Karamoja Okkens

Our Megan turned 9 today! What a blessing she is and quite the helper! Happy Birthday, Megan. We love you!

Dear Friends, Warm greetings from Karamoja! Just a few weeks ago the rains were so great that we had to cancel a trip to Mbale because of severely muddy roads. A couple of weeks of mostly hot sunny days and the roads have dried up. Seasons change but the Lord remains the same faithful God. Karamoja continues to be a land with many souls lost in sin. Just yesterday the talk of the day surrounded the news of a man who had been killed while stealing maize. Apparently, the owner was fed up and desperate after consecutive seasons of losing his crop to theft. He was spending nights hiding in his garden ready to defend his property at any cost. The unsuspecting intruder came for maize but instead found a spear hurled at him. The report was that in the morning a trail of blood led to his dead body. If stealing and killing are commonplace in Karamoja, false reporting is even more so. Today we heard that the man was not actually killed. Instead, the blood was from his hand which was...

Latest on Caleb's Banda. School starts tomorrow so progress will likely slow down for now. Still can be played in!                              

Caleb's latest project with his friends...a banda. A mud and stick structure with a thatched roof. They want to do all the labor themselves and are paying for any materials. Progress so far... as they began so far

In Karamoja, it is not uncommon for Bible studies to be interrupted by any number of events which compete for attention. But this was a first. We knew that there are baboons in the area. We often see them as we drive to Mbale. But I had never known them to attack livestock. It turned into a bit of a gruesome sight. I had in mind to write about this. Christopher Verdick beat me to the punch. Check out his blog and see what he wrote. http://verdickmoja.com/a-hidden-treasure/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-hidden-treasure

Today we enjoyed hosting some friends for lunch. Aleper Emmy, his wife Florence, and their children, Longoli Andrew, Lokeris Prudence and Angela Joseph are members of our church. Emmy is one of the young men who is leading some of the village Bible studies. So David has been able to attend them and encourage this brother. We would appreciate your prayers him and his family that they would continue to grow strong in the Lord. Also, Emmy has some problems with his eyes. We are in the process of trying to help him find treatment. Please pray for this as well.

just waiting on cabinet doors termite proof!