Day 1… A full day of shopping in the very crowded, dusty and hot market place in the city center; there are 35 children to get to school and all of them need supplies. Rhona is very pregnant, due at anytime with a few (false?) labor pains already rumbling around. A full day of making selections, bargaining (arguing?) the lowest prices, packing the taxi and then the long 3+ hour ride to the village over deeply rutted, rough, dusty, bumpy roads (can you feel it?). Upon arrival the supplies are distributed among all the children, piece by piece, bottle by bottle, and then… the long ride home - same roads! End of day one.

Day 2… Travel back to village – same roads! There are 3 separate groups of children to pack up and deliver to 3 different schools. Each group will take about a two hour round trip – same roads!  It all starts at 2 PM. Long after night fall, Rhona returns home - 3 hours – same roads! The first real labor pain arrives – fortunately isolated. End of day two.

Day 3… Full blown labor pains start early in the day; and just before midnight, little Benir Harris Buwule makes his grand entry into the world, a bouncing baby boy … all in a day’s work! (BTW, there is no option to “natural child birth” – same roads!) End of day three.

Rhona is our very faithful co-worker in Uganda. She regards our children here as her own. She and her husband, Edwin, are irreplaceable to our work; we could not have done what we have done so far without these two special people! The above is an example of her courage and her dedication to what God is doing in our children. (For those who have been following us for while, Rhona is Patrick’s daughter.)

Almost home! The trip to-date has been intense, productive, and basically without undue drama (he says cautiously -  the last time I said that, riots broke out an hour later!). Today (Monday) I am returning to Uganda after 4 days in Rwanda with Monique. This wonderful lady never ceases to amaze me. More energy, ideas, and ministry impact than 5 people half her age, and she keeps going and going (she is approaching her 80th birthday!). We are blessed to be partnered with her in all that God is doing through her and for the victims of the genocide.

Tuesday… I have a very critical half day meeting with our lawyers. Please pray for answers, a resolution and a clear way forward. This piece has been a very frustrating part of the journey!

Wednesday… I will visit “Vision for Africa,” a ministry that has been doing for 17 years what we are just starting. Hopefully they have “wheels” that we do not then have to reinvent! After this I will be on to the airport to begin the long journey home that night (about 1 PM MST); and Lord willing, and volcano clouds not withstanding (a number of fights recently have been canceled and/or diverted due to the clouds!), I should touchdown in Denver at about 1:30 PM on Thursday.

I return home this trip with my socks blessed clean off my feet! By God’s grace what we are doing here is massively important and hugely significant in the transformation of the lives of these wonderful children! But, I also return home aware of ministry challenges that must be met. You see, I’ve always been kinda weird!  I have great difficulty with status quo, or the way things are, or the way things have been going. I tend to always be striving for that “next level” whatever it may be and however it may look. So, in the “always getting better” theme, I come home wrestling with several issues that must be processed and evaluated. It’s all good, but it all needs your prayer that we may know and follow the mind of God as we plow forward.

Again, again, again…

Thank you for allowing me to be your hands, feet, eyes, ears and mouth on this marvelous journey and as always…

The best is yet to come!

Another personal note…

Back home in the United States (Iowa), little Emery Ann made her grand entry into the world on Wednesday morning, born to son Travis and Shari. All are doing well; and from the pictures, it seems Emery’s sisters are totally caught up in the marvel of their new sister.  Lord willing, son Jeremy, Sarah and Chloe will welcome their new one later in June .. and then there were 6! Keep them all in your prayers. I am a very proud and blessed man!

Love to you all, I will be in touch…

- Grampy!

It was one of those nights when sleep came in restless segments; those nights when you probably get more sleep that it feels like, but the night seems endless. At one point I began to be aware that I had been listening to a sound that seemed far in the distance; the muffled sound as of a huge swarm of bees. As I listened, I realized it was the children praying – it was pitch black dark! When the children pray, they pray all at the same time in fairly low tones, creating a wonderfully sustained hum. I checked the time – it was 5 AM! The prayers, that I could not help but lay there and listen to, lasted for about 30 minutes.

