Hands on the wheel

The VAN!

25 years ago I took Drivers Training at Grandville High School (now its the Jr. High).  I was taught to keep my hands on the wheel at 10 and 2.  I think that is old school now.  I was told to never take your hands off the wheel.  I think something in me took that literally in my life.   I wanted to control my life and where I was going to go and when I was going to get there.  It took a calling to Uganda to realize that there is a better way. It isn't always the easiest or most comfortable way.  It is giving up the wheel and allowing Jesus to take me where He wants to take me.  Surrendering my life to Him.  It sounds easy, but this journey has taught me that it takes a lot of trust.  The hands come off the wheel, but we hit a bump and I want to grab that wheel again.  We take an exit I don't like, yep I try and take the wheel again.  It is a process.  A process that may take me a whole life to learn.  I am so thankful that my driver has a lot of patience and a lot of GRACE!
We began our journey in Soroti Uganda and quickly found out that we had a lot to learn about living in new country with a family of 6. The food was different.  If we tried to make something like a pizza, Michelle, my wife (she's amazing by the way) would have to make the tomato sauce - no pizza quick here - make the dough for the crust, grate the block of mozzerella cheese - that we had to drive 8 hours to Kampala to get - and then sprinkle on a few pepperonis that we took from home.  It isn't like the Hot n Readys I used to pick up on the way home from work sometimes.
Sleeping under mosquito nets is different, having to have guards sleep at the house is different, living behind a wall with razor wire is different, hearing the Muslim call to prayer every morning at 5am is different, being around the family much more is different.  There are many things that are different about living in a different country.   But like everything the different fades away and it becomes normal. 
In Michigan To Do Lists are how to operate.  I would write down the tasks for the day, prioritize them and get to work.  I knew how to get it done!  There was a feeling of accomplishment and a days work well done.  In Uganda things work just a little bit differently.  The To Do List still gets made, but the feeling of accomplishment doesn't and can't come from getting things done. For some reason things just take longer, ALOT longer to get done here. Relationships far outweigh getting the To Do Lists done here  (and the fact that it is almost 100 degrees with no air conditioning).  Greeting people is important.  Asking about family and caring about those family members is important.  Sitting down is important.   Visiting your friends often is important.  Just a few days ago a friend called and asked why Ive been lost?  We have not communicated in over a week and that was just not acceptable.
On this journey our family has experienced so many things that weren't in the 5 year or the 10 year plan that I made for us.  Michelle (the amazing one) is homeschooling our 4 children.  There learning is important to us. We trust God that the experience that they have from living here will impact their view of the world for the rest of their lives, but it isn't always easy for them or their teacher.  -this might be a good time to put a message out there that we would love to have one or two teachers come join us in Uganda for 6 months or a year to help homeschool our kids!  Our van has broken down too many times to count, like at a burial in the rain or  another time in the dark with the whole family between towns.  We have learned how to farm doing it God's Way.  We have learned how to dehydrate mangos and build the dehydrators and pack and sell the dried mangos.  We have entered into so many amazing relationships with the people from Uganda.  We have traveled around and have seen many amazing animals like elephants and water buffalos.  We had to make an emergency trip on medical evacuation jet for one of our kids. We have been called upon to care for children living in the streets, children who are orphaned with no place to go.  We have been able to encourage people with business training and walked with them as they started new ventures.  We have been able to ride over dusty narrow roads full of potholes to bring the love of Jesus to people who have seemed to have lost all hope.  Would I have picked it?  Would I have "driven" here?  Probably not.  But have I been blessed?  Absolutely.  The places that Jesus is taking us have been so stretching.  I can't explain to you in words.  Even in entering into the pain and suffering of many we minister with we can see Him.  We end up being the ones learning.  His Grace is truly amazing.  
It is hard to hear about the suffering that goes on back home.  Hearing of friends that are sick, struggling and even passing into glory and not being able to hug them, cry with them, pray with them and be with them is not easy.  We miss our family, friends, church and Shine.  There are days when I would love to press a button and be back there, but then that would mean grabbing the wheel again.  Instead we keep learning to get on our knees and give our burdens to Jesus Christ and trust the Holy Spirit to guide us and comfort us. 




