Heart of Worship

Wow, these past three weeks have been awesome.

The main reason? I have officially joined the Heart of Worship team. The last worship night was just Saturday, thanks for all the prayers because while I was in the choir I didn't feel the least bit nervous, even though I was the only white person in the band. It seemed perfectly natural.

Maybe I should make the worship teams clear, there are three. The first one is the worship team for the Sunday service, I don't know if they have a name or not. The second is the one I am in, the Heart of Worship. We are made up of entirely teenagers (except Auntie Hannah and Uncle Ronnie who help in the training and practices). We sing on the worship nights, the last Saturday of every month. Only once and a while do we sing on Sundays (like this coming Sunday). And last but not least is the Echos of Hope. They are made up of the younger children and Auntie Grace who leads. They rarely sing, only on special occasions like Easter and the Ugandan Thanksgiving.

So anyway. About home? We are settled in. Still no other furniture but the table, couches and beds. We have grass planted and are ready to plant more as soon as it rains. Speaking of the rain, we had two huge storms and are praying for more, it made tons of mud but filled out cistern a lot more, thanks for the prayers!!!!

What other news is there... Not much I suppose. Ali cat had two kittens almost four weeks ago. Their eyes are already open and they are starting to explore a lot more. School's going good (quite boring as usual) nice and steady.

Please pray that a thief or a borrower will be caught, there was a ladder stolen or borrowed from the Biedler's house. I don't know what is going on over there but there was also some sugar cane that was growing but has now been cut down. The compound worker is getting frustrated with this.

Thanks for all your prayers so far!

Introducing...

I know many of you have heard us speak of our family group that we belong to. This is a big part of our life at New Hope. I thought it might be interesting to introduce everyone to the family throughout the next months in a series of blogs, each blog highlighting a different member of the family. That way you could get to know them and know how to pray for the family and each individual. Let me start with a brief introduction.

Our family is called Ebenezer family and consists of nineteen children ranging from ages 5-18. They live together on a family compound with a family Mother and Father, a married couple, Florence and Godfrey Musambu, who have two children of their own. Aunt Florence and Uncle Godfrey live in a separate house with their children, Brian, 12 years old and Jonathan 18 months old. The rest of the children live in round huts with up to 7 beds in each house. The boys all fit into one house and the girls are split into two houses. There is a round open air hut or banda with a large table and chairs where the children eat and do homework, or just hang out. Also in the compound are various structures. There is an open air cooking area where the meals are prepared in large pots over wood fires. There is a storage building for the food, chicken coops, a pig sty and outdoor pit latrines. Around the compound is the family's farmland and fruit trees such as banana trees, guava trees, and papaya trees.

A typical weekday might look like this: up at 5-6AM for study and preparing breakfast. (the children take turns cooking their own meals) School starts at 7:30 and lasts until 2:00PM for the younger ones and 4:10 for the older ones. After school the younger children come home and rest and do various chores around the compound. When the older children come home, they immediately get changed and go into the gardens to work until about 6:30. Then they come home and bathe and have devotions. Dinner is usually around7:30. After dinner they study until they go to bed which is around 9:00 or 10:00 for the younger ones and even later for the older ones. On weekends, the schedule is a little different. They get up around 6:00 or 6:30 and go to the gardens to work until about 10:00. Then they have breakfast and begin chores of washing their clothes and cleaning the rooms and compound. When they are finished they either rest, study or are involved in various activities. Saturday night is a game night. Sunday they go to church from 10:30 to 1:30 and then play soccer, study, rest or are involved in various activities. The weeks are very full for them!

I probably need to explain the school system The kids start official school in Primary 1, which is like first grade. They are generally about 7-8 years old, although the ages vary depending on when the family can send them. Education is not free here, and many families struggle to afford the school fees and uniform. The primary school lasts up to primary 7, when they have to take a test called the primary leaving exam to see if they graduate from primary and can go on to secondary school. The secondary school is much like our middle school and first two years of high school. There is secondary 1 through secondary 4. At that point they take a test to see if they will go on to the last years of secondary, secondary 5 and 6. The first years of secondary are called '"O" levels and the last two years are called "A" levels. At New Hope, they take a year off from school between the "O" levels and "A" levels to receive discipleship, mentoring and work in internships. This helps them transition to "A" levels and to get a more focused direction for future schooling. It is also a valuable time to own their faith as they will have to go to boarding school for "A" levels since New Hope does not yet have an "A" level school here on site. This year has proved very important for the students, and is an area Tim has enjoyed being a part of.