Then, the low hum was replaced by a solitary voice that went on for another 30 minutes… it was the voice of “Mama Edith”, who (as I learned later in the day) first read scripture and then, as one child described it, gave a “flow of light” on what she had read. That was followed by words of encouragement and instruction regarding this last day before school starts, instructions regarding the chores of the day, and a final time of prayer. Then with a “not so quiet” shuffling, they all went about the routine of the day… and it was just breaking first light!

These are the dear deserving ones to whom we are called and for whom we are creating resources and opportunities, a future and a hope. Thank you, Lord, for this amazing privilege!

End of Week One and it has been a good, productive and very busy week. I landed Tuesday evening, met briefly with our lawyers to get an update, and then off to the village. While there I was able to finalize one of the land issues that will allow us to now move forward on at least one part of the development phase of our plans. (Unfortunately it is the smaller part, but some movement is better than no movement!)

I am currently (Monday) at the Cure Hospital in Mbale. We traveled here last evening, about 3 and a half hours northeast of Zziba. I am becoming a fairly seasoned Ugandan driver – stay left, my friend, stay left! Derek Johnson, the hospital administrator has been tremendous helpful in getting us oriented towards where to start and what it will take to establish the medical clinic in Zziba. He was very encouraging and gave me bottom line information that will help us jump start that program. I am going to take a quick run up the highway to a national park. Not one of the ones I had hoped to visit, but it will be fun to take a hike and see some of the wilderness area of Uganda.

Quick overview from here on: On the way back toward Kampala tomorrow, I plan to stop in and visit with the kids at Seroma School and also meet with the headmaster for a progress report. I will travel to Rwanda on Wednesday to be with Monique and see what progress she has made in her wonderful work there and to discover ways we can help. I will return to Uganda on Sunday or Monday. I have very important meetings with our law firm on Tuesday where I’m hoping to bring closure to the land issues. Then I am planning to spend some time with my friend Sam, who is the man I have mentioned before who is helping us think through and plan our chicken/egg operation in the village. Wednesday evening I start the long trip home. I should arrive early afternoon on Thursday.

On a very personal note… Judee and I have two grandbabies being born soon.

Shari, Travis’s wife, is scheduled for a C-section on Wednesday, and Jeremy’s wife, Sarah, is due to deliver later in June. Please keep these precious ones in your prayers!

All for now! Words miserably fail me to convey to you what an important work we are doing here. Each child will need $100.00 per month for an all inclusive education: tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and uniforms. This is higher than we have been doing in the past; but think about it, $100.00 for all that a child needs from soup to nuts for a whole month in a top notch private boarding school… man, you might want to think of sending your kids there! Please pray about a whole or partial sponsorship; lots of folks helping a little will make this happen.

Sometime early in the following week, I’ll be flying to Rwanda to work with Monique and her wonderful young people. Its been a year since I was there so lots to catch up on. Monique is doing well; hip surgery seems to have not slowed her at all. If anything, it sounds like she is keeping an even faster pace! She is a remarkable woman; it is an honor to be working with her!

Also on the agenda is a visit to a Cure International Hospital (hopefully not as a patient ;-). Cure is a fabulous organization doing a great work and I want to explore the possibility of partnering with them on the medical facility that we intend to build in Zziba.

Sometime in the near future and then regularly after, I am planning to take small groups with me on some of my trips. With that in mind, I will be checking out a number of things relative to these trips, like transportation and housing options, places to visit, and things to do. This will be my 9th trip to Africa since this wonderful journey began and I have never ever visited any “touristy” type places so that should be fun.

Speaking of fun… Rhona’s baby is due to deliver while I am there so who knows what all that might mean in terms of fun and excitement and some serious “grandpa” time added in. (Rhona is our Ugandan Field Director, an invaluable co-worker.)

The last day or two will be spent finalizing things with our lawyers.

And then on my way home June 2nd, arriving middle of the afternoon on the 3rd and then sleeping until the 4th :-)

Alrighty … that’s the scoop. I will do my best to write a couple of field reports along the way. Thanks for your prayers, love and support. Also keep Judee in your prayers while I’m traveling.

