Pictures from the Farm

The View from Canaan Farm

Christian, Andrew and Evan

"V-team in the Botanicle Garden at the farm -- prime time realestate for Cobras!"

Richard Angoma

Canaan Farm Director

Giant African Harps!

Jackson Ochaya -- Former LRA child soldier, Jesus Follower

Christian, day one in the hut.

Men's Bible Study

African Sunset.

"God is good!"

At the Next Stop

V-Team will be moving again. On December 16th they depart from their home at Canaan Farm, in Masindi and will travel south by bus, across Uganda, to the town, Jinja. (See Map)

The approximate travel distance between Masindi and Jinja can be around 250 km or 170 miles. It will be a day's travel.

Before they leave, Andrew, Evan, and Christian will be saying goodbye to many significant new Ugandan friends. They have worked under the leadership of Richard. They received new African names, farmed alongside friends in the fields, fought bats in the bathroom, fished, built hut roofs and mortar walls; worshipped, and taught Bible groups with the people of Canaan Farm. And, no doubt, so very much more ... we have no idea how much. So watch for direct updates when the Team reaches internet connection and finally breaks their long two week communication silence.

Their new homebase, is a rural town at the source of the Nile River -- a spot where the Nile begins its journey through Uganda, Sudan and finally Egypt. Upon arrival, the guys will move into a home that is owned and run by "Suubi Africa."

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Suubi is a Non-Profit Organization that works with people and projects in Africa. Their main drive is to provide jobs for impoverished women. By exporting and marketing products made by women, Suubi provides the empowerment of jobs. This practical form of hope currently employs over 65 women and impacts over 500 immediate family members. And these jobs are sometimes as simple as a bead. The women of Suubi make jewelry. And, the Team will see and experience it all firsthand, as they will be living at the base for this amazing organization.

Please check out their two very cool websites: Suubi Africa and Light Gives Heat. They take a couple seconds to download before you can start browsing. Be patient. It's worth it.

• For Information http://www.suubiafrica.org/
• For the Women's Work ( and Purchase Online!) http://www.lightgivesheat.org/

Bicycles & Young Life. After the Team gets settled into their new homebase, they will pick up their bikes. The guys pre-arranged to have bicycles while in Jinja. They will be in a school town and traveling around with the kids they meet through Young Life Africa. The main part of their work for the next weeks will be building relationships with the students in the region, through Young Life.

But, The Team is probably taking time to sit, listen, worship, remember, and getting ready to say goodbye to some very important people at Canaan Farm before they hit the road again.

Pray for their goodbyes, and safe travel in the countryside of Uganda.... and watch for updates. Godspeed.

"We have been shown a hope that doesn't make sense

A hope that's alive

A hope that contagious

A hope that changes everything

... and it's changed us."

~Suubi Africa

~kjl

Thankful in Uganda

Word from Nimaro, Lakija, and Angerwot.

(Andrew, Evan, and Christian.)

Today (11/25) we finished the outside wall of the hut for Tabitha -- the widow we are serving. Every morning we have been sharing the Word with her. We show up in the morning, and share scripture and what is on our hearts with her. Then, we get to work.

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The Bible study has been going really great. We have been going through the book of John. We are now on chapter 8, and everyday God moves. God will move through one of us and the Bible study will be led by the Spirit. Then all the group of guys get to ask questions. It is a great way for us to be sharpened. The Spirit puts different things in the boys hearts everyday. There is a guy here named Jpseph and he is so close togiving His life to Christ. His testimony so far is incredible. God has spared His life- and now in the Bible study Joseph will openly discuss how he wants to give His life to Christ. Another man we have beentouched by is Francis. He is asking a lot of good questions.

