We recently announced through our newsletter that our time in Uganda has come to an end. I know that not everyone receives our newsletter and, even if you do receive it, you may want more detail. You may recall that we originally came to the US to spend time with our family during the holidays in 2016, but we're not able to return as planned in early January (I shared about that here).
We quickly saw many ways that the Lord was using this time in the US for good purposes. Within 6 weeks of canceling our flights, we learned that Floyd would need back surgery and it could not wait very long. He had that surgery back in April.
We also saw how this was a time to check the status on our goals in Uganda. Although we expected to be in Uganda for a decade or more, our goal was always that the ministry of Wells of Joy would be completely self-sufficient (meaning completely ran by Ugandans and completely self-funded and not dependent on outside sources of money). Since the school had been open through two full years, it was a good time to see how things worked without us present.
Throughout the year, we have made short trips to Uganda to work on specific things that required our attention. We couldn't stay for very long because we could only get short visas to be in the country as the NGO certificate was still not completed. It wasn't something that we were expecting, but as the year progressed, we felt more and more that we just weren't needed.
The Ugandan staff is running the school. While I could be there to do little things, there really isn't anything that they can't do on their own.
The crops that we planted using Farming God's Way were a game changer. Having such a reliable method of farming makes it possible to reduce the necessity of outside funding and eventually get rid of the need completely. Since this farming method is already done in many places in Africa, including Uganda, and several Ugandans have already been working the crops with little supervision from Floyd, it can continue without Floyd.
Realistically, if we can be in the US for nearly a year, they don't need us. While it might seem odd to put it in those words, you have to think it through.
The best way to end poverty is to teach people a way to work for themselves. To help them reach a point where they don't need the teacher anymore. That is not a bad thing. In fact, it's the goal. If you spend a few minutes doing a little research and asking the right questions, you'll find lots of examples that show that a lot of efforts to assist those in poverty actually just push them further into poverty. The goal should be for empowerment, not dependency.
Fortunately, we had a head start because the vision for Wells of Joy came from our Ugandan partners. We just went to help. They had their vision and goal, so we weren't coming in to convince them to do anything. Now because we have a relationship and have walked together through this project, they don't want us to go. If you ask our partners if they think our personal role in Uganda is done, they'l say no. They'd love for us to stay and do various things as the ministry continues to grow. While that would actually be the easier thing for us to do, we know it is not what God is calling us to do.
In October, we participated in our last strategic planning meetings in Uganda. We sold all the personal belongings that we weren't bringing with us. Much of our furniture remained at the house because they'll turn it into an administrative building and clinic.
Right after we came to the US, Floyd had back surgery and we're preparing to move to Cambodia. I'll post about that very soon.
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We quickly saw many ways that the Lord was using this time in the US for good purposes. Within 6 weeks of canceling our flights, we learned that Floyd would need back surgery and it could not wait very long. He had that surgery back in April.
We also saw how this was a time to check the status on our goals in Uganda. Although we expected to be in Uganda for a decade or more, our goal was always that the ministry of Wells of Joy would be completely self-sufficient (meaning completely ran by Ugandans and completely self-funded and not dependent on outside sources of money). Since the school had been open through two full years, it was a good time to see how things worked without us present.
Throughout the year, we have made short trips to Uganda to work on specific things that required our attention. We couldn't stay for very long because we could only get short visas to be in the country as the NGO certificate was still not completed. It wasn't something that we were expecting, but as the year progressed, we felt more and more that we just weren't needed.
The Ugandan staff is running the school. While I could be there to do little things, there really isn't anything that they can't do on their own.
The crops that we planted using Farming God's Way were a game changer. Having such a reliable method of farming makes it possible to reduce the necessity of outside funding and eventually get rid of the need completely. Since this farming method is already done in many places in Africa, including Uganda, and several Ugandans have already been working the crops with little supervision from Floyd, it can continue without Floyd.
Realistically, if we can be in the US for nearly a year, they don't need us. While it might seem odd to put it in those words, you have to think it through.
The best way to end poverty is to teach people a way to work for themselves. To help them reach a point where they don't need the teacher anymore. That is not a bad thing. In fact, it's the goal. If you spend a few minutes doing a little research and asking the right questions, you'll find lots of examples that show that a lot of efforts to assist those in poverty actually just push them further into poverty. The goal should be for empowerment, not dependency.
Fortunately, we had a head start because the vision for Wells of Joy came from our Ugandan partners. We just went to help. They had their vision and goal, so we weren't coming in to convince them to do anything. Now because we have a relationship and have walked together through this project, they don't want us to go. If you ask our partners if they think our personal role in Uganda is done, they'l say no. They'd love for us to stay and do various things as the ministry continues to grow. While that would actually be the easier thing for us to do, we know it is not what God is calling us to do.
In October, we participated in our last strategic planning meetings in Uganda. We sold all the personal belongings that we weren't bringing with us. Much of our furniture remained at the house because they'll turn it into an administrative building and clinic.
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| Everything we brought back with us. |
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| This was a moment that we missed our strong teen-age boys. |
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| Prepped and ready for surgery. |
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