Here is the link to my latest newsletter. Enjoy reading.
Newsletter February 2020
Workshops
After coming back from Uganda it was straight back to work. In three months we organised four workshops. One in October, in Adi for school chaplains and the school directors.
The second one, in November, was for the pastors in the church district of Aru. Here I found an old woman friend, Asero, now director of the Women of the Good News of the district.
The third one, end of November, was for the Bible School Students from Adi. This was a huge group, really too big, but we did it.
For World AIDS Day, that was just following the workshop, we had asked the students to teach about HIV in the church of their Christian Service and preach about Mark 1:40-45. One of the students who serves in the local church in Adi leads a small women’s choir and they sang about AIDS in the Bangala service. I wanted to upload it here, but it doesn’t work. Sorry. But as you can see, I tried, and while it doesn’t work for me, it might for you, so I’ll leave it here.
The last workshop in the series was for the pastors in the church section of Adi, beginning of December. Too close to the other one, but also a good one. I really like to give those workshops. The only problem is that the pastors sometimes don’t even have a knowledge of French and the teaching has to be done in Bangala. And when I am tired, French is the language that I start to speak. I had to be reminded sometimes that translation was needed 😉 and what a blessing it is to have two colleagues next to you who can do just that.
Are you involved in warning people about HIV infection? In proclaiming that Christ has made room for them in his heaven when they believe in Him and place their faith in Him? That is the message we share and live.
Long time no see
I’ve just been too busy to write and let you know how and what I am doing. As my last post was in the beginning of September, announcing the visit of friends from my home church, I will start there with a brief report and many pictures.
Visit Wiebe and Heleen
Although they didn’t make it to Adi, we had a wonderful time together. First at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and in Murchison Falls National Park. And then, after my week in Adi, to Sipi Falls and Kidepo Valley National Park. Here some pictures.
After this short meeting, I left to go to Adi and Wiebe and Heleen went back to Kampala. I was in meetings, wrote a report, and my cat had four babies that very week.
After a busy week, I went back to Kampala and the next day to Jinja where I met up with Wiebe and Heleen again. The next day we left first for Sipi and then to Kidepo where we had a wonderful time again. We got to know each other better.
Newsletter No. 3, 2019
Yes, it is time again to post a newsletter. A lot has happened and I am sure you’d want to read it. You can do so here:
Visit of Wiebe and Heleen
I am definitely looking forward of welcoming them at Entebbe Airport Monday evening and to spend time with them. This time includes a visit to Murchison Falls National Park before I will go to Adi for a week.
Yes, I will go back to Adi. My home church doesn’t permit Wiebe and Heleen to come because of security concerns. I was very disappointed, because I know that Adi is safe. However, my disappointment may be great, I plan to give it all to give them a good time and even while not being able to share my ministry in person, I will try to share it every way I can.
In Uganda
I left Adi on Wednesday August 7 to go to Koboko and the next day I had a long bustrip to Kampala on Thursday. But the reception at Matoke Inn was, as usual, warm and friendly. I stayed there for a couple of days until Sunday afternoon the AIM conference for Central Region started. It was about rest. We need time alone with God, to be built up and just rest in His arms. It was a good time, but still with a lot going on.
Abedju and Aru
July was busy and sometimes hectic, as in the beginning of the month I was sick. I even had to cancel two workshops that I had planned in the first full week of July. One I could plan in later in the month and it went well. The school chaplains and headmasters of secondary schools in the church districts of Aru and the new church district of Ariwara came to Abedju for a two-and -a-half day workshop of Channels of Hope. I went there with Ayila, with whom I worked in October as well.
July 30 was a very special day. Graduation day for Margaret Badaru, my friend who I hope will be involved in the treatment program for people living with HIV at the hospital and also in the AIDS Program. She graduated as a registered nurse after three years of intensive study.
The three days following the graduation, I stayed in Aru to have a rest and time off to connect with God, which was a very good time. Saturday August 3rd a big wedding was organised in Aru and I was invited. I knew the groom, had given him advice and help about his studies (Theology at the University Shalom Bunia) and his wedding. His wife is the daughter to the Bible Institute director in Adi. At the reception I got a big surprise, I was given one of the wedding cakes. After the wedding I went back to Adi again.