Getting the farm ready with the family
Aaron and Lisa came to visit and love on these kids

Surveying the work


Playing with the neighborhood kids

Sharing the Good News!

Sweet babies and sweet Grannies!


Dehydrators in the village - Dried Mangos

School in the village of Naigobya - The Afayo Project


Doing Farming God's Way with some new friends


In All You Do



George explaining his vision for ISO Graphics


In all you do.

Kingdom business.  Gospel centered business.  Biblically based business. 
 What do all these really mean?  Shouldn’t business and Jesus be kept separate?
  Keep church at church and work at work?  What can a small business owner 
do on the mission field?  These are questions that I have grappled with since 
starting a business some 15 years ago.  After nine months in Africa there is 
an answer to all these questions emerging.   People.  Yes, people.  Business 
is relational.  Jesus gave us some commands to be lived out.  The first is to 
love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.  The second one is to 
love our neighbor as our self.  There are many more life directions from Jesus, 
but these stand apart.  How do we bring glory to God and show our love for Him? 
 By loving people.   Can it really be that simple?  Yes.  The temptations in business
 are to lie, steal and cheat our way to success.  If there is a shortcut to riches, take
 it.  It all comes down to loving ourselves more than others.


God has given us work.  He worked to create our Earth.  He loved us and shared
 the joy of work with his prized creation, people.  Unfortunately, because of sin,
 work now has more challenges as the weeds are constantly growing, but it is 
still a gift that we can bring glory to God through.  I have found joy in working 
with a few young followers of Christ, who also happen to be bright, young 
entrepreneurs. 

I met George and Henry on the streets of Soroti Uganda.  Henry fresh out of 
college and George busy working in a one room shop making sign posts.  Both
 of these young men are in their twenty’s and will tell you that they love God 
so much.  They love to share His word and desire to see the community of
 Soroti grow in their love for Him and each other.   As our relationships grew
 we discovered we all shared a passion for business, God, and had compassion 
for the oppressed. 

George grew up without a father and had to fend for himself and “make his
 own way”.  Here in Uganda that means doing small work wherever you can 
find it to have enough money to eat that day.  George found out that God had
 given him a gift.  The gift of ideas.  Give him a book and it will be devoured 
in only a day or two.  He will take the information and share it with those he
 knows the information could help.  Whenever he has a few extra shillings you
 can find George sharing it with the boys living on the streets with no mothers
 or fathers.  George has a smile.  It is as wide as the ocean and when he is 
smiling it just lifts your spirits.  He loves people.   With a little business
 building knowledge like a working business plan, a knowledge of keeping 
your business finances and personal finances separate, where to  get start
 up capital that won’t penalize your business and cash flow management 
George was off and running.  I stopped in the ISO Graphics (In Salvation
 we Overcome)  office he is working out of today.  His smile was big as ever. 
 Work is coming in.  People are taking note of his professionalism, his honesty
 and his genuine love for them and their businesses.   God is glorified.

