Karamoja Okkens

This has been one of the most difficult weeks that I can remember for our Karamoja station. We ask for your prayers for our Mission, particularly for the work of our medical clinic. The week began with us having to make the difficult decision to release one of our staff members. This contributed to an already present problem of shortage of staff. Furthermore, we had already been in the midst of a water crisis as a pump had broken. So we decided to close down the Clinic temporarily while working to resolve these problems. What we did not anticipate was how strongly the community would react to the release of the employee. People gathered outside the Clinic demanding a meeting. They even blocked the main entrance with thorn branches and declared that the Clinic is closed until the problem is resolved (to their satisfaction). (This heavy-handed tactic was quite alarming albeit a bit humorous since we had already closed the Clinic for our own reasons.) The meeting was very difficult as the...

April has begun and has brought with it lots of rain! Either the wet season has officially begun or we are being teased. Sometimes early rains can get everybody busy with their farms only to disappoint them by disappearing for six weeks. We would appreciate your prayers that these ones would continue and would result in a bountiful harvest. Two weeks ago we came up to Karamoja with David’s parents! The kids have sure loved having them around, as have mom and dad. We have enjoyed doing some traveling, seeing some sites and making some memories. Kopetatum update: Our neighbors in Kopetatum are slowly rebuilding their homes after having them completely wiped out by that fire we told you about last month. Government aid came in the form of a large contribution of grain. Our Mission decided to further assist by buying much of the aggregate which the people had in possession for sale. We will use it for some construction projects current and future. Also, this last week ma...