Moroto
After conference I went with a former short termer Caroline Bell and her colleagues to Moroto where they are serving with AIM under the Karamojong. Margaret went with me. We hope to see some of the work.
Visit from Wiebe and Heleen, Members of my home church in The Netherlands
I will be going back to Kampala at the end of this month, to wait there for Wiebe and Heleen. I am looking forward to their visit. There are some questions and issues to be solved, so I like to ask your prayers for these.
I posted a photo on facebook. A picture that I placed on FB in 2012 and I have fond memories of that month. It was when the daughter of friends visited and she worked in the maternity as in The Netherlands she was studying at that time to be a midwife. The picture then only received positive feed-back. What was on there? A woman on the delivery table, face not really visible, but legs and tummy showed. The midwife and the friend’s daughter were waiting for the woman to deliver her baby. The delivery was approaching.
Facebook popped it up as a memory and I posted it again last week. I was bombarded with remarks, and they were all negative. How could I post a picture like that??? This was not to be done!!! I tried to delete the photo, but apparently I failed. More remarks made the picture pop up again and again. I became angry. Frustrated. Not only with the remarks, that were from good friends, but also because I just could not delete the picture.
That evening when I went to bed, I started thinking. What about all those young girls, young people, who place in their innocence a nude picture of themselves and get bombarded with all kinds of negative remarks, and also threats that if they don’t post more of those kinds of pictures, it will be made public, to parents, other friends, and whoever… Girls even committed suicide because they could not turn it back, because they could not delete the one picture they uploaded in good faith on the internet.
I don’t know if my picture still circulates on FB or not. I don’t care. And I don’t care anymore if I will still get all kinds of negative feed-back. However, that said, I like to ask people to think before they post anything on FB (that one is for me) or before you react to a picture or a post. If it is negative, instead of just being negative, try to be positive as well. Or send a private message.
And maybe someone can help me, and all those young people. How can you delete a post from FB, if the delete button doesn’t seem to work???
Workshops cancelled
Yes, I had to cancel the workshops. No, not because of the situation around ebola. That has not arrived in Adi. But malaria is another disease that reaches out its grabbing arms to all and this time it got me. Friday I woke up after a unrestful night, with lots of crazy dreams, and I had a fever. My blood smear was positive for malaria and I started with medication. That day I really felt terrible and I decided to spend the night at the neighbour’s place. Also because of the medication being intravenous. Saturday I already felt better, though very tired. So, together with Ayila (my co-facilitator), we decided to cancel both workshops. The one in Koboko cannot be organised easily again, as that depends on the meetings of the Uganda church leadership of CECA. However, the other one for the school chaplains in Aru, will probably be near the end of this month.
EBOLA Alert
Last year in August an ebola epidemic started near Beni in the North Kivu Province. Since then 2.275 have been confirmed as having ebola, and 1.598 have died (as of July 3). Ebola is spreading because the fight against ebola knows lots of problems. The region where it started is a region that is invested with rebel groups and these groups even have attacked treatment centers and killed aid workers. Also they make people believe that ebola does not exist and that it is a dream of the government to suppress the people.
Since last weekend, the end of June, a woman has been diagnosed with ebola in Ariwara, only 45 km from Adi, and has died since. And it is worse. A team of ISTM, a school to train registered nurses in Aru, has been in Ariwara, to supervise students, before coming to Adi. We are waiting for vaccines.
In the mean time, we take preventative measures. Washing hands has been installed again and the hospital personnel really makes sure that everyone entering the hospital washes his hands!
Channels of Hope
A comprehensive workshop discovering how church leaders can be involved in teaching about HIV and care for those living with HIV. It is a workshop that I have followed in South Africa in 2013 when it was organised by AIDSLink. And I have developed it into a workshop of 2-3 days for DR Congo. I have organised two workshops last year, in the CECA 20 church districts of Aba and Watsa. This year in November I will go to Bunia and teach the new CECA leadership. And…
Next month I will be for a two-day workshop in Koboko, Uganda. CECA has expanded into Uganda and the beginning of July some 12 pastors will meet for their executive council. Following these meetings I have been given the opportunity for this workshop. The teaching will be on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 July! And of course it will be in English this time, so I have been translating what I translated from English to French back into English again.
July will be busy, as the school chaplains in the church district of Aru have asked for a Channels of Hope workshop also. That will probably follow the one in Koboko.