Henry is one of 12 sons.  His father and mother have done a fine job raising
 their children in the village of Obule Lira.  They have spent their evenings
 pointing their kids to Christ.  His Dad was one of the first Christians in the
 area.  Henry recently graduated from a business school and was excited to 
begin working.  In Uganda the attitude is that when you graduate you need
 to make your own way in business because there are no jobs.  In other words
 you need to create your own job.  There are many talented graduates who 
don’t have the resources to do this and soon find themselves idle and doing
 small jobs to get by.  There was a training in Soroti teaching people a new 
method of farming called Farming God’s Way.  Henry and his brother Fred 
accompanied me at that training.  We learned so many principles, including 
taking care of God’s world and the soil.  There is no plowing or burning in 
Farming God’s Way!  Henry led a team in his Father’s village to begin a 
garden utilizing the information we learned.  Today we harvested the popcorn.
  It was a celebration of what God has done and what the future will hold for
 this family.  Henry was also open to an idea of drying mangos with the use 
of the sun.  Henry wasn’t sure there would be a market for this in Soroti, 
but decided it was worth a try!   Partners Worldwide is an organization 
out of Grand Rapids Michigan.  Henry, Fred, George and myself took an
 overnight trip to Gulu to meet them and see what they were doing.  It 
was so inspiring for all of us.  They met a man named Timothy Jokenne
 who owned several successful businesses.  He emphasized how 
important operating a business with integrity was.  This lesson was an 
important one to see.  Success can come and does come with honest 
business practices.  You don’t have to lie, steal and cheat!  After returning 
we scheduled a business training with a gentleman from Kampala Uganda 
that Partners Worldwide endorsed to teach lessons on starting Biblically
 based businesses.   The training was very informative and Henry
 implemented them, quickly finalizing his business plan he was able to
 secure a market at the local supermarket for his dried mangoes.  Village 
Foods is now looking into what other foods they can pack and sell.  Henry
 has partnered his business with his brother Fred and his wife Ruth’s vision
 for helping orphans in their community.  So a portion of the income from 
the sale of mangoes goes to help these children with school supplies, fees,
 and other necessities.


Henry and Fred



What a joy it has been to be used by God as a Christian businessman
 here in Uganda.  He doesn’t waste His gifts.  They can all be
 used to expand His kingdom and bring glory to His name.  
 Henry and George are living out Matthew 5:16 “In the same 
way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see 
your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven

       Chris

Time to Shine

Greetings from soroti Uganda! Our family arrived safely and is starting to settle in more and more every day. It was a challenging flight as our first flight from Chicago was cancelled at midnight and rebooked for the next day. The lessons of patience are only just beginning.

We are excited to be able to be used as tools for God to help encourage, equip, train and love the people here. Uganda is such a beautiful country filled with beautiful people. But it is also a country with so many needs. We read a book prior to our coming here entitled, "When Helping Hurts". It is a daily challenge to know the best way to help. The communities here have received foreign aid for so long that many don't know how to survive without it. We really need to lean on the Holy Spirit's guidance in who and how to help.

I have begun to spend time in the "town area" of Soroti, meeting the local shop owners, trying to learn how business currently gets done and what are their main challenges. In the process I have met people like Isaac Joshua, Eric, Pious and many others. My hope is to share their stories with you and shed some light for you to see God's love at work even in a hard place like Soroti. Our family thanks you for your love, support and prayers.

The Guys

One of the joys I've been able to enjoy is having breakfast with the guys. With 4 days to go before we leave for Africa the "guys" got up early and shared one more breakfast with me. I have been blessed so much by the friendships, laughter, sweat and tears we have shared together. God is good. Gonna miss these guys. Work is work, but it can be so much more if you really care about each other.

What does it mean to SHINE in Africa?

Being a small business owner in the states has been so rewarding. The relationships that have developed around Shine really seem like family, from our clients and vendors to the staff at shine. Throughout the years, it has been our intension to make a difference. There have been times when we were up for the challenge and times when we may have missed an opportunity. I love the verse in Matthew 5:16 "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven". As we wash windows, clean out gutters and powerwash houses we have a choice. We can do it to make a buck, or we can do it in hopes of being a light in the world that will bring glory to God!

In the winter of 2010 my world was rocked by a cute little girl. Our family adopted a 4 year old princess from Ethiopia. While in Ethiopia, we were hit very hard with the fact that there are so many people, real live people like you and me, in the world we share that live in complete poverty and hopelessness. After our two week trip we returned home. We struggled with an ache in our heart for the other orphans and widows and oppressed we left in Ethiopia, but what should we do with that ache? We didn't know. Our family wanted others to understand and learn about the situations and the plight of so many in Africa. So we started this blog, not knowing what would become of it.

