December 8, 2005

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1. We have been back to Uganda twice since 2005 and we are set to go again at Easter 2007. Please check out our site for more info. www.eastafricanoutreach.org.uk . Please continue to pray for us while we work to better Uganda’s future.

   Comment by Rev Sharif Gulsher — March 12, 2007 @ 6:04 pm

2. I feel i needed to up date the comments since 2005 we have been to uganda now 4 times since 2005 with teams from around lancashire and members from the methodist church and ecumenical church being involved on a practical and spirtual way and we wish to say a big thank you and the lords blessing be on all who have surported us in any way what so ever and especialy for Rev steven Poxon and Rev Chris cheeseman and Rev Elizebeth hodgkiss for there mentoring and guidance over the years in my life and ministery as a local preacher and minister to africa and other regions in our world. for all updates and information go to website www.eastafricanoutreach.org.uk

   Comment by Rev sharif gulsher — July 19, 2007 @ 5:36 pm

3. Resent update of our resent trip 2008

   EAST AFRICAN OUTREACH MINISTRIES.

   This report and newsletter will be our tenth presenting our mission around Uganda. This trip was exceptional as well as challenging in more areas than one. Our visits to western and eastern regions this time was of great benefit to the projects we support in Uganda and we saw that the numbers in the schools had doubled, reiterating just how much all of your support was needed and appreciated by local churches ministry teams and children.

   We safely arrived in central Uganda in the town of lugarzi after a long 22 hour trek starting at Birmingham airport onto Dubai, then Sudan and finally Entebbe. As soon as we arrived we where greeted by the national team and travelled to Lugazi which took approximately 3 hours with a brief detour to pick up Rabina (our daughter we have been sponsoring) from the boarding school,

   Vanda and Heath went to bed and slept until the next day, but I was very busy due to the fact I needed to negotiate with the elders of the team and ministers in the region regarding the itinerary, also to distribute the finances raised to the projects. All the funds where raised in UK from the very kind donations by Hurstwood Christian Fellowship, Asian Christian Fellowship, Preston Methodist Circuit and many various members of the district Methodist Church, with donations from Hollins Technological College, Pool house primary school and many sponsors who wish to remain anonymous.

   East African outreach ministries have been visiting Uganda over the last nine years, which started in 1999. The main purpose of our visit this time was to restore and provide educational, construction material and educational stationary. The projects that we have concentrated on over the last two years have been in Mityana/Mebende District and Palissa/Mbale District these are within the boarding schools and community Churches In Manyyi and Kaddama. Both projects are plagued with environmental problems and health & hygiene issues as the whole region has suffered with HIV & Aids, Malaria, very little sanitation no electricity and employment. East African outreach members feel that these projects are in need of financial and physical support, as well as spiritual guidance. The basic simple believe of these African people are Christian based and that our ethos and ethical standpoint as a Charitable Association is based on Biblical and the Christian perspective in the Christian creed and doctrine of Jesus Christ.

   Our two fold work is firstly physical support consisting of volunteers and finances for the needs of the project, secondly the spiritual teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we minister or work in Uganda it is under the authority of the National Free Churches in Uganda, we promote awareness of the plight of children and families in Uganda and provide monetary aids directly from the sponsors, over the years prepared the foundations of an excellent work in East Africa.

   Sunday 6th April Area Conference – Lugarzi (700+ attendance)

   The service was conducted with passion and enthusiasm in worship & praise and for me I found the place electric. The service lasted for two hours and then Heath shared his testimony with true passion and the entire congregation received him with open hearts, he spoke with directness and clarity of his salvation in Christ. Vanda then came and ministered on the theme of ‘A Letter from God’. She spoke with inspiration and deep understanding of the Biblical perspective of Gods love and His relationship with us. Then I continued the ministry with an extension of Vanda’s message about Christ being in all, though all and with all. The service concluded with a wonderful time of worship and thanksgiving.

   Monday 7th April Ladies Conference – Lugarzi

   Vanda ministered in the District chairman/elders home on Psalm 23 ‘The Lord is your Shepherd’. During this time I had a meeting with a Lawyer and a magistrate judge concerning the future of Rabina and discussing the next stage of the process of adoption, discussion her fantastic latest report from her boarding school.

