundraising and praying for this trip because all of your hard work will pay off mightily. A scripture that comes to mind is Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”. Although you may get tired or discouraged preparing for our trip, or even during our trip, keep pressing on toward the goal, which is ultimately eternity being changed for Christ!! God has called us to do great things this summer and I know that God wants to use each of you in a mighty way. I believe that each of you is called to change a life this summer, if not more. So when you get discouraged, think of the goal!!!

Know that I love you guys and that I’m praying for you. I can’t wait to serve the people of Uganda with you! Cheers!

Chris Biddix- C Trip Team Leader

Hey Uganda 2010!!! I am from Fayetteville, NC, and currently and a students at Liberty University in Virginia, studying Inter- Cultural Studies and Linguistics. Upon competing school in the next year, I want to do Bible Translation among an unreached tribal group. I was an intern for Teen Mania Ministries working for Global Expeditions from 07-08. Since 2005 I have been going overseas (Peru, Honduras, Thailand) and this summer will be my fourth time to Uganda. It is a incredible place hungry for truth!! It is also lively with energy, so get ready for some great dance parties!!!!

Preparations ...

So, what will Mary Beth be doing in Uganda? Here's what the Teen Mania folks say:

The entire project will be separated in half and one half will travel to Kampala and live and do ministry within Kampala while the other half will travel to Gulu and live and do ministry in Gulu. About half way through the trip the two halves will then switch giving everyone a chance to minister in both Kampala and Gulu. Gulu is about 6-7hrs. from Kampala.



In Kampala – the purpose for ministry is to evangelize in schools and teach students about abstinence. They will serve as positive role models and examples of how Christians find a sense of “belonging” with God.


In Gulu – will mainly minister in the IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camps which have a HIGH population of children. Through a VBS like structure the missionaries will just love on the kids and make them feel special by playing games with them and telling them stories, etc.


In Kampala, we want to reach students with the Gospel and an abstinence message. The target audience is teenagers from 14-20 years old. Most of them are sexually-active, and they have a high risk of HIV/AIDS. They have been in boarding schools all their lives, where many of them have been abused and have lacked parental attention and love. They experience abandonment and rejection because their families are not involved much in their lives. Most teens do not feel loved or valued by their parents, so they turn to alcohol and sex. Also, there is a huge prevalence of witchcraft with people of all ages. Most Africans believe strongly in the supernatural, and as part of their culture, they typically revert to witchcraft to try to solve problems in their lives. As a result, serious strongholds exist among many of the students we will minister to. Because a small percentage of Ugandans have the opportunity to continue through secondary school and the university, these students will someday be the leaders of the country. It is imperative that they make serious commitments to God while they are young, so they will be influential leaders for Christ once they grow up.


In Gulu, we will be working in IDP camps which are large African communities full of people misplaced by previous wars and civil unrest in the country. There are many orphaned children in the camps as well who don’t know where their parents have scattered too. These children and teens have been through horribly traumatic situations, and they have little hope. Our merely being there with them will be an encouragement to them. We will mainly visit secondary and primary schools and refugee camps in Gulu. The missionaries will be shocked at the conditions in the schools (200+ per classroom with no desks or school supplies) and the refugee camps (up to 70,000 people in one camp with 2 water wells, little food, no clothing, with people living in mud huts.) This will profoundly impact the missionaries’ lives and hopefully motivate them to get involved with social justice. We will also hopefully be able to help bring about healing and restoration by loving the children and spending time with them. The teams should look for opportunities to participate in art therapy and dance with the children.

Housing: In Kampala, the team will be staying in a university-style hostel. Global Expeditions has been using this housing vendor for several years now and has a good-standing relationship with them.


In Gulu, the team will be camping out in tents on a hotel property. This is Global Expeditions first year staying at this location but they came highly recommended by our Global Partner AND they have a long track record with the nation as being one of the best housing accommodations in Gulu.


Showers/Bedding/Laundry:
In Kampala, All housing is dormitory style (2-4 to a room). Each room will have beds with mattresses and a bathroom (toilet, sink with running water, and shower with hot water). **Please bring sleeping bag and bed sheet**


There may be the opportunity to arrange laundry services through the facility, but it will be on an as needed/limited basis and their will be a fee associated depending on the amount of clothing being laundered.