4 months after returning cancer struck our family. My 32 year old wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. God healed my wife, she is cancer free. Praise the Lord!!!  Almost to the year of her diagnosis, we had a meal with a couple that was serving in Uganda. They asked if we would join them. After much prayer we felt that this was indeed a calling for our family. In preparing for this two year commitment we are learning to take our days one day at a time relying on God for our strength. In 25 days we leave for Uganda. I invite you to join me, as my family and I try to be a light in the Soroti, Uganda community and to Shine in Africa.  Thank you for your love, support and prayers. It has meant so much to our family. We love you.


Millions of hits...a boy named Francis

Francis is a friend of mine.  Francis was abducted by gunpoint in the gardens near his family's home.  Francis was forced into the army of Joseph Kony.  On our vision trip we were able to sit down and listen to this young man share about the abduction of himself and many others in his village. We heard him tell us about being tied by rope, one child tied to another as they trampled through Ugandan terrain and through rivers, not being allowed to look at the face of Joseph Kony.  How he was forced to kill.  The things this boy had to endure and see were unimaginable and sorrowful.



Francis led a heroic escape from the hands of the LRA. (lords resistence army)  He helped several others escape including his buddy sitting next to him in the picture.  He found his way back to his village.  But now what?  He was tramatized to the extreme...Enter the love and transforming power of Jesus Christ.  Francis went through a process guided by counselors to show him how much His Father in Heaven loved Him and had the power to renew his mind, his soul, and his spirit.  The nightly nightmares have been taken away, joy has been restored.  Hope has been given graciously poured out on Francis.

The beautiful young lady in this picture is another one of the LRA's former child soldiers.  Francis explained to me that she is his bride.  And I have a secret to share.  They are expecting their first child. I was told to keep that a secret from members of his village, so if you find yourself in Uganda please don't tell!  Praise God!!  
It is customary and cultural in Uganda for boys and guys to hold hands with their friends.  I was a little wary of this custom, however when Francis grabbed my hand and walked me out to the gardens to see the place where he was taken I felt privileged to have this amazing young man consider me a friend.
So, as you watch the videos and the news reports of the terrible things going on in our world today pray.  Pray for Francis, pray for the people who are suffering at the hands of these cruel people.  Pray for those who are sharing of themselves to help share Christ's love.  Pray for Joseph Kony and others like him that desperately need a Savior.
I've been asked why would I take our family to Uganda.  It is for Francis and many others like him.  The question isn't why would I?  The true question is why wouldn't I?

Chris







Uganda. Where should I begin. This trip was a vision trip in hopes to confirm our call to serve in this country. We flew into Entebbe and were greeted by the two of the team members, Tim and Steve. We were very happy to see them. After getting our luggage we headed to the vehicle. Outside we were greeted with the darkness of night and several military looking men with guns. We drove to our guest house and spent our first night sleeping under the mosquito nets. The next day we drove the 7 hours along bumpy African roads to reach our destination Soroti.


Soroti is home to the Soroti Rock. If you aren't familiar with it I would suggest you google it. It is exactly that, a huge rock in the center of the town that takes quite a lot of work to hike to the top of. The views from the top are amazing. From day one we began meeting people from Uganda that all had such amazing stories of transformation. I hope their stories will inspire you and motivate you to step out of your comfort and step into a world of unknown...a place where God is at work!




                                            "Angelina"


A woman of extraordinary courage and faith. Angelina is blind. Chicken pox took her sight at the age of five, but it didn't take her spirit. It only made her more of who she was created to be. The blind have been a marginalized people in Uganda. They were categorized as worthless to society, destitute and destined for a life of begging. Angelina doesn't believe this, she never has. She knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that her creator made her for a purpose. She was made in the image of God. It is her mission to see that any person who is blind in Soroti is given the skills necessary to keep them from having to beg to survive. They are taught to read Braille. They are taught skills like knitting and gardening. In fact they have even been shown how to plant orange groves utilizing strings with measured knots for planting. Her wisdom was extraordinary. On the way to visit a blind man in the village that was now able to support his family with the sale of oranges from his trees she reminded us how important following up is. She said, "We must train, but then we have to follow up. Following up is so important." How often we begin the work, but then fail to follow through and follow up. She couldn't see us, but we sure could see the love of Christ in her. We are thankful to have met Angelina.