   8th & 9th April – District Leadership Conference – Kampala (130 Attendance)

   These two days where a time of challenge and deep thought, our meetings where in the church hall of Bugergeree residential campus in Kampala. Within the campus there was accommodation for 160 children and 10 staff, there are 60% orphans and 40% paying students ranging from 7-16 years. The attendance in the conference was well received and the participation was good, there where ministers and Bishops from western and central Uganda. The day also consisted of activities with the children who were both in the classroom and playground. The main seminar was taught by Vanda and Heath who ministered in drama with the theme of making the right choices in life related to healthy lifestyle and choices concerning our attitudes in the area of laughter and joy which is a true expression of us in Christ.

   Day two consisted of the same process as day one. Involving the children and activities with prizes for the winners, we continued in the afternoon in the conference the theme was ‘Making right choices as leaders’ evaluating, observing and gathering data before making decisions concerning peoples lives, and we need to know as ministers within communities that we have to face our own responsibilities not abusing our own responsibilities for self gain. Overall the two days where long, hot but very fruitful for both the children and the leaders.

   10th-13th April – Mityana/Mubende District Conference (270 Attendance)

   We travelled for 41/2 hours to Manyyi, as we arrived in the early evening we began ministering in the main church on the difference between rebellious and defiant personalities concluding with praise and worship.

   Day two - (500 children and 260 adults)
   Today I and Heath separated taking the men and Vanda taking the women, Vanda ministered in the main community church with a theme of ‘Knowing who you are and making right decisions relating to healthy lifestyles, physical and spiritual wellbeing’. Myself and Heath travelled to the boarding school to visit the children, we where greeted with excitement by 500 children from which consisted of 160 orphans who board at the old coffee factory, the rest of the children all live in extreme poverty lacking the basic amenities. The staff and co-workers supply as much as they can to support and educate the children, the minimum wage that the teachers receive is £20 per month the rest of the time is voluntary. The coffee factory is rented at £50 per month and this in itself proves how the rich are still robbing the poor, but for £5000 we could build a complete school and accommodation to house all the children. Myself and Heath played many games with the children giving prizes again to the winners. With grateful hearts we where thanked by the leaders and was told that the donations given would be used for clothing, educational equipment, medical aids and paying for the education for the children. The activities finished with entertainment from the children of traditional dance and was presented with enthusiasm and joy, to sum up the attitude of the children they had gathers over the previous days an assortment of fruit which was presented to us as a thank you gift, which moved our hearts to tears as they had nothing but they gave to us fruit with a thankful heart. In the afternoon we all came together and talked about working in the community and overcoming our past, concluding with Praise and Worship.

   Day three - (300 Attendance)
   Today’s seminar was conducted with me, Vanda and Heath once again using drama to its fullest effect. With the seminar of healthy lifestyles, it concluded with a celebration time which consisted of traditional African dance by the ladies, worship from the choir “voices of joy”. We concluded with thanksgiving, Praise and a community meal, which we paid from our own funds.

   Day Four-Sunday Service – Communion and celebration/Baptism
   We gave communion to over 300 people which for many were their first time; I ministered on the history of the Passover in the Old Testament and the fulfilment of the Passover in the New Testament. There were a powerful presents of God and many people made fresh commitments to follow Jesus. After the communion service the whole church walked to the local river 3k away this river flows though the brick pits on the edge of a swamp, we baptised 30 people by full emersion. It was an extremely hot and very dry day but was well attended by all the church. We walked back to our accommodation with the bishop and his family and departed for Lugazi later that night.

   14th April – District Student Union Mokono District

   Today’s meeting were in three sections with me and Vanda and heath leading our own meetings.

   My meetings were in the morning sessions at Queens 6 form college consisting of girls and boys mixed and then separate meetings with the girls and boys. The attendance in the main meeting was 320 students and then separated into the different sexes. My theme was HIV and STD with teenagers and the consequences of un-protected and unwise sexual activity. And the over all picture of attitudes to life and lifestyles in our communities. The students were receptive and responsive with a good rap pore of open dialogue and discussion in the meetings.

   Vanda and heaths groups was in two parts in the afternoon at two different schools one being Queens 6 form college Lugarzi and other being King Georges secondary school there main theme was wellbeing and healthy lifestyles and making the right choices in life and learning about good relationships. These meeting all add open dialogue and open forums for discussion.

