Eastward Bound

We have embarked on a Journey with our good friend Dwight and his Go Team from all over North America. They are a missionary team of 11 that are here under International Voice of the Orphan. We have been going with them around Kampala and now we have left with them to Eastern Uganda. 

Our first stop was Redeemer House in Jinja. They are a group home that fosters boys and girls that have been orphaned due to many different situations. Most of these kids have been abused in one way or another. By the love of Jesus these kids are all happy and filled with joy. You can see it in there eyes and in there smiles.

Eddy from Redeemer House Making a bubble beard

While there wen went to a mans house named Moses. He is disabled by what we believe is Polio. We went over to put some new tin on his roof. I visited with him most of the time he told me all about his bakery and his family. He was such an inspiration for my life. Moses was strong man of God and did not let anything get in his way Gods dreams for him. If your can accomplish your dreams then they are not God Sized  Dreams. 

We will be traveling with the team for the next few days to Tororo for a pastor conference that Dwight is speaking at. We will also be going to a few more orphanages so keep us in your prayers.

A church on Jinja road 

Welcoming Monday

Today is a special person we met a bit over 1 year ago. Monday Bogere Joseph is this weeks friend from Uga. Last year when we where here I met a boy at the boys home ran by A Perfect Injustice. He was shy and spoke little English. For some reason he stuck to my side. When we walked up the hill to the pitch (football field) to play soccer this 13 year old boy held my hand the whole way up. He had a big grin on his face but if I looked at him he would get shy and hold his big bright smile. The Go Team also went to church that Sunday, I found Monday and sat right beside him for the whole church service.

 Later I found out I was the only man that he has warmed up to. 

Monday has had a troubled life

and his issues dealing with his emotions. 

When his emotions rise it can get very difficult for him. 

He is a boy that need care and love from a good father figure.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the disciple of the Lord.

As fathers we need to remember that we have a great responsibility of our kids.

One year later Monday is now 14 and still the same shy loving boy. He greeted me and had remembered me and my name. He is still shy  but that is what makes him who he is I enjoy it about him. I am getting a little jealous though he has started hanging out with Sarah some. I might just have to start sneaking him some candy to keep me the favorite. When we get to the property on Friday nights Monday always grabs my bag and escorts us to our little guest house about 500 yards from his house. Monday wrote us a letter and told us he was so happy to have us around and that he is excited for us to tell him about America. One thing left for this Welcome Wednesday. 

Monday welcome to our life.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have gotten some requests to write about what I am doing. So, here is my first blog post. 

We are SO blesses. Shawn and I got to take Jethro to the Zoo for the first time last week. He loved every minute of it. We were all smiling from ear to ear.

Thursday Dwight, Emma, and a team arrived and they hit the ground running (with us in tow). The ladies team went to the Women's Program with Gina and I. They had a bible study and then they bought jewelry, which was much needed. I took the ladies from the team to a local restaurant and I think most of them liked it. It is VERY local.

Then it was off to the street program. We met the boys in Kivvulu to help with the feeding program. I had to leave early to go see the lawyer about some problems we have been having. I was discouraged when I had talked to her last but she had some very good news for me. One of the biggest road blocks have been taken out of the court orders. Yippee Jesus! 

Jesus is so good to us! I just have to remember that everything happens on Gods time and not mine. 

Note to self, adoption requires, patience, patience, patience!

Shawn and I are very excited Dwight and Emma are here. It is encouraging to have them here. It is like having a little piece of home here in Uganda. 


Last night I slipped and fell at the house. We were sitting in our room and Gina was in the bathroom taking a shower. Shawn jumped up and yelled "something is burning!" We ran to Gina's room and there were flames hitting the ceiling. I ran to get water and Shawn tried to pull the curtains away from anything else that could catch on fire. But, the curtains were held up by a metal coil wrapped in plastic. Not very easy to pull down. I ran in with the water and drenched the first curtain. Then ran out of the room to get more water because the other curtain was still on fire. While running out, I was closed lined by the wire coil, slipped on the water on the tile floor and fell flat on my back. Ouch! By this time Gina had run out in her towel to see what in the world was going on. Shawn is in her room try to get the fire under control, I am laying on the floor barely able to breath and Gina just wanted to put clothes on.