I love you all …

- Pastor Gary

A single mother of nine children had died of AIDS leaving the children completely abandoned and orphaned. Nine siblings left orphaned and living in abject poverty in a one room mud house in rural Uganda. The father had abandoned them years ago and now they were left to fend for themselves. Sickness and starvation were two distinct possibilities. Pastor Joseph’s heart would let him do nothing less than go and see if there was anything he could do.

Millie and Esther being the two youngest, ages 6 and 7 at the time, were rescued by Pastor Joseph and brought to live with him and the other children whom he had rescued from similar situations and circumstances. In 2007, about a year before Pastor Joseph’s very untimely and tragic death, Olive Branch Ministries discovered Pastor Joseph and this little bunch struggling to survive in the village of Zziba in rural Uganda. OBM came along side of them to insure that Esther and Millie and the other children would have “a future and a hope” by providing school fees, medical care, proper nutrition, a vastly improved lifestyle… and love… lots of love!

Today, OBM cares for the needs of nearly 50 children in and around Zziba. Our philosophy and plan is to not just “rescue orphans” but rather to develop leaders who will be able to impact their culture and lead the next generation. It takes about a $100 per month/per child to make this happen.

So can that $100 change a life?

Ask Esther and Millie who are now attending one of the finest high schools in Uganda. One plans to be a teacher, the other a doctor. Millie is the captain of her soccer (futbol) team. But it was Esther who said to me one day, “Papa, I thank God I am an orphan! If I had not been orphaned, I would have never been blessed by God with the things that Olive Branch Ministries has provided for me and my sister.” That, my friend, is what it’s all about!

Will you invest $100 to change a life?

Even if you are not able to make a 12 month commitment right now, please consider helping get our kids back in school this coming term by sending a $100 (or more) gift today. Every 4 months we need $6,800 to keep those dreams alive.

If you are able to do this, please just hit the reply button and let us know that your gift is on its way. Then send your tax deductible donation to Olive Branch Ministries, 445 Walnut St., Brighton CO 80601. I have thousands of pictures of the kids… let me know that you’d like one and I’ll send it right out.

By the way, I head back to Uganda on the 17th. Look for my pre-trip email in the next week.

Thanks for your love, your prayers, and your support; can’t do it without you!

- Pastor Gary

First the tooth extraction - it wasn’t mine! Last fall when I was here in Uganda, I met a dentist at a local hospital. I asked him if he would be willing to come to the village and examine the teeth of all the children when I returned in January. It took a bit to track him down, but he was still very willing. So on Saturday afternoon he arrived and set up shop under a shaded tree. Two chairs, a small table for his tray of instruments, and he was in business. I had assured the children that all he was going to do was examine them and make sure their teeth were healthy - I should have known better. After he had been at work for about an hour, I thought perhaps I should check on him to make sure everything was OK. I came around the corner just in time to see him standing up beside the child in the chair with his pliers firmly entrenched in the child’s mouth prying loose a troubled tooth. As I was coming closer, the tooth gave way, and with his pliers he held it up, and said, “that was really a bad one - it had to come out!” I found out later that he had brought Novocaine along with him so it wasn’t quite as bad as it looked. Throughout the afternoon he examined 23 children, ages about 7 thru 17. It was the first time any of them had ever seen a dentist, and in all he did four extractions - the total bill - $26! The children assured me that they still loved me!

The lawyer… God has led us to a wonderful lawyer; and after one whole year of dealing with one who was a liar and a cheat, this lady is a true blessing and a great source of assurance to me that we can now make serious progress on the various land issues that we face in the village. I will spend the better part of Wednesday in the land office trying to obtain very important documents, and I have an exit interview with our lawyer and her partner on Thursday afternoon prior to heading home.

Speaking of heading home… Friday at 10:30 PM (12 noon MST), I board the plane for the US. The magic of time zones kick in and I am due to arrive on Saturday about 2:30 pm. Thanks for praying for me and this trip - it has been a very strategic time and one that was marked by the blessing and direction of the Lord.

Give me a day or two (or three) to recover and I’ll send out a little more detail on the trip and the future.

May God bless you all!

