Our work amongst the L.O.S.T.

Bob and Janet Pitcher

 

LOST stands for...Lango Orphans Scholarship Trust; and Lango Diocese covers two districts, Lira and Apach in the  rural north of Uganda.     Lira is troubled by rebel activity, aids and cattle rustlers from a neighbouring tribe one in six people are orphans.

As a result of the Welsh SOMA trip in '94 Bob made strong links with that area*. SOMA does not usually return to the same place twice BUT it did two years later and Bob went again.    So these links were deepened further and this Trust is the result. Bob has now come out of SOMA in order to concentrate on this one area.

Also our church Mothers’ Union has an official link with a  MU in the area and in October 2000, we took three members of our church, Gaynor & Allwyn Williams and Wendy Thomas to visit this link, visit the orphans and school, and be inspired and invigorated by the lovely Christians there.   We aim for one or both of us to visit every year to monitor the trust.

We fund fifty orphans...schooling, school clothes, food supplements, basic medical care and placement in a Christian family.   Thirty-five of these are directly funded by sponsors (£200 per year) and the rest are from general fund raising.
 We already have a nursery school and this year we have taken on the raising of the teachers salary to a realistic level.    So people can also sponsor a teacher. (£144 per year).

We also have a project to build a junior school and land has been purchased to that effect.    There is also a Vocational training group for those students who do not want to go on to university training but want a more practical career.    This is an apprenticeship scheme that teaches, brick laying, decorating and carpentry.

Our recent mission was an exciting and rewarding time.   On our way over to Uganda, British Airways kindly showed us the BBC, 6 'o' clock news in which we discovered an outbreak of Ebola in Gulu, only forty miles away from our destination.  This gained our attention and so on the first day in Kampala we rang the British Embassy who told us in no uncertain terms that we were not to go near Lira since it looked very much as if the virus had spread over all of that area.    And anyway, without wishing to be  over dramatic, we didn't relish the thought of being the agency which would bring it back to the West.   So we were somewhat confused.   Assured in our hearts that God had called us there, but unable to reach the people which we believed we were called to.....so we prayed.

As a result, during the first week, a programme of school visits was organised in the Mukono area where we were able to witness to Christ and a number of young people gave their hearts to the Lord.    We were also able to visit the YWAM centre in Jinja where Katy from Swansea had died of malaria a few years ago.   She was the daughter of a friend of Wendy's and we were able to hold a memorial service for her, plant a tree , and video the service for the parents back in Swansea. So our first week was not  wasted.

News reports showed that the Ebola outbreak had been contained within the Gulu district and so it was decided that we would be safe to go to Lira for six days and have a condensed programme.    We attempted the trip on the Tuesday but vehicle problems forced our return to Kampala, but we made it all the way on the Wednesday.    It was a delight to return to the lovely Lango people and to find the Orphan Project functioning well.   We met most of the orphans and guardians and had a party at Karidali school for them.

L.O.S.T is really Janet's major ministry and she  came into her own with consummate organisational and administrative skills catching up on twelve months news and recording it for the sponsors.   Sadly not all the orphans were able to be there because of our change of timetable.   Thirteen goats were given to the most needy guardians and we were able to equip the school with equipment, teaching aids and were also able to give the staff a well needed pay rise!   We took a number of church services and again people offered their lives to the Lord publicly and received Him into their hearts.  God especially anointed our singing, (truly a miracle), and also Wendy's testimony which touched the hearts of many who listened.

We had a good day with our Mothers’ Union link parish at Appii which was, however, overwhelmed by a very exuberant Mothers’ Union Membership, who constantly ran at us with high pitched blood curdling cries waving long sticks above their heads like ancient spears.    This was all great fun but not necessarily the right ambience for preaching the  Gospel.

Gaynor's speech was interrupted for twenty minutes by rain  but she continued afterwards with stoic determination.    Our vehicle broke down in the dark on the way back to Lira, so we soon got the attention of the local defence force (it is technically a war zone) and also the Bishop elect who just happened along that road and stopped to give assistance.

The final part of our mission was a lengthy journey to the Rwanda border.   On the way we visited Rukunjiri where two friends run a huge orphan project and school.   We were amazed by the resources God had provided for them and the strength and joy of Faith exhibited by Alice and John.   Then down to Kisoro where three countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda meet.    We misjudged the distance and ended the journey in darkness and heavy rain,  travelling through a forest which is the home to silver back gorilla's and rebel guerrilla's.    It felt a bit lonely in the gloom  but God whispered His presence to us and proclaimed it loudly through  Wendy and Gaynor's singing. The jungle was followed by a mountain pass only dreamed about in Indiana Jones movies; sheer drops alongside slippery muddy tracks.   Psalm singing  rose to a new fervour!

Our time in Kisoro was blessed by it being in one of the most beautiful places in God's creation amongst  people who again were so willing to give their hearts to Him in response to our ministry.

Uganda has noticeably progressed over the six years we have had the privilege to travel there.   There is still much heart rending poverty in addition to  disasters and massacres which still occur from time to time but their direction is most definitely upwards.

The church is still bulging at its seams and resounds with glorious praises, but needs resources and teaching from the West.    We have again left another large piece of our hearts there and have returned to Wales renewed  but carrying in our heads the lasting echoes of  a people emerging from the darkness into His glorious light.

* many of you will remember  Johnson Ebong-Oming  who came to Dolfor in 1995.  He is the founder of L.O.S.T.

[If any of our members would like to become involved they can contact Janet  for an information pack.   You don't have to sponsor long term.   Examples of short term projects are:  to build a classroom.... buy a bike...pay for a sewing machine.... etc.

Janet Pitcher]