We Are Home on time.

Sorry for not being able to send you a blog, but our last days were very busy and the Internet was down on Thursday. Some of the last experiences we had: In the evening we were standing around and I saw something black crawl toward David's leg. When I said something, he would not take me serious, imagine that, he thought I was pulling another rat story. Finally Jim saw it and yelled at David, David calm shook his leg and a small bat fell off. It started crawling away, and we were all backing up. Finally one of the workers spotted it and with his rubber boots he stomped on it and kick it out the door. On Thursday evening we went and had a delightful meal with the Suitti family. They have 12 children living with them, some his, hers and theirs plus a few orphans. We had makootee which we expected, but she put some sweet bananas in the makootee so it had a wonderful flavor. She had fixed us fried and baked chicken, beef, green beans which were the first we had had in Uganda. The children sang for us and it was a nice evening of relaxing before we went back to grade final papers and to total their grades. I know Carol was up late and also Len grading papers. Len was evening finalizing his comments at breakfast. On friday morning we got the wonderful news that we did not have to be checked out by 10:00. We all packed and after breakfast meet with the pastors at 9:00, which did not get started until about 9:30, to discuss the details of them training other pastors. In the midst we had the District Superintendents from Kenya, Rwanda, Bruindi to come prepaing for their afternoon and Saturday meeting. As we explained to them the License to Preach School they were very excited and hoped that this material would also be pasted on to their countries in the East Africa Annual Conference. At 10:00 we started the Closing worship with singing of hymns, reading of scripture, prayers of intercession and when Len prepared to begin his sermon, in walks Bishop Jones from America and his brother Dean Jones from Duke Divinity. Len gave a wonderful message about journeys, using a story of Lewis and Clark and his Swedish family roots. I was a short, concise and inspirational message to us and to the Uganda pastors. Finally Bishop Daniel Wandabula was able to arrive and greeted us. We were hoping to leave at 12:00 but it was more like 1:15 before we left. It is hard to tell a bishop to move it along, especially when the Bishop is as big as Bishop Daniel. We packed our bus and headed toward the airport. Friday is a very bush day in Uganda, because many people work in the city through the week, but they go back to the Village on weekends, no not to a summer cottage, but to their small grass, mud and maybe brick home. We stopped to see a University where Jim's church sponsors a young man named Noah. We got a snap shot of a sign of a Habitate for Humanity village near Mukono, since Jerry has helped to build many homes in Johnson County. I believe this village is also very special because woman have been able to purchase these homes through selling of beads with an organization called Beads for Life. We dropped off a young lady named Rachael in Mukono and then we went through the busy traffice of Kampala on a Friday afternoon. George our driver knew some of the back ways so we did not set in much stopped traffic. James, the Dean of Superintendents meet us at a street corner and gave us farwell greetings and necklaces for me to sell. On to Entebbe we ate at a very nice resturant as our last meal in Uganda. They wanted us to be at the airport 3 hours before leaving, and by the time we went through all the check in areas, we had about 30 minutes to spare. We left at 10:20 and arrived in Amsterdam around 5:30 am. We had about 30 minutes to get to our next gate to leave for Detroit. In Detroit we had to go through customs and connect with our flight to Indianapolis. In Amsterdam we said goodbye to Len because we was taking a later flight to Louisville, and we said goodbye to Barbara in Detroit. Everythings was moving so quickly that we barely had time to say goodbye. Everyone made it home safe and sound with all of our luggage intact. God is so Good. This Sunday morning will be a wonderful time for each of us, as we realize that God has taken us to Uganda and back. David and Jerry are sharing in their service about all the wonder of God building the first United Methodist Church in Uganda. Thank you one and all for the prayers, financial support and love that we felt on this wonderful and God inspired trip in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Byron Fritz

Wednesday Schedule

On Tuesday we were in a bit of a stand still, because the key would not turn in the van, but it happened after George our driver got David and Jerry to their worksite and he had returned. Carol gave him money to take a Boda Boda (Motorcycle Taxi) to a repairman and bring him back to the van at the Hotel. The starter stwitch was fixed, so he was able to go back and pick up the men. Our Hotel is only about one quarter of a mile from the Hotel where we teach, so we usually just walk down to the classes and walk back. We only need George through the day if Jim needs his pizza at the Source Cafe or if someone wants to go to Bank or shopping. That was the only eventful thing to happen. Len has had four of five of the pastors to preach and they are following his instructions fairly well. Now we are giving tests and many of us stay up late grading their tests. Yesterday was a long day for the Pastors, after our discussion time at 5:00 I teach one more hour of my class and then the Dean of Superintendents wished to meet with them about how they will implement this program once we are gone, since they will be training the other pastors. That took them to 8:00 when they had Dinner and then at 9:00 to begin homework. As we have said this is preparing some of them to realize what University work will be like. Six different subjects and six different assignments. You can tell the pastors are getting tired, and some of them have had to leave for a funeral and come back. One who has malaria has had to leave go to the doctor, pick up medicine and come back to the school. One pastor has a son who has malaria and he had to go home and pay for his child to be in hospital with medicine drip. We have helped each of these pastors with funds for travel and medicines. The needs are so great, and we have tried to help in each situation, but we know we can not meet every need. Continue to pray for us as we are looking at the last few days of License to Preach, grading and giving grades, encouraging the pastors for the load upon their shoulders to pastor, take care of family, find work for income, and now go and train other pastors. This is all they needed was to have another hat to wear. Pray for the Pastors. We can't wait to eat American Food. In Christ Byron

Tuesday Events

On Monday we went in all directions. Carol, Barb and Jim went to lunch at the Source Cafe to have Pizza, I now it was hard, but they had to sacrifice. Len stayed back to prepare for his class and I went out to the worksite after I went with Rose Martha to the bank and Western Union. It took a while to get most of our money, but we have found that you can only get 500,000 shillings from an ATM machine. I had to wait for a long time to get money from the Western Union . They would not exchange one of our $50 because it was torn, and my $100 had been in my money belt and the weight of my stomach had wrinkled it, so they would not take a wrinkled bill. I went back to the class at 6:00 and taught for their hours to be caught up, while the group ordered their supper. I thought the pastors were eating at 6:00 but they do not eat until 8:00. When I got back at 7:00 our group was done eating but I order ice cream. While we were setting there I looked over at the stairs and a rat, a very large rat came down the stairs and was in the corner. When I yelled at the group "rat" I thought Jim was going to jump out of his skin. At that time it ran back up the stairs and out of sight. But we decided to stay seated for a while, just to let the rat have some time to get farther away. Today we will not have use of the van, because it is going to go in for repair on the steering. We all agree that is important, so when it is done they will go and pick it up and then pick up the men at the worksite. Len and I are planning to take a Boda Boda at 9:00 am tomorrow and go down town for a little shopping and I will go to the Western Union to collect the rest of my money for the school. Have a wonderful day and we will be home soon. If we see anymore rats, we may be home sooner than you thought. In Christ Byron Fritz