Many people ask what the kids normally eat. Breakfast is a porridge of cornmeal called posho. Lunch consists of posho flour made into a more solid form that you can eat with a spoon served with beans. Dinner is the same. They also eat whatever fruit is in season and occasionally vegetables from the garden mixed in the beans. On special occasions like holidays, they have a variety of other foods such as matoke (cooked bananas) with peanut sauce, rice, potatoes and meat, usually beef or pork. Chicken is a delicacy here and rarely served. They also occasionally have Micah's favorite, chapates, which are a sort of thick, bready tortilla. They drink water except on special occasions when they have sodas or a koolaid type drink mix.

The kids laugh a lot and love to play and hang out with each other. The boys particularly like football, which we call soccer and the girls like games. They have all grown to like basketball as Tim has taken them to play several times. Riding bikes is also a favorite activity. And like most kids, they really like to watch movies!

Well, I hope you have a better idea of what life is like in our family group. Stay tuned for my next blog when I highlight a member of the family!

Kim

Wild ox

Never thought I would be close to identifying with an ox. I was sitting peacefully in our living room and suddenly heard "Aaahh"...the sound of the herdsman who grazes the cows near our house (now that we are out in a cow pasture, literally).

Without any other warning, I watched as an enormous bull, Big Ben, charged through our compound, past our tire swing and put on the breaks near our banana trees-young banana trees, not old enough to hurt a bull banana trees. Suddenly, with the grace of a ballerina, he spun on one leg and, with horns the size of a stadium goalpost, he began to thrash our banana tree. He didn't give it a little punishment, he gave it a licking. I was tasting the sweet small bananas that would never be born.

Before the tree was completely destroyed, Ben did his pirouette and pranced off like he had just enjoyed a pleasant conversation.

When I read Psalm 92:10 and had to laugh.

"You have exalted my horn like that of a wild of ox..."

I don't understand the strength God says He gives. Does it mean stamina or physical strength or something more?

Working with Investment Year students is a joy. This is the year after they finish the equivalent of American 10th grade or so. Here at New Hope they will take a year out and explore their faith in classes and with mentors, they will start a small business (making and selling burgers here on site, etc.), they will interview and hold three different consecutive jobs beginning here at New Hope then moving offsite to other selected jobs that fit with their skills and gifting. They have to go through interviews etc. These teenagers are challenging and bright, deep but also lighthearted. Do I need the strength of a wild ox to work with them? If strength can be measured in wisdom, definitely.

I also led the staff, last evening, in a time of listening-listening to each other and learning to listen well. It served a number of purposes. They shared their stories, very briefly, asked questions and hopefully got to know the other staff in the process. Meanwhile they were practicing listening to the children we are caring for. I loved watching them care for each other and actively listen to each other. I think, hopefully, some will find it easier to share their hearts. Do I need the strength of a wild ox to work with the staff? If strength can be measured in wisdom, definitely.

I know I have nothing and it feels far-fetched to think that I could ever have the strength of a wild ox in any form. Maybe I should settle with the strength of a domesticated ox who is good to use for plowing. Actually, that is exactly what Big Ben is when he has a yoke on. Wow that reminds me of Matthew 11:29-30! Maybe I won't ruin a banana tree that way.

Only by God's grace, Tim

Regular life?

The past few weeks have been as it has always been. Going to church on Sunday, doing school through the week, going to the family group and eating there every Tuesday, having family night(just the four of us) every Friday night, and playing with friends. Last week, on Saturday, we went to Entebbe and swam the whole day at Lake Victoria Hotel. We spent the night at the Airport Guest house and did some shopping in Kampala on Sunday. We got home around five in the afternoon.