Really can’t wait to be back home…

- Pastor Gary

Dozing in and dozing out of sleep– the latent effects of jet lag, very early start to a very busy morning, an increasing heat of the afternoon that, was approaching uncomfortable - all converged to create the “Perfect Nap.” I was in that wonderful zone somewhere between asleep and awake when I began to sense that someone was at my door. I greeted the yet unseen person and welcomed him/her to come in. The procession that followed soon crowded my little room. The group, some sitting and some kneeling, lined the edge of my bed and was about 3 or 4 deep going out the door, all with bright sparking eyes and smiles that connected the ears, not saying a word – just smiling! Eventually the spokesperson piped up, “Papa we have come to thank you for everything you do for us… for sending us to school, for our clothes, for the new shoes… for everything, but mostly Papa we want to thank you for loving us like our dad!  We have nothing to give you except our love and thanks!” With that they all began to clap and I had to hold back my tears. They have no clue what a gift they had just given to me… money could not buy a moment like that! These kids are amazing!

I continuously remind them that I’m just the very fortunate guy who gets to come here in person and make sure they have the things they need, and that there is an army of folks back home that make it all possible. So to all of you…“thank you for everything you do for us … for sending us to school, for our clothes, for the new shoes … for everything, but mostly, thank you for loving us!”

The trip has been awesome so far! Life in the village is almost “paradisable”; a very quiet and incredibly simple life style and routine. One could get used to this very quickly – indoor plumbing is way overrated!!!

We have a very important meeting today (Tuesday) recapping the previous year and laying out the plan for the year to come. The great news is that most all of the children passed a very challenging academic year. I will be meeting with each student individually to evaluate their progress and encouraging them as well as interviewing several new students to add to our program. There are a few personnel issues that we need to address as well; nothing major, just management.

Friday morning we have a very strategic meeting with the lawyers that are handling our  land ownership issues; timing to get all this settled is now very critical for a spring visit of EMI. Pray that our meeting goes well, and that they have nothing but good news for us.

A broken tooth and a pair of pliers… I was hungry and it seemed good to throw back a hand full of trail mix… harmless right? However, little did I know that an almond shared a destiny with a weak place in a previously repaired tooth. As the almond decisively won the brief encounter and a fair sized piece of tooth gave way, I suddenly experienced the extreme pain of a very sharp piece of metal (very much like a small needle; apparently the anchor piece of the previous repair now completely exposed and sticking straight out) gouging the daylights out of my right cheek. A quick examination with a flashlight and mirror showed me what I must try! I pulled out my handy Leatherman, exposed the pliers, and carefully bent the sharp pin down and out of play* – it worked like a charm! Beats a detached retina all to pieces!

OK, all for now!

Continue to pray. I’ll try and be in touch next week prior to my Friday departure. Love you all very much and thanks for making all this happen. Eternity alone will tell what all of this means!

- Pastor Gary

*Note: for you medical types (that would be you, Jeff) – I called Judee and she checked with our dentist who applauded the field procedure (you have to know our dentist!) and assured us that because it was a root canal tooth, there should be no danger of infection. Thanks for your concern  ;-)

I don’t know about you but I love new beginnings – and for me it doesn’t get any bigger or better than a new year! The calendar starts over with day 1, a fresh new set of 365 is rolled out, you get a brand new number for the year (one that has never been used before), and… you are off to see what God has in store for you on this fresh new leg of the journey!

…and a return trip!

Thursday, January 14th, at 11:30 in the morning, Lord willing (with all the world uncertainty and the security issues in air travel these days, that’s a very real statement), I will be on my way back to Uganda to begin discovering what this new year will bring for OBM and the children with whom we are blessed to work.

Brief Summary of this trip …

As most of you know, by the grace, goodness and provision of God, we were given 30 acres to develop in the rural village of Zziba, Uganda. On that property we plan to expand our ability to care for an increased number of orphans. We plan also to build a medical clinic that would have a full time nurse and a visiting doctor and also dispense medication to AIDS victims. In the future the property will include a primary school and a very extensive agricultural program for greater self-sustainability.

EMI Visits:

My visit this time will be very crucial to all of that development. We are planning to have an EMI team (Engineering Ministries International, EMIworld.org) on site later this year to begin the master planning process. On this trip I must see that all the preparations, legal, logistical, and otherwise, are complete so that we are ready to host the team.

