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September 2009

Newsletter

GREETINGS once again from sunny Sarasota! I made it back to the states on August 14^th and back to work on the18^th. I am now home until next summer when I hope to go back to Uganda for another short term trip.

We had a great time in Uganda. The trainings went very well with many good reports from the groups who had been trained in the past and good participation in a new area trained during our trip. There have been some unexpected outcomes from the trainings. One has been unity among churches that had been divided. One of my team members, Robert Arutu, initiated our training in different denominations in his home area last year. Thankfully, the other team members who are all from the same denomination, were willing to continue to promote the trainings among the various denominations. In Tubur, where church leaders were trained in my absence, the leaders said that the training had brought unity among the churches. This was reported in Oluwa as well. Another unanticipated outcome was that the church leaders now feel equipped to do marriage counseling and counsel others who are not HIV positive from a spiritual perspective. One church built a latrine for their church which did not have one. One man from the same church has a history of Tuberculosis (TB) and the training helped to give him hope as he has been suffering from chronic lung disease related to the TB.

In addition to the unexpected outcomes were the expected outcomes of decreased fear regarding HIV and decreased stigma and discrimination in churches. There were many reports of lives being saved by the church leaders encouraging individuals to go for testing and treatment. Some were literally dying when they went for treatment and they are now working and productive. Many church leaders themselves have gone for testing and have encouraged many others to go. One church organized a mass testing day and about 140 people were tested. One man is teaching about HIV every Sunday in his congregation for about 20 minutes after the service. A few of the groups have organized and registered locally with the government so that if there is any funding available, they will be able to utilize those funds to help those who are HIV positive and their families. Another outcome which is difficult to measure is the effect on prevention. There have been many outreaches in schools which will hopefully empower youth to abstain before marriage. They also plan to do outreaches into the community. Unfortunately, it is hard to measure whether the numbers of those newly infected decrease in the areas where the trainings have taken place. All we can do is hope and be thankful for lives saved and ministered to by the church and for those who are now able to be open about their HIV status. I am very thankful to God for giving me the vision of working with the churches to fight HIV.

TEAM

Please continue to pray for the team that is now well prepared to continue these trainings in many areas. Transport is expensive and they would like to have a computer and an office from which to work. They have not yet registered as an organization but they hope to do so soon. This will enable them to find an organization which could fund the work that they are doing. The team also learned a great deal during the follow-up work on the groups who were trained. One team member was very surprised to see the difference between these trainings and trainings which were very well funded in a certain community. They did not work with the church though some church members were involved. Individuals trained were given allowances to come to the trainings and those who were HIV positive were given  seedlings and animals to produce income. They sold the seedlings and have not taken ownership of the animals. None of the work has been sustained when the funding stopped. He was so surprised to see how well our groups were doing even though we charged a small fee for people to attend the trainings and did not give any assistance, yet the group members continue to carry on with the work.

PASTOR RON

Pastor (Dr.) Ron Kelley also had a fruitful time in Uganda. He survived all the traveling that I put him through and he was able to preach on three Sundays in three different churches as well as in the prisons. We praise God that 100 people accepted Christ through his ministry while he was there. He also contributed financially so that I was able to bless several of my friends and their ministries financially. He gave of himself and he received the blessing of the hospitality of many of my Ugandan friends. He learned a great deal about the culture and he is ready to go back next year!

KARAMOJA

I was also blessed to facilitate Dr. Will Cogburn from Venice, FL who joined me for a few days after he finished serving on a medical missions trip with Hearts Afire, Inc. to Gulu, Uganda. We were able to visit Karamoja where I still have a heart to work and he now has a vision to start a medical clinic. Please pray that these visions will not die and that God willing, all things will work together for the good of the people of Karamoja who remain the least churched and most neglected tribe in Uganda.

EDUCATION

While in Uganda, I made a decision to support two students who have a desire to further their education. My education is very valuable to me. It is a good part of what has made me who I am today. Because of this, I have a desire to help those in Uganda who I have had a relationship with for some time and who are bright and strong spiritually. In the past, many of you have helped me through your donations to support four students. One completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and is now working for minimal pay at a radio station while looking for other opportunities. Two were able to complete secondary or high school and one continued to complete a vocational training program learning computer programs. Few Ugandans reach this level due to lack of funds. I would now like to assist two more students. One is a University student enrolled in a Development Studies program and is actively involved in development work in his community. The second student is planning to attend Teachers Training for primary school education. The University student will require fees of about $3000 per year for four years, while the Teachers Training is only about $300 per year for three years. If you are interested in helping either of these students and would like to know more about them, please let me know.

PRAYER

Please continue to keep Uganda in your prayers. A few people have already died due to starvation from lack of food due to the drought there. It is anticipated that more will die before the next harvest season in Uganda and Sudan. It is difficult when it does not rain because people invest money in planting crops and when there is little or no yield there is then no food, no money for school fees and no money to replant for the next season. This is when relief agencies like the World Food Programme step in but usually after many die and children remain home from school.

Thank you so much to all who made this trip possible and to all who have prayed. God Bless You ALL!

Tracey

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced....I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.

Ps 40: 6&8

Uganda Update Email

7/26/09

Hi Everyone,

Everything is going well here in Uganda. I am happy to be back and people are happy to have me back. Our program has been going smoothly. God has been working to help the team envision continuing the work without me and without outside financial support. Many organizations provide funds for programs which end when the funds are gone. This program has the possibility of continuing for a long time. Much of this is due to Reverend Francis Atwau who has been working with me for the last few years. He is a wonderful pastor who has sacrificed for years for the sake of the gospel and is now sacrificing to make sure this program works and reaches many places. He has a lot of wisdom which he imparts to the church leaders we are training.

Pastor Ron Kelley is doing well on his first trip to Africa. He is learning a lot and people appreciate the wisdom he is sharing with the leaders. He will be going to another town today to do prison ministry for a few days and preach in a church service there. He slept in the village the other night in a mud house and he has managed to eat the local foods without any problems or complaints.

Thank you for all your prayers and to those who have supported this ministry financially. We have been able to buy 200 Bibles which will be distributed in the different places we are doing the HIV Trainings. We are actually selling the Bibles for less than half the cost so that people will value them. There are different methods of bringing development. There is a saying “You can give a man a fish or you can teach him how to fish” When you give things out freely, people do not appreciate them as much. So we are asking people to sacrifice to buy the Bibles and will then decide how to use the money raised. Each leader that is trained is also giving money towards our trainings. Because of this, in one place they have made some improvements by building a latrine (outhouse) for the church because they have taken ownership of the knowledge they received instead of depending on an organization to make the improvements for them. They have worked together to get things done. They have also appreciated the fact that we chose various denominations to attend the trainings instead of only the one we are representing. Before there was a lot of division between the churches and now they have become friends and respect one another.

So we praise God for the work He is doing through us. There is a song that was sung at the Lutheran Church where I work before I left which has really ministered to me. May it also minister to you.

Grace Alone

Every promise we can make, every prayer and step of faith

Every difference we will make is only by His grace

Every mountain we will climb, every ray of hope we shine,

Every blessing left behind, is only by His grace

Grace alone which God supplies, strength unknown He will provide

Christ in us, our Cornerstone, we will go forth in grace alone

Every soul we long to reach, every heart we hope to teach

Everywhere we share His peace, is only by His grace

Every loving word we say, every tear we wipe away

Every sorrow turned to praise is only by His grace.

We will go forth in Grace alone.

Blessings to you,

Tracey

“To you O Lord, I lift up my soul.

In you I trust, O My God.”

Psalm 25:1-2