Update Aug 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
This is a long over due update. Will try and keep it simple.
I spent the last 2 months in Kajo Kegi, a small town in South Sudan near the Ugandan border.
There is absolutely no infrastructure there, no paved roads, no power grid. Power is either solar but mostly from generators, as is the case at the base where I was, I felt extremely blessed.
I was working with MHI, Mobile Health Intl. Water Harvesters Intl, another arm of the org., who drill wells is on the base too so we are blessed with plenty of water.
We did several outreaches to 3 different villages deep in the bush, camping for a total of 3 days in each place, with followup visits 2 weeks after the initial clinic.
Our desire is to build and encourage the community through relationship, and getting the village involved in their own development by training up a few select medical people to treat ailments like malaria and minor skin and respiratory infections through education thus empowering them.
Prior to the first clinic we do a “Community Day” by working together for a common goal. We start by clearing the land and building a small structure, using local materials, that will be eventually be used as a clinic. We also supply food for a meal that day for the workers and their families. But word travels fast if there is free food around. We had planned on maybe 100 people and well over 300 showed up.
It was really a sight. The line was so long and never seemed to end. We prayed and once again God poured out His love and grace by multiplying the beans and rice. All were fed.
The medical consultation is free but they do have to pay half of the wholesale price we pay for the medicine. The money taken in goes back into the community so its a win win situation with the goal of building a health center thus augmenting them to take responsibility for their own health care at an affordable rate.
We treat everyone for intestinal worms for free. There were about 15 tabs left near the end and we saw another 40-50 people, all of which received the medication. The bottle never ran out. In fact, there were three tabs left at the end of the day. He is a God of mega multiplication and abundance.
Every person got prayer. There were stories filtering back to us of people being healed. One old women who came and was reported to be up and working in the garden the next day were as before she couldn’t. He uses natural as well as supernatural means to heal His children.
Im back in Uganda for now. The ladies are doing ok but still struggling as food prices have skyrocketed.
The kids are out of school for holiday so bought more breakfast porridge for them along with other food stuffs.
I met a women who is willing to sell the Binga Bags that I have in stock at her store in one of the upper scale malls here. This is a market test so to speak. If they do sell, which I believe they will, will look into resurrecting the bag business, Lord willing.
Sewing is not my passion but these women and kids are, so plan is to get someone in a managerial position and let them run with it.
There is a big shortage of power here in Uganda as well. If we are lucky we have power every other night with outages during the day. There have been several occasions when it has been out for 27+ hours straight. I am so thankful for when we do have it.
The good news is I have found a small solar light that is affordable and also very durable. In fact, so durable, (people are very hard on things here, no concept of something being fragile) that I would like to purchase one for each of the ladies and their families. They are $25 each. If anyone is interested in helping with this please let me know. As soon as they are covered I will start getting them for some of youth at church.
As I said my passion is with the kids. I have been getting more involved with the church I attend. There is always a fresh word and Spirit has the freedom to move there.
God has given me a burden to pour into the youth through developing deeper relationships. Its critical to establish a different mind set in this generation rather than the one that has prevailed for generations which is basically a survival mentality and one that says things will never change. The word God gave me Sunday for them was they are a “new breed” of African.
In this new season God is speaking loudly about relationship, first with Him of course and then others. In the book “When Helping Hurts” the author makes several observations that I found very interesting.
1) Relief is easier to do than development. It is much simpler to drop food out of airplanes or to ladle soup into bowls than it is to develop long lasting, time consuming relationships with poor people, which may be emotionally exhausting.
2) Its easier to get donor money for relief than for development, “We fed a thousand people today” sounds better than “We hung out and developed relationships today”.
I have been busy with the doing rather than the building, through relationship, of His kingdom. Dont get me wrong the “doing” is needed but the relational part is critical to change.
In our western mindsets we tend to measure our worthiness in terms of tangible productivity rather than building people, who are eternal. I know mothers sometimes feel this way when, in reality, their “job” is the most important of all, building future generations that shape a nation.
It really is all about relationship first. He has given me such love and compassion for the youth in the church and in this nation. We all are broken people. These kids need to know there is a better way. They have to know that Jere. 29:11 is and can be a reality. He has good plans for them and their nation, they just need someone to speak possibility and greatness into their lives, believing in them and in what God can do.
This is a little of what is happening here today.
Thanks again for your prayers and financial support!
Im so thankful for the relationship I have with you!
Love and blessings, Barbinga
Tax deductible contributions can be sent to
Barbara Iman c/o KPGI
9020 Pickering Ln.
Missoula, Mt. 59808