Our Kids:

We care for approximately 50 orphans currently. Each trip I meet with each one individually to see how he/she is doing physically, spiritually and educationally. This is a fun time but also a critical time of evaluation, encouragement and adjustment. These are very precious children full of potential and possibilities, and God has lovingly placed them in our care.

My Friend Patrick:

My friendship with my Ugandan friend, Patrick (who currently lives in the US), going all the way back to the early 90’s when he was my student at the University where I was teaching, was the seed bed for all that is happening through OBM in Zziba today. He will be in the country while I am there and it is always a very important time of ministry connecting with folks from the village with whom Patrick grew up. That will surely be a highlight of this trip.

Monique:

My friend and co-worker, Monique, who successfully came through hip replacement surgery last fall, is now back in Africa. We will be able to reconnect after a fairly long time and re-evaluate and retool our ministry strategies for Widow’s Might in Uganda and Rwanda.

My New Friends:

During my last visit I met some amazing folks who are working tirelessly in Uganda. What they are doing among the children and young people there is amazing and terribly inspirational. I will be able to connect with them to encourage them and advise them in any way I can be of help.

So… the countdown is getting serious.

By the time you get this it will only be a few days. Pray for every aspect of the trip. Safety, (I fly back on the same Delta flight from Amsterdam that was targeted Christmas day) productivity, good health, great connections, and for the unexpected!

Thanks for partnering with us on this journey… it has been quite the ride, and the best is yet to come! I’ll send my famous “front line” reports while I am there.

I trust you and your families are well.

- Pastor Gary

The privilege and ability to enter deep into the lives of the children we serve is one of the most significant and unique dynamics of the work of Olive Branch Ministries. Their stories of courage and survival are amazing and inspiring.

It was a hotter than normal day when I arrived at the home of Winnie, Kenneth, and Isaac; three of the children in our care. Curiously, the house itself was actually a bit bigger and little nicer than most of the homes in the village. Winnie greeted me with her beautiful smile and a big hug. She said “Pappa, let me show you around our home.” After touring the house, we went outside. There was a small building beside the house that was made up of several small rooms. As she led me from room to room she identified the use of each space. Pushing open the broken door of one very small and cluttered space she said “This was our storage room where we kept potatoes and maze flour.” The next room was where one of the farm hands used to live and another was an area for tool storage; however, there were no tools just an odd collection of junk. As we moved about, I was curious about two things. First, this home was more elaborate than typical African houses; and second, most everything she was describing was past tense.

As the tour continued, we came to the “kitchen,” a very small structure that was nothing more than four walls and a roof that enclosed the open fire pit where the food was prepared and cooked. Next was what we would call an outhouse; they simply refer to it as the “toilet”. Then came the “shower,” basically four walls and no roof, providing privacy for bathing which is typically a splash bath from a wash basin. As we were coming around the back of the house, there was a partial wall that was mostly broken down. Winnie casually pointed to the corner of the wall and said matter of factly “…and right over there is where my dad was killed.”

I took a couple of steps, stopped and said… “Winnie, what did you say?” She repeated the statement and then began to tell me the story. It seems that her dad had been a successful (by local standards) farmer and had developed a modestly expanding business that was able to provide for his family and even enabled him to help others in the community. In trying to help a neighbor, he had loaned him a sum of money to build a house. Over time the man refused to repay the loan. As Winnie’s dad began to insist and threatened to bring legal action, the man hired several “hit men.” One night, they broke down the door of the house, dragged the father out into the yard and proceeded to beat him to his death while the family looked on helplessly in total horror.

What happened next puts Winnie in my book of all time heroes. The next day the mother, fearing that the men would return to do the same to her, ran away, abandoning her children the day after they had witnessed the brutal death of their dad. For the next three years, Winnie, from the age of 12, had to fend for herself and became the only caregiver for her two brothers. It was during that time that the late Pastor Joseph met this little family living in unspeakable poverty and began to help as he could. For the past two years, it has been our great honor and privilege to be engaged in the lives of these three wonderful and courageous children, providing their education and much of their personal needs “give them a future and a hope!”

