Alive and well in Uganda

View this email in your browser
Follow me www.michaelbrewer.me

Our school dressed up right before a special evening of fellowship and food here at YWAM Hopeland

What a different world

I've been in Uganda for a few weeks now, I've gotten somewhat used to the pace of life here, but nothing really prepares you for being here in general. I've traveled quite a lot. I've seen hard things, amazing things, had funny conversations and serious moments all over the world, and yet there's nothing that really matches being in Africa. It is wholly and completely a different world. To train