Karamoja Okkens

Christmas greetings from Nakaale! It seems the dry season has finally come upon us which means wind! Yes, and some warmer temperatures. It is hard to believe that we are at this Christmas season again. It seems like so much has happened this year, but looking back, everything seems like a blur. We are thankful to God that He has given us another year.  This Fall was full with birthdays. Caleb is now 9 years old and still blond. People say he is looking more and more like his dad. I have to be honest and say that his 4 th grade schoolwork overall might not be his favorite thing, but he does enjoy History and Science. So, at the moment, it is all about Vikings and bats. His fairly constant companion is his Karimojong friend, Tony, who at the moment is on a school break so Caleb gets to see him more often. Megan is now 6 and enjoying 1 st grade. She still enjoys her dolls and her jewelry, but her two brothers definitely influence her interests. So we often see Iron Man and Cinde...

  Yes, it was market day in nearby Namalu and we decided to make it a family outing! It can be quite a scene on Wednesdays where everyone in the surrounding areas come out to buy and sell. I decided to do some 'window shopping' while David and the kids waited at a nearby 'hotel/restaurant' where we had some lunch. So, a little sunburn and a few things purchased and some lunch, we were on our way to a nearby tree farm to bring some little trees home. A day on the town!

Well, the rain continues. We thought for almost a week we were headed back into the dry season, but we were wrong. We just spent this week down country doing some shopping and spending some time with teammates and friends over Thanksgiving. I'm thankful we made it down through the mud and bumps and even made it home safely today, even though now the rain continues as I type. God is good and sovereign...and yes, praying the 'dry' would come and the Ugandan government would keep their promise and pave that road!

Found under the hood waiting to say good morning New friend Amina New friends - the Ward kids Caleb and Dad (taking pic) with the Wards for a hike

puddle fun that of course had to include mud beards road to our compound We are having many of both these days. Wouldn't you know that after David's last post about the dry season upon us, we have had rain just about everyday for the last couple of weeks! So, needless to say, we have many puddles and even small rivers around here. And yes, the roads are a muddy mess as well. We pray that those of us on the Mission that are traveling back and forth will have safe travels and that the rain would ease up! :)

Greetings from Karamoja! We asked you to pray for a break from the rains. Your prayers were answered. It definitely feels like the wet season is behind us. It is hot and the roads are dry (and even slowly being repaired in many places) for safer travel. We thank the Lord. It also means that ministry activities are not being rained out. I am thankful for good attendance as well as attentive listeners to village Bible studies these past weeks. In our chronological Bible story teaching, Al Tricarico has continued leading studies out in the villages of Akuyam and Kopetatum, where this past week he taught the story of the golden calf (Ex. 32). When we begin in a new village, sometimes we start from the beginning of the Bible. So, in Nakathian and Naminyit where I began teaching some time back, we have just reached the story of Noah and the flood. What a powerful story teaching us about human depravity, God’s judgment and His great salvation through Jesus. How blessed we are to be safe in ...

Baseball with the Karimojong Megan turns 6!!

We are back in Karamoja after our recent trip to the states. Our time home was sweet thought too short. It was a great time with family as well as many friends. Our only regret is that the time blew by so fast that there are many whom we would have loved to see but were unable. Heaven will be such a wonderful and unending reunion! The trip back was long and arduous, especially the last part. As some of you may have seen on our blog, excessive rains have led to just about the worst road conditions we’ve seen in all our time in Karamoja. Our first attempt to drive back to Nakaale from Mbale failed as a road repair stopped us half way. After returning to Mbale for the night, we took an alternative route the next day. So, instead of a 3 hour drive, it took us 8. We enjoyed beautiful scenery in places we’d never been, but we were exhausted. Now we have adjusted and are doing well. The ongoing rains have at times disrupted our village Bible studies. However, I am thankful for a very e...

This is what the little roads leading up to our compound look like these days. This past week we have returned from our six week trip home to the States. Time flew by as I knew it would. But, it was so nice to be able to be with our family, see friends and be with our church family for a few weeks. The kids had a wonderful time with their grandparents, cousins, enjoying the pool and bikes. A few milestones on the trip were Megan mastering bike riding without training wheels and starting to swim in the pool with no floaties! The rains came with a vengeance while we were gone and didn't let up much. Our usual route up to Nakaale from down country has been a big muddy mess and when trying to come up last Saturday we did not make it. We ended up going a very out of the way route that brought us West, then North and over in our area of Karamoja that way. What a long drive! After about 8 hours we finally reached. The one positive was that the roads were dry, just bumpy. The pictures abo...

Our teammates Al and Laurie Tricarico write that the rain that had been prayed for has been coming and been a good amount until about three weeks ago. These days it is coming for longer periods and every day. It has made driving and walking a bit difficult. Now our Karimojong neighbors are worrying about their crops. Please pray with us that the rain would slow down. Of course, God is sovereign and good so we also need to continue to pray for our Karimojong neighbors that they would see that and trust in Christ.

It seems I have a difficult time blogging. Yes, everyone reading this would whole-heartedly agree! My excuse right now is that I'm on vacation. :-) We are back 'home' in San Diego for the month. It will go by way too fast, but that is life. In the previous post you will notice the time we spent first with the cousins in Tennessee. What fun they had! I must confess the weather was a bit warm and going from real hot to real cool (a/c) took some getting used to. Yes, we are used to hot in Uganda, but not with humidity. Jacob and his 3 yr. old cousin, Sophia, were the cutest to watch. They were best buds the whole time. Now, we enjoy more grandparents and good friends and our church family for the month. God is good! Hopefully we will 'fit it all in'. It was a blessing to be with our church family again this past Sunday and look forward to the few more. Hopefully we will kick this cold bug very soon. Yes, our bodies aren't used to all of these American germs! Giv...

The kids are enjoying their cousins here in Tennessee. Jacob and his 3 yr. old cousin, Sophia are having such fun. Pretty cute to see.

Happy July 4th! We had a small gathering with some of our Mission and the four visitors who are here from the States. Some good old American cuisine (hot dogs, baked beans, cole slaw) along with some local roasted maize. Not exactly like sweet corn but pretty good! One of the guys even made these flag sugar cookies. The only thing missing was the fireworks. Would be a little tricky having those here. What would the Karimojong think? Might mistake it for enemy gunfire!

Our family decided to go up to Nakapiripirit, about 30 minutes north of us for lunch! A chance to 'get out'. We met up with a couple of friends and only had one minor adventure on the way home.

Zucchini from our garden here in Karamoja! I was doubtful they would grow. Thank you Ngikinyom (our gardener)!

It is finally here! The Karimojong now have the complete Bible in their language! The Bible Society of Uganda has recently completed the translation of the Old Testament. Praise the Lord!

This last week construction began at the new clinic site. This has been ‘in the works’ for a while as the current clinic has some major structural repairs and it was decided the better thing to do was to start over. So, this last week a team of five came from Wisconsin to help get things started. We are expecting another team soon. We appreciate your prayers as the work continues that things would go smoothly and much progress would be made! Dr. Jim Knox is leaving in a couple of weeks to be in the States for his wedding! Yes, he and Jenny (nurse here at the clinic) will be married in May and then will return at the end of June. Exciting times! Below is a link of some pictures Dr. Jim has taken of the new clinic site. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=340744&id=508366280&l=b77e733aaa