There I was, sitting in an internet café in center city Kampala the day before I was to fly home. I had just sent all of you my “Leaving on a Jet Plane” email stating how my trip had ended as quietly as it had begun and that I would be home soon. Little did I know! I had no sooner hit the send button then my friend Rhona came running into the building, “Papa! Papa! We must hurry and leave the city; there are riots breaking out!”

Wow! Never been in a riot before - this will be a first! We rushed to the car and had no problem getting out of the city; but as we had to circle back to take the road to Rhona’s house, we began to encounter road blocks (yes, I was driving!) – some were official set up by the military to control traffic back into the city, others were randomly set fires to add to the confusion of the protest (in one round-about, there was a tractor trailer completely engulfed in flames), and still there were others just taking advantage of the disruption to set up their own little toll booth operations… 1,000 shillings here and 2,000 there (approx one US dollar).  After many such road blocks and a number of fires and detours, when we were almost home, we encountered a block with a huge fire and a great crowd of people yelling, shouting, clapping, crowding around and pressing in on our car. I did not sense an atmosphere of anger and hostility but more like a pep rally of sorts.  

They were yelling something in their own language so I had no clue what they were saying until I asked Rhona, who was by then in tears of frustration. She said “They want us to sing!”

“To sing?” I said, “sing what?”
“They want us to sing the National Anthem to their King.”
“That’s it and they will let us go?”
“Yes Papa but we can’t!”
“No, no, Rhona, we must!”

So we got out of the car to the wildly cheering approval of the crowd and joined them in the singing of their National Anthem. Of course I had no clue what I was singing but there was an older gentlemen right in front of me that was singing very enthusiastically, and so I just mimicked his mouth movements and even his body movements and hand gestures (I was probably getting in to it a bit more than I needed to!). The crowd went wild, laughing, clapping and cheering. With the final refrain, we were on our way and soon home!

My flight was not until late the following night and the airport is well out of harm’s way, so it seemed best to slip out of town at daybreaks before things cranked back up – it worked like a charm.  I spent the day in the lobby of an airport hotel and the long flight home was extremely welcomed and very peaceful.

“For He will give His angels charge over you and to guard you in all your ways” Ps. 91.11.

Let me conclude this by sharing with you how special it is to me to be partnered with you in this mission. As you can see by the riot story, that as you pray for me, you never know how essential that prayer is at any given moment. So thank you for keeping me covered. And as many of you share financially, the “return on investment” is huge as we literally are transforming the course of people’s lives. God is expanding my vision for Uganda and for Rwanda. In a subsequent email, I’ll share some of that vision. But with increased vision and opportunity, there comes increased need for financial resources. 

For those of you that stand by us financially on aregular basis – I deeply, deeply thank you. For those who have not yet been able to help, will you please consider a onetime donation or regular monthly support and/or consider the sponsorship of a child. A full sponsorship is $100.00 per month. This allows us to send a child to a very good school, provide all of his clothing, school supplies, medical needs and food for one full year (Partial sponsorships are very welcomed!). If you commit to a full sponsorship, I will send you the name, picture, and profile of the student; and then you and your family can send letters, pictures, and gifts to that child, and the child to you.

We currently have the loving care for 37 orphans;

we have identified another group of about 15 that we would like to add to the “family” in January.

Let me know if you have further questions about sponsorship and/or if you would like to get started.

A reply to this email will come right to my desk.

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in fullest measure …

Gratefully His …

- Pastor Gary
A Special Thank You Note … to Karen Ruby and her team at Signature Advertising of Denver CO for making these emails look so great and for getting them out to you … you guys are the best!

At about 1:15 MST Friday, I will be lifting off from Entebbe, Uganda, headed home. Lord willing, I will arrive in Denver at 1:45 PM MST on Saturday;  all in all, about a 24 hour transition.

It will take me a little while to get “right side up” from jet lag; and then I’ll try to send a fuller report to you as to where we are, how strategic this trip was, and how I see the next run of things unfolding.

Thank you very much for allowing me to be your man on the scene here!

What an honor it is to represent you and to touch the lives of these wonderful folks. I have a few stories of some new heroes that will rock your world - can’t wait to share them.

Alrighty… all for now… home sweet home soon… God is so amazingly good!

- Pastor Gary