In Gulu, Teen Mania will be providing the tents to sleep in and the teams will just setup on the designated area. The area is really nice. It’s a very well kept, very green and flourishing garden.


For showers and bathrooms the teams will use the pool house. There are two areas: one for males and one for females and each area has approximately 3 showers and 2 bathrooms.


The hotel does have capabilities of washing clothes but there is a few and will only be offered on a need basis.


Food you will be eating: Both in Kampala and Gulu the missionaries can expect something along the lines of: Breakfast: Eggs, with Veggies, Fruit, Chapatti, Juice, etc. Lunch: PB&J with fruit and snack. Dinner: Pilao (rice), Beef or Chicken in Sauce, Veggies, etc.


Intensity: 5 of 5 - this is rated a 5 out of 5 for the emotional intensity. The ministry in Uganda will be really hard especially in the IDP camps. Uganda is a war-torn nation and many of its people have undergone or witnessed horrible situations. The missionaries will be walking up to 2 miles at one time.
 
So, she'll be busy and challenged! We've been preparing by reading up on the climate (hot, yet dry), country (war torn and impoverished) and health conditions (a nightmare).
 
Mary Beth's been to Travel Health in Williamsburg twice now. Nikki, the RN, has been so helpful quizzing Mary Beth on WHAT NOT TO EAT and how to drink the water properly, etc. No salad, no salad, no salad! She has had the live Yellow Fever vacinnation -- and had a nice reaction to that! She also had Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Flu, Swine Flu shots. She'll start malaria meds prior to the trip and also has antibiotics for traveler's stomach (yuck).  Hopefully she'll avoid that!
 
Next, we'll get packing ... we have three long skirts and some light weight pants ... the packing list and flight information is supposed to be posted today.
 
Keep praying!  Thank you all for the wonderful support.

Getting Started: Beginnings

A little background --

For many years Mary Beth has been to Philadelphia with her youth group for Mission Fuge in the summer. She loves working with the children in the city parks there. For the last year and a half she has really been moved to go work with children in Africa.

Through connections at our church she found out about Global Expeditions and Teen Mania Ministries. She applied to go to Uganda in 2010 and was accepted.She will be working with children who for the most part do not have parents living. In fact, 50% of the population of Uganda is under age 14! Only 2.2% of the population is over age 65! The orphan children are the result of years of war in Uganda. The soldiers moved out of the country and left many of the children behind. Some of the children are former child soldiers themselves.

Mary Beth has been preparing for the trip in many ways. She has been praying that she may make a difference in the lives of the children in Uganda. She has been raising about $5,500 for the trip and almost another $2,000 to travel to training camp and for her passport, healthcare and other incidentals.

She sent out several rounds of letters to family and friends in hopes that they would support her through prayer and possibly through financial support. The Mission and Evangelism Council at our church is supporting her in many ways -- spiritually and financially. The response has been overwhelming and supportive, with all of her financial needs met and much love and well wishes from her friends and family. She has made so many close friends at our church.

We also had several successful fundraisers -- a sweetheart bake sale at Valentine's, a garage and bake sale in March (thanks to the grandmas wonderful baking talents!), and a Ugandan Tamasha (fair) in April, sponsored by the Roots and Fruits Sunday School class at our church. In addition, Mary Beth has been babysitting to fund her trip. People have been so generous and the fundraisers have been an excellent way to expand the message and increase awareness about the needs in Africa.

Last, Mary Beth is completing a Bible study, SOLO (the message), alone, to prepare. With her friends and a college leader, she is completing a Rob Bell Bible study.

Everywhere we turn, we seem to find reminders of the importance of this work -- meeting people who are missionaries to Africa, people who work in Africa -- and this helps us know that God is very busy in our lives!

Mary Beth doesn't really like to write, but has much to share and wants those who have supported her to be informed about her progress and work. So, she has agreed to let me write about her mission through this blog. Thanks for following her story and for keeping her and the children of Uganda in your prayers!