We are all OK and very little damage. Wow! What a night.   

Welcoming Marvin

 If I would ask myself what would be some of the most memorable  about my trip to Uganda. Off the top of my head some would be. 

The beautiful sunsets.

The amazing things you can fit on a Boda Like a couch and two chairs.

Having a birthday party on the floor with bread and pineapple.

Also the traffic and the way traffic has no rules.

Now the most memorable would be the people and the connections I have made with them. The best way to explain life here in Uganda would be through the people.

They are what makes Uganda, Uganda. So I will try and Introduce a new person to you every week. They may be a street kid, Bodo Driver, Uncle for the boys, or just who ever might touch my heart that week. I will call this Welcome Wednesday's.

Marvin is a boy from the street program in Kivvulu. He is 12 years old and a very bright boy. I am still learning why he is living on the streets but I do know that his parents are not in the picture anymore. I met Marvin with Phil (a friend of mine I met here) on my first day back to the feeding program in a year. I was a bit lost wondering around the slum when a boy with a big smile stepped out from around the corner. I asked him if he could take us to the feeding program. He smiled and and continued through the maze of buildings with us following. I was hoping he understood me but my manstincts knew we where heading in the right direction.

Every day I go to Kivvulu Marvin always has a big hug for me and asks where is your son, I want to see him. I always smile and tell him how many days till today was 25 days. Marvin does not fight with the other boys nor do I believe he does drugs. He lives with 5 boys his age in a small shack. He picks scrap (gathers recycling) for money. The other day he was playing around and a bottle hit me in the back and he said it was one of the other boys. Later he told me that it was actually him. I told him that I was disappointed that he lied to me. He was very sad and apologized to me. We sat and had a talk about it and by the end we where both in tears. He is such an important part of my life here. I love little Marvin so much.

Marvin welcome to my life.

Hello again

Sorry it has been some time. I guess my biological clock is on African time now. We have been busy and enjoying every minute of every day.I will try and catch up on the happenings and life here with the Ferrell's of Uganda.

First and most dear to our hearts is our little man Jethro. We have received a court date of 6th of March. At first we where sad that it was so far away but now understand God's timing. 

Psalms 28:14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes wait for the Lord.

Yes, this may be hard to do and it is not easy but if it was He would not have to remind us to take courage. 

Jethro has learned what Mom's purse looks like. He will grab it and sit down with Sarah and they go through it smelling, touching or playing with each item. He gives the best hugs and has a smile that would make any ones day better. 

If you remember the post unexpected visitor our little friend Yahaya has had some ups and down. He had his abscess lanced and cleaned out. This was good but it is hard to get him to keep it clean. I have seen him a few times since and I have drained the puss and cleaned the wound. He had developed a bad cough and a fever that has made him very week. We where worried that he might not make it. He is a difficult kid because if you give him meds for his sickness he will lose them by the next day. If you ask him to see you every day he goes into hiding for a few days. 

good news is that he is filling better and was playing with me today and showed some affection toward me. Please pray that he will come to the feeding program tomorrow (Monday). 

Will you take some time this week and lift us up in your prayers. 

• Guidance with the adoption of Jethro.
• Guidance for Sarah with teaching financial classes for the boys and the womans program. She does not want to step on any toes.
• Yahaya needs to drop his drug addiction and anger issues. The other boys know he has a short temper so they use it against him. 
• I am starting to do more devotions and am needing direction in what God wants me to teach the boys. 

Thank you for following us and praying for us and the Orphans.

Night in the village

I have mentioned to some of you that we will be staying in a

village on the weekends. The village is called Kikumabpagi. This is where A Perfect Injustice's land is at. It is a 22 acre piece of land with 2 main houses for the boys. The houses are on separate sides of the land with banana fields, sweet potatoes patches and the bush separating them. The land is very hilly and so beautiful. They have done so much work on this property to make a safe haven for these boys.The complex is absolutely gorgeous. This has become a place for boys that lived on dirt floors, to a home with clean beds, meals everyday, and places to play. 

Playing games with Emma

Out at the land these boys are able to learn life skills.

