Week 28

The Gateway We Call Death

In the last two weeks we have been deeply saddened about the deaths of some very special people, both in the states and in Uganda.  Charlotte Flint was a second mom to me (Pam) during my tumultuous high school years in Cheyenne.  Bob Boyce was a close friend and great example to us in Christ-like living.  Vincent was a valiant young man living in Kampala, preparing for his mission, but due to heart damage as a child from rheumatic fever, his heart literally gave out last week.  Young Dorcas was a young sister missionary who returned home to Uganda in April because of poor health.  Last week boils started covering her body, in addition to experiencing extreme pain in her mouth.  She passed away a few days later.  This past week we have also been reminded of the tragic deaths of innocent victims killed by those who allow hatred to govern their lives.  We mourn over the the loss of all who have blessed our lives in one way or another.  

Yet,  if we understand who we really are,why we are here, and where we are going after death, we realize that mortality was never the ultimate objective of God's plan of happiness for us.  Life on earth is simply the means to an end which, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, provides every person the gift of immortality as well as the potential for eternal life with our Father in Heaven and our families.

The sculptures shown above were created by Brooks' cousin, Elizabeth MacQueen as a memorial to those who died in Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church bombing decades ago..  It beautifully illustrates qualities we must all strive for to find happiness in this life: hope, serving others and looking upward to God.  Thank you, Bibba, for your inspiring gift to all.

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Our Momon Helping Hands Service Projects

We have held 3 now; Gulu Central High School by the young single adults/Institute students, the west side of Bardege in two neighborhoods where 20 Tippy Taps were installed and at Lacor Hospital where 8 Tippy Taps were installed.  See a few pictures below from Lacor Hospital and the response we received from the hospital director with whom we have become good friends.

 Group Picture at the chapel before we headed to hospital.  There were a few more who joined us late.

One of our elders received a care package this week with these masks in them.  They have been scaring people nearly to death.  Two of the elders went outside our compound gate the other night, then put on the masks and rattled on the door.  The guard came and they jumped toward him.  The guard was petrified and picked up a plastic chair to fend off these two evil fiends.  One of the Young Women about knocked everything off our assembly table trying to move away when the "ape" entered the room.  Most Africans have NOT seen the continents big animals and many up here have not seen their pictures, so teenagers and adults were often very frightened. When they realize they are just masks they laugh as much as we do.

 Building a Tippy Tap.

 Team effort.

 Hanging hand soap on the Tippy Tap.  A sister in the Gulu Branch makes the soap, we buy it from her and it helps her, of course, to become more self-reliant.

 Dr Martin Ogwang...Hospital Director on the right and our Branch President Onek Christopher to his left.  Tippy Tap in the background.

Finished product....jerry can with water in it.  Water pours out when one steps on the stick on the ground, a bottle of hand soap hangs next to the jerry can.  Gravel on the ground to prevent muddy mess after a multiple uses.

Following is a link that describes the benefits of hand washing.  It is not the same Tippy Tap link I've sent before.  This explains why this project was chosen.  Lasting benefit and saving lives.   

http://www.tippytap.org/the-issue-2

Letter from the hospital adminstrator. 

To Elder Moore,

May I take this opportunity to thank you and the Church community for installing Tippy Tap for attendants of our patients. This donation and sacrifice is in line with our mission which aims at improving quality of patient care as well as health promotion and prevention. We now have the knowhow and we shall install it all over our facility including the health centers under our control. We shall also endeavor to give health talks to enhance its proper usage and we shall maintain the standard by providing liquid soap.

Convey our warm greetings to the whole community

God Bless

MATRTIN OGWANG

INSTITUTIONAL DIRECTOR
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Dallin H Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles..."Most Christians give to the poor and the needy, as Jesus taught (see Matthew 25:31–46; Mark 14:7). In following this teaching of our Savior, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members excel. Our members make generous contributions to charities and give personal service and other gifts to the poor and needy. In addition, our members fast for two meals each month and donate at least the cost of these meals as a fast offering, which our bishops and branch presidents use to help our needy members. Our fasting to help the hungry is an act of charity and, when done with pure intent, is a spiritual feast. (I've had family and friends scoff at the idea of fasting.  I hope the above explains in a better way why members of my Church fast two meals once a month...usually the first Sunday of the month.)