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One day we were going to do construction on the hut and we were greeted by Mr.Achana. He is a man who lives with his 2 daughters and sick son. Instead of doing the hut, we stayed with him until lunch and got the sunflower seeds out of the sunflowers by hitting them with sticks. We did about 160 kilos (about 4 dollars worth) of sunflower seeds from the sunflowers with him. We retrieved the sunflowers (size of a dinnerplate) from the farm then hit them. We got to gather together and pray for his baby as well. During church Sunday, Richard's mother, Sarah (filling in for the senior pastor), was feeling ill and went to her hut. While another man was preaching, she passed out and the entire church ran over. At first she was not breathing and was unconscious. Susan (Richard's wife) is a nurse and cared for her. We gathered to pray and waited. The next day we walked down to her hut and she was outside. We sat and talked to her. She said that she felt called to this place to preach and that the devil had no authority in her life. She is starting to feel better and it is amazing to see how God has healed her.

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Relationships with the boys has grown tremendously. We have recieved Acholi (the local african dialect- similar to swahili) names. Andrew- Nimaro (love). Evan- Lakija (loves mercy). Christian- Agenorwot (trusting in God). Now we are called by our new names and call our new friends by theirs. Every night before dinner while we wait we gather around and worship. We play the drum to their singing.We are learning their songs very well, and are able to sing a few! Or, we will pull out the guitars and sing ours while they clap. Either way- we worship Jesus Christ together daily.

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The other day we went fishing for tilapia. We all caught a few- and that night ate them fordinner. She just opened the fish and pulled the innards out- but then just fried it. So we got to eat the head and all (none of us really did though- too difficult and we're too impatient.)

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For Thanksgiving, we woke up and milked cows. Gross. And later we picked a goat and slaughtered it. Francis did most of the work. He "daisy-chained" the intestines which is a method we do to our rock climbing ropes. We saw it from start to finish- the slitting of the throat, skinning,dismembering, cleaning the stomach, and cleaning it all up. Then over a bar-b-q we ate our goat. We had just named him Frederick. So we ate Frederick for lunch. For dinner on thanksgiving we ate thedaisy-chained intestines too. We were very thankful, on Thanksgiving, for Frederick.

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We were able to share with another widow named Rose. She is praying for her son to return from being captured from the LRA. Please pray for Rose and Tabitha- that God would fill their hearts -- that he would be the strength of their hearts, and they would find everything they need in Him. Please pray that God would heal people on the farm, for we have met many people we've been praying with that are ill. Please pray for the many guys in our study are asking hard questions and digging deep. We are able to discuss so much, and build relationships.

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It is so good. Holy tolito! Evan had an extreme experience being ambushed by bats in the bathroom. We will discuss that when we have faster and longer internet."

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We're alive and well, and doing better and better everyday.

Its so amazing here.

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Lakija (evan)

Agenerwot (christian)
Nimaro (andrew)

Pictures of Canaan Farm

(Below: The type of hut that V-Team now calls home.)

Finally, actual images from Uganda!

These pictures come to the blog from Sarah Ray. Sarah has been a profound influence on V-Team and has given them much guidance in the planning of this big trip. Sarah is an experienced world-traveler and supports free-trade business, and micro-enterprise for women in poverty in the poorest countries of the world. Her Yobel Market link is on the "Links"Sidebar of this Blog. The Team will be working with women in Uganda, who are making jewelry that will be sold in the U.S., by Yobel Market. The site is full of great and responsible ways to shop for Christmas. V-Team even uses her products. Christian and Evan both wear vibrant (wild!) passport carriers from Yobel Market as they go the globe.

In the course of her life and travels, Sarah has lived at Canaan Farm on a couple of occasions, and sent along these pictures. Thank you for the pix, Sarah!

You can click on her business website -- www.yobelmarket.com -- Go Christmas Shopping !!

Pictured Below: Canaan Farm. A bike used for travel to the market. A gathering of Canaan Farm residents. The closest Market -- 11km away. Market produce. Beautiful children. A pix of the Farm. Women in the business of making jewelry beads. Women Dancing.

The Current Home, for V-Team.