Last Friday, the eleventh, my Mom went to a lady's dinner and didn't get back until very very late, so we didn't get to do family night, but we are planning to have it on Sunday night(as I'm typing it is Sunday). Yesterday, in the morning, we went to the family group to work. Then we went back for game night, and also to eat there.

The past few days have been fun, but they have also been not so fun. The not so fun parts was that five days a week we do lots of school. The fun parts are that I play with friends every day, pretty much. Also that we go to the family group. I have lots of fun with the kids there. Yesterday, for example, we had lots of fun with them, and I think that they had lots of fun with us.

Please pray for us, especially for rain, as our cistern, our water holder, is very very low. Thank you for your prayers!

Micah Peterson

Wandering

I was asked by a few of my sister Ugandans when I would be going back to the states. I said I didn't know, maybe sometime next year. Then they asked if I was going to stay there. Are we?

This is home to me now. I do want to go and visit the states again, to swim in the warm Atlantic, see Pikes Peak again and hike up it's side, walk the Pacific waters in my tennis shoes, and see old friends and family that I left behind.

But that's not home anymore. In fact, neither is Uganda. I have no home, no single home. My heart his in two places, and will always be.

The Luganda word for 'white person' is Muzungu. We were told by our good friend and Luganda teacher, Uncle Ronnie, "Muzungu doesn't actually mean 'white person'. It was, at first, representing the Arabs from the north, coming to Uganda. Muzungu means Wanderer."

That's the way I feel right now. The Peterson family has moved four times in the past six years, only to settle here for who knows how long. Wanderers might just fit us.

The past week has been hot, hot, hot. It's right now 94ºF outside, 16% humidity. Even mom was sweating just sitting in a plastic chair! Which is saying a lot. Walking outside in the sun is even worse, I've contented myself in a hot living room writing stories and drawing something for our family. I've put on a picture of what I've done so far.

We did a huge harvest of maize last week which was fun! It included all the good stuff, raw fingers, cuts, itchy legs, hot sun, black jacks, oh yeah. It was fun.

I've been taking care of my friend's cat for her while she's been gone with her family on furlough. There are officially two black cats that look exactly alike except one's bigger and male, the other is smaller and female. Ali is the one I'm taking care of. She is a friendly, loud cat that knows how to make herself heard. Amanda (I know I know. It's a girl's name but you can't really help that if you think that the cat's a girl in the first place right?) is our neighbor's cat. He's also friendly but not as loud.

Anyway, I should quit explaining about the cats and getting straight to the story. Thursday morning, I left home and rode over to primary around 8 o'clock. When I reached the house I heard meowing, the usual welcoming sound for Ali to be making. I walk into the house and there, on the bench straight across from the door is a black cat. Now one thing you have to know, Ali hardly ever gets up on anything except beds and couches, she's just trained that way. So here's this black cat up on a bench meowing at me. Well, of course you have to assume that Ali is here, it's just a once in a while thing, you know, her being up on the bench and all. Ok. "Hi Ali.... You've grown.... Are you Ali?" Yes, I talk to animals. I grab the food dish and put it up on the counter where the food is. Up on the counter goes the cat. One other thing about Ali. She's smart enough to not go poking her nose into her food before it's served. The food was open, and I saw that much of it had been devoured since the night before. "You're not Ali, are you? You're Ananda!" (I call the cat Ananda because it avoids further confusion of the gender) Sorry, ONE more other thing about Ali is if she has to go, she goes under the sink. There was stuff in the sink. So I pet the cat. "You aren't Ali, you don't react like she does." So I put the lid on the food and lock the door behind me. Time to visit Joel. Joel, Jensen, and Brevin like to tease me a lot for some reason, especially Joel. Joel is British by the way, I don't know if that makes any difference though.

"Ok Joel, have you guys been playing a trick on me?" Rash question, I thought as soon as I had asked it. They wouldn't have the keys.

"No. Why?" I progressed to tell him the story. So he said no, and I rode up to the Anderson's house, Brev. and Jensen's house.

"Where's Ananda?"

"Supposed to be at the Brown's (Joel's)."