   15th – 18th April District conference Palissa/Mbale district (200 Attendence)

   Well today was a big surprise for us we arrived after a 4 hour journey to east Uganda, and it started to rain heavily and in this season it was unusual for east Africa at this time.
   On day two we went to the primary school Nabiswwa county primary, with 193 children in attendance ages 4 years to 12 year olds. The school is funded by donations from local people and sponsor outside of Uganda mainly east African outreach. All schools in Uganda are privately owned and controlled by a local educational officer but no funding is provided by central government as all main schools are under the authority of community group’s and school governors in the region it is a strange way in Uganda but education as to be paid by the parents and local people and so fund raising is necessary at all times. Poverty and environmental problems do not alleviate the major set backs of none government funding. The majority of schools are supported by their local community churches.
   We where also entertained by year seven pupils with dance and song, year sex pupils recited poetry to us. Heath and myself then played lots of games and activities with all of the children, finishing with Heath teaching the children the Hockey Cokey.
   We continued over the final two days with Vanda ministering to the ladies on self sufficiency and establishing a ladies community group. Heath ministered to the men over the two days discussing the same principles as Vanda but from a different perspective of men’s attitudes to women. Both groups where an open forum and both groups joined together at the end of the day with myself summarizing the activities of both groups.

   That evening which sitting outside the Elders house a group of children where passing by and I noticed one 9 year old girl was shielding her arm, when I approached her I asked her what she had done and how it had happened, she said that on Good Friday 4 weeks previously she had fallen out of a tree and due to her parents having no money no treatment could be sought, it was very clear to myself and the rest of the team that her arm was broken with possible gangrene I immediately asked the Elder to contact the nearest hospital which was 40km away and also contact her parents and notify them that we would pay for all the necessary treatment . By the next day the girl had undergone major surgery to save not only her arm but her life due to gangrene in her arm moving upward rapidly, the doctors reported that within another 24 hours she would had died. The girl quickly recovered from the operation and returned home. The parents were overjoyed and presented us with a bunch of bananas which to them would have been a sacrifice.

   On the final day we had a teaching service related to Baptisms for believers and then baptised 10 people in a local river 5km away. We then departed and returned to Lugazi.

   On a personal level after 2 ½ weeks of working with the children seeing how the donations where spent on the projects the plight of the children, the difficulties that the teachers have to face and the community leaders I find myself humbled and moved in my heart to see these people with huge hearts, deep pockets that are always empty, never complaining, never moaning, always with a genuine smile and full of joy and here we are in England with everything around us but we mumble and grumble at most things daily.

   To conclude I want to share an incident that happened on the final night. Early in the morning the rains came extremely heavily, lightning flashed and with no electricity around for miles it was as if the whole area lit up like a light but then suddenly there where loud cracks from the heavens from the sky to the earth and then as the cracks came there where powerful booming thunder and lightening that lasted for most of the night. The impact on the ground was the biggest explosion I have ever heard on impact the earth shuddered, the whole house shuck, the beds moved and so did we from the inside out, this continued for hours. The next day the papers reported that many people had been killed by their houses collapsing and this was a mere 2 miles away from where we were staying with the Elder and his family. I realise that of all the various experiences we all have had in life I know that man cannot control the elements of this world that we live in and proves one thing to me – Man cannot be in charge and men believe they rules this earth with power and authority and that there is a greater force than ourselves and that I believe is controlled by Almighty God.

   Uganda has a very harsh environment with extreme weather conditions cold nights, thunderstorms, monsoons, civil unrest, crime, HIV & Aids, crippling diseases such as malaria, violence and destruction of which most of us will never experience. I still find myself humbled and very aware of the need to be dependent on God and His protection and provision.

   I wish to say at the end of this report regardless of all the work that has been done on this trip to Uganda none of this would have been possible without the support of Hurstwood Christian Fellowship, Asian Christian Fellowship (Burnley) , Ingol Methodist Church and Churches within the Preston Methodist Circuit, Hollins Technological College (Accrington), Pool House Primary School (Ingol) and a special big thank you to the many individual sponsors who wish to remain anonymous, friends and family. I wish to say at this time we as a group paid for all our own expenses which included our flight tickets all the food and accommodation/Transport and any additional moneys needed was all provided by our self and that all money raised was directly given to the projects in Uganda may our lord Jesus Christ truly bless you and grant all the love you deserve and prosper you in all you do now and in the future, Jesus said if you give a cup of water in my name I will never forget your giving, so love conquers all things giving provides joy to all who have not, and the kindness shown tell us we care.

   God bless all who read this report and that you will be encouraged about a small work in this very large vineyard we live in.

   Yours In Christ’s Service

   Rev Sharif & Vanda Gulsher

   With the support from the Committee members of East African Outreach ministry’s.

   Comment by Rev sharif gulsher — April 25, 2008 @ 11:23 am

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