Ministering to UgandaNebbi Women's CenterDo you know that the Diocese of West Texas ministers in three places in Uganda? Leon and Debbie Fillyaw and sons are based in Bundibugyo and are heavily involved in discipling clergy and lay leaders. In summertime, Christ Church, San Antonio, heads a team that works at Sisters of Charity Orphanage, Kiwanga. And the Women’s Center in Nebbi, is the largest single mission project that has ever been undertaken by the Diocese of West Texas. In December 2003 phase two of the Nebbi Women’s Center was completed. Phase one (classrooms, library, and administrative buildings) and phase two (dormitories, kitchen, and dining hall) now accommodate women from all over northern Uganda, Congo, and Sudan. Forty-seven women have already enrolled and study reading and writing, English as a second language, family planning, AIDS prevention, nutrition, personal hygiene, and simple medical procedures. The third and final phase, an auditorium, is fully funded and will be completed by the end of 2004. Our diocese has secured a grant to build a grist-mill at the Center to assure the work is self sustaining. We’re prayerful that this exemplary ministry can be replicated in other parts of Africa. I feel very fortunate to have been at the dedication of the Women's Center in the Nebbi Diocese. Having watched "Tarzan" and "African Queen", I had a somewhat inaccurate vision of Africa. To my surprise, I never saw a lion or a monkey or any man-eating ants. What I did see were women in the early morning carrying large cans of hot water on their heads for our baths. I watched women and children walking for miles to gather wood for their fires. I saw children happily playing for hours with a hoop and a stick. I don't know if I made any significant contribution in Nebbi, but I do know they left a very profound mark on my heart. With grass huts, dirt roads, no electricity, and for the most part, no form of transportation except by foot, these people are some of the most loving I have ever met. I couldn't help but be struck by the difference in the lives of these women and mine. I began to worry about their plight and immediately thought of how I could improve their lives. I had no idea they could make such an impact on improving my life. The picture I will always carry in my heart is the church service where such an obvious love of the Lord was expressed through praise and music. And when it came time for the collection, I watched in amazement for the next half hour as each person joyfully danced up to put his money in the plate. Knowing that I probably spend more on haircuts than they make in a year, I wondered how they had anything to give. I watched their smiling faces and realized how easy it is to allow my abundance of "stuff' get in the way of my relationship with the Lord. Yes, I do hope for an improvement in their lives with education, clean water, and medical help. But I also pray that the simplicity of their love of the Lord will remain, and that with that memory in my heart, I can see past the "stuff" and learn to be like the people of Nebbi and dance before the Lord.
Episcopal Relief and Development Donations for the Ugandan Projects to: Diocese of West Texas (marked for Uganda) P.O. Box 6885 San Antonio, TX 78209 Attention: Betty Chumney |