"Oh, Ok. Had to check."

I'm guessing that Auntie Jill, the next door neighbor of my friend, had thought that Ananda was Ali and she put him inside the house instead of Ali. Ha. I still have to ask her and see if my theory is good. Oh, and Ananda did eventually get back to the Browns after much scratching and struggling.

Please pray for our furniture as we don't have any bookcases, drawers, or shelves yet. Pray that it will get done swiftly and well. We have had some people make things for us that were totally the opposite of what we asked for.

Also pray for me, I will probably be joining a worship team and am very very nervous. I will be meeting new people, which isn't my strongest area, and will probably eventually be singing and playing up front (maybe. I get stage fright sometimes so maybe.....)

And please pray for it to rain soon. It is just coming to the end of the dry season, but there could still be more months without rain.

Kara Peterson

The Desire of My Heart

...your name and renown are the desire of my heart. Isaiah 26:8

...the theme for the Envisioning Week here at New Hope Uganda. We take a week every year to refocus as staff. I was invited to present for one of the sessions. It was fascinating to hear the different names of God that individuals personally experienced. They shared with each other what names of God they had personally experienced. I realized in the middle of the sharing that what they were doing is proclaiming the Name of God and His renown was going out into the heavenly realms. Amazing to think that the heavenly realms, angels and demons are learning about God and His character from what we go through and how we talk about it.

As I walked with the staff through the process of asking themselves what were the desires of their heart, I had a few travel from point A to point B but using different ways of getting there (an idea from a seminar I went to) and then asked why they did what they did. What was their motivation? It was interesting the response. Everything from "I wanted to be creative" to "It was fun." I did the same thing with our family group of about 18 kids from 7 - 19 years of age and the answers got a bit deeper: "Because I was in authority and I told them to."

But then we explored why do we do anything. What is our motivation? What is the desire of our hearts? Fame, success, money. But why do we want money? It seemed it all came down to "making me happy" Wow! Then I had to take stock in why I was doing what I was doing. What is my motivation? Some of it is good: I want others to have an intimate relationship with the God of the universe. Some of it isn't: I want people to like me. I want God to be happy with me. Ouch. I think I really just want to fall in love with my Savior over and over again because of who He is. I want that to be the desire of my heart. Now to live it out.

Moving in!

The past few months have been amazing! The power was off for most of those months, only a few hours (usually at night) was it on. Finally, the power started turning on during the night time, after six o'clock usually. Phew! Then during the Christmas week, the power was usually on 24/7.

Now we are all moved into our completely solar powered house. :) No need to worry about power any more!

Yeah, about that moving in. It took us three days just to move all our stuff.... It was a lot harder for me to leave the house we have been living in than to leave Colorado Springs, maybe it's because I know we are going back to Colorado, but we will never call that house home anymore. Our house is awesome, it's small so it's easier to move around in. We are close to friends but farther away from our Ebenezer family and the church, which will be harder for everyone.

Speaking of friends and family, all the family group kids went on a holiday during Christmas to see their families, so we were missing them while they were gone.I am also missing Jonica, the only American girl my age here. Her and her family are on a furlough in America right now, but thankfully I've got some other guys my age here that I can hang out with. Brevin and Jensen are in a family of seven, Kasana, Kynan and Tiegan are their younger brothers and sister. Brevin, Jensen and I are making a movie with all the other british and American kids here. We try to film every day (except Sunday) to get this movie done. We started last week and have gotten scenes 1, 2, 3, and six done. We are trying to get 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 done today.

We have had sweet corn for two weeks, straight out of the garden. We have also gotten strawberries, green peppers, and we will hopefully get a watermelon soon. I like growing things in Uganda! :) The only problem is that it's the dry season right now, so we have to hand water everything in our large garden....

We are missing you all here in Uganda! Please pray that we will be able to settle into our new home, and that we will get our furniture soon, we only have plastic chairs and a bench to sit on at our table right now, and we don't have any dressers or closets to put our clothes in. Also pray that our floor will get finished the way we would like it, right now it's just cement, no varnish or anything.

Thanks everyone for your support!

Kara Peterson