"Less well known is our Church’s global humanitarian service. Using 100% of funds donated by generous individuals within and without our religion, The Church sends food, clothing, medical supplies, vaccinations, school supplies and other essentials to relieve the suffering of adults and children all over the world. These humanitarian donations, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars in the last decade, are made without any consideration of religion, race, or nationality.

"Our massive relief effort following the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami provided more than $13 million in cash and relief supplies. In addition, more than 31,000 Church-sponsored volunteers gave more than 600,000 hours of service. Our humanitarian assistance to the victims of Hurricane Sandy in the eastern United States included large donations of various resources, plus almost 300,000 hours of service in cleanup efforts by about 28,000 Church members. Among many other examples last year, we provided 300,000 pounds (136,000 kg) of clothing and shoes for the refugees in the African nation of Chad. During the last quarter century we have assisted nearly 30 million people in 179 countries.

(Elder Oaks is a native of Provo, Utah (born in 1932). He and his late wife, June Dixon Oaks, are the parents of six children.
Elder Oaks is a graduate of BYU (1954) and of The University of Chicago Law School (1957). He practiced law and taught law in Chicago. He was president of Brigham Young University from 1971 to 1980, and a justice of the Utah Supreme Court from 1980 until his resignation in 1984 to accept his calling to the apostleship.)
He has been an officer or member of the board of many business, educational, and charitable organizations. He is the author or co-author of many books and articles on religious and legal subjects. In May, 2013, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty awarded him the Canterbury Medal for “courage in the defense of religious liberty.”)

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This what is called a purse tree.  Happens to be owned by Kevin, a (female) Church member, just outside one of the restaurants we frequent.  Some good quality goods...Pam has bought a few of the trinkets...ear rings, purse, computer bag.

Feeling back home this week...back in Alabama, as someone gave me some g-nuts from her farm.  I brought them home to boil them up.  Boiled peanuts or as we called them growing up...goober peas.

I grew  up on these as have my children and now their children.

 Goobers in the pot getting ready to boil.

 A few hours later.....ummm, good.

A cold, rainey Saturday.  Had to change out of my short sleeve pj shirt into a long sleeve.  Besides, if I hadn't taken this picture of myself while Pam was still asleep, no one would ever know I had served a mission in Uganda.  No one ever asks if they can take my picture.   Are they afraid of their camera breaking?   Actually, shortly after taking this self-timed picture...my camera broke...no kidding.

These are 4 easels Si has made for Pam for the two branches.  Two large ones, two small ones beneath the larger ones.  In the background a bulletin board, one of many the young single adults installed in a local high school's class rooms.  She has also had him make smaller framed bulletin boards for the two Young Women's rooms, the primaries and Seminary. Pictures are more intriguing to the people here because they seldom see any. 

The same cold, rainey day mentioned above.  What made this drive to Church so pleasant was that the rain keeps the boda drivers off the street.  No bodas means more casual driving.

This is one of the very few toys we've seen kids playing with over here and it happens to be a        torn-in-two, ripped up soccer ball.

Local government run, "free of charge" hospital.  Thought this flow chart of how to handle incoming patients was interesting...if you can read it.  Double click on it on the post and it should enlarge. We may see more of these in America as our nation becomes a single-payor medical provider.  This hospital provides a bed, if you are lucky to get one and that's about it.  Oftimes out of bandage and drugs.  No food, wash basins, soap, toilet paper, blankets.  Friends and family bring what the government run hospital is unable to provide.  I can hardly wait until our US system is as good as this one.  The proof is in the pudding, as we like to say.

 We've had some cucumbers from our garden.  Here are a couple more, plus our first carrot, thanks to Isaac before he left on his mission.  We don't have time to do gardening.

This is a new calendar format I have never seen before.  Anybody seen this type calendar?  Was at the aforementioned hospital.

Caught this little fellow slithering across the grass at our Bardege Branch Building.  I stepped on it's tale while Pam took pic.  About 3 feet long.  A local told us it a poisonous Ogali, but don't believe it is. You can google it.