Mission Kinkiizi February 2012 - Sheila, Pat, Roy & Gill on this trip & what an amazing time! This was definitely a time to see seeds that have been sown coming to fruition! 2 Cor 9:6. Bishop Dan & all the Diocese staff want to send their love & greetings to all their friends in the UK & elsewhere. They are so grateful for all the support they receive from you all. There has been no rain for 2 months in Uganda so people are suffering in the heat,food is scarce & very expensive & new seeds cannot be planted yet.

Nyakatare Health centre: Mission Helping Hands (MHH), Kinkiizi action group (KAG) from Christchurch Deanery joined together with Tim Beacon from Medical Aid International (MAI) to provide for the health Centre. Tim arrived loaded up with so much equipment, much more than we anticipated it was amazing as he emptied his van! As well as the ultrasound scanner, steriliser, suction machine, ophthalmoscope, many trays of instruments for all kinds of surgery, dental equipment, blood pressure machines, stethoscopes & more! It was a very humbling &emotional experience for all of us & the staff & people of Kanungu. They wanted us to say a very big thank you to all of you who have contributed/ supported in anyway. They now need surgeons, anaesthetists, dentists & nurses to volunteer to come & work & teach them. Are there any volunteers?! We want to send the Clinical Officer on a 6 month course to learn fully how to use the Ultrasound scanner for diagnostic purposes not just for pregnant ladies. This will cost over £2000. We have given 1,300,000 Ugandan shillings (£400) to start that off thanks to the Zumbathon ladies from Astley, led by Kim Titterton who raised over £400.

Mothers Union: Pat & Roy spent time here where Pat first started the knitting project in 2008. They taught on maintenance of the knitting & sewing machines. Roy was able to mend several sewing machines. Pat says it was great to see the progress the teachers & students are making, that it is bearing fruit, and many lives are being changed. She helped the knitting ladies make a template to enable them to put the Mothers union badge onto sweaters and cardigans-orders are coming in thick & fast! Some of the former students are now able to make and sell their knitted goods. There are 6 new students who are going to learn both sewing & knitting this year, and there are 2 who are learning computer skills. With computer skills some girls will go on to further education or get jobs as administrators/ secretaries.

Gill made visits to schools & projects that KAG – Christchurch Deanery are supporting.

Heath promotion: Sheila did some visits to homes to follow up on health promotion teaching & was amazed to find all of them have the tippy taps for hand washing, fly traps, they are drinking safe water growing vegetables & eating a balanced diet. Diarrhoea & illnesses have fallen dramatically. Trainers training trainers is working!

Discipleship group: Sheila also met with the discipleship group that she started last year. The group has grown, many young people have joined & some who were not Christians have made a commitment! It was very humbling listening to them sharing about what they are learning about the love & grace of God. Their vision is to take this out to all the youth in the Diocese, to change other’s lives as theirs are being changed. They are very hungry for the Word of God.

Healing the wounds of trauma workshop: 2 Cor 1:3-5 Sheila & Pat facilitated this with Roy’s help & Gill on the last day. We saw church leaders, chaplains, teachers, Mothers Union workers, youth & children’s workers, gradually open up, share their pain & grief with each other & as a group, then to be released into the freedom Christ has freely given them, lives have been changed! They received forgiveness & were able to forgive others. What a privilege & honour to take that message to them. They say they are now equipped to go out to their churches, to schools, the Mothers union, the youth, to their children to help them, mobilize them, counsel them & share what they have learnt. Roy did an excellent job with the skits/ role play we did! Everyone loved doing sketches in their groups.

Schools/ Sponsorship: Sheila visited Bishop’s Primary school & Burema Secondary school. It was lovely to see our sponsored children & how they are progressing. Javis who left as he was struggling being in a primary school at 14 yrs, has begged to come back to school & is doing well now-the prodigal returns! We have 2 new sponsored orphans at Burema Secondary School – Annet & Miriam.

Burema Secondary School: They wait patiently for their new dormitory for the girls which we are trying to get funding for. They also desperately need water, with no rain the water level is to low & so the pump they have won’t work & they have to walk miles to get water. We would like to provide reliable water supplies for them.

Over the years we have sown seeds and we are now seeing a harvest. We are truly seeing that God is able to do more than we could every dream or imagine. Thank you to all who love & support, we couldn’t do it without you!