There is room for the boys to buy animals and raise them to sell or to eat. They also teach the boys how to grow and harvest crops. The boys have chores and are taught how to take care of the house and land. One boy is raising rabbits and planning on selling them to buy a goat. One other has even bigger plans to buy a cow with his rabbits. It is inspiring to see a 12 year old boy working so hard. 

Monday

There are 14 boys at house A and 5 boys at house B. There is room in each house for about 16 kids. There is a separate house for the  Moms and the Aunties next to each house. The Guest houses are located on the other corner of the land. The 6 houses are in a U shape facing each other on top of the hill. The inside of the guest house there is room for two twin beds and a store room. 

Our new weekend room

Unexpected visitor

Last night was going as usual. We had sat down to watch a movie and the electricity went out. Fortunately we had dinner already. Side note: I think that dinner by candle light is romantic because you don't do it every night. 

So Gina left to go and get something from the store and Sarah and I where visiting and heard Gina coming back up the stairs. She was talking to some one and said guess who I found. We went to meet her at the door and there was Yahaya. A 10 year old street boy. If you can imagine your son, a nephew or the kid down the street. Place him in clothes that are ripped, covered in filth, and smell like they have not been washed for weeks. His head was dropped with shame and he mumbled broken English. Yahaya is a picker, he collects scrap from the trash piles around the city to sell to recycling. This boy had no home. He had no family. He had very few friends. 

He showed up due to a 2 inch abscess on the outside of his jaw. He had teeth pulled in the slum and he did not finish his antibiotics. This created a horrible infection. He was sick, tired, hungry, needed a bath and most importantly needed some love. 

He took a bath and we made him a cup of tea. I pulled out some paper and some crayons for him and I. We drew and colored for about 45 minutes while waiting for Uncle Eddie to come and pick him up. After coloring he started counting the crayons. Remember this is a boy that has not spent a day of his life in school but he was very smart. He was counting to 20 in English. I asked him to count them for me again. This was making me tear up. I was so proud of this boy that I have only know for an hour. I said "great job give me a five" as I raised my hand, little Yahaya cowed down and covered his head in fear of me hitting him. My stomach dropped and I full on teared up. I moved in slowly and gave him a huge hug and let him know he was in a safe place. 

You could tell that this boy had been beaten, abused and never treated the way any little boy should be treated. He just wanted a cup of tea and a some one to care for him. I want you to remember that boy you put in your memory and take the time today to let him know how much you love and care for them. Out there in the world there are 163 million kids that don't have a parent to let them know that they are loved.

Don't let your child fill like Yahaya Today.   

Village transport

There are some days when you go to sleep and recap the day you realize only in Africa. 

I woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of chickens, turkeys, dogs, a foreign language, and no electricity. Let me remind you we do live in the city not on a farm. Power goes out here on a regular basis. We praise God for the nights that we can have power for long enough to eat dinner. 

Sarah has been sick for the past few days. She has been getting hot flashes and an upset stomach. Gina our roommate, sent Sarah and Amanda to the hospital to get checked for worms or a bacterial infection. This would be the first time to send my wife off to get checked for worms. 

I left with Gina and Joel to go see his village and his family. Joel is 15 and a really good kid. His manners are a work in progress but he has a happy heart. To get to his village it was a Boda Boda, then a taxi van ride with 15 others for almost 2 hours. Once we got to where I thought we where going we had to ride a boda on dirt roads for another 20 minutes. 

Joels family and neighbors where very friendly. I do not think there have been any mazungu's (white people) back to his village. They laughed every time I spoke in Lugandan. His family was beyond grateful for Amanda taking in Joel and providing school for him.

 When traveling to a village from the city it is customary to bring a gift like bread and sugar, two items that are hard to come by.

Transporting the chicken

In return they gave us a large jack fruit, 15lb of matoke, 5lb of beans, 5 papayas and a live Chicken.
This was graciously given with no desire of getting anything in return. In Luke 14:13-14 it says
¹³ Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” 

This was people in need giving to those in need. It did not matter if we where in need or not they would have openly given. This abundance of food went to a home of street boys that are enjoying a wonderful chicken dinner as I type.

Ps. Sarah is ok it is just a bacterial infection and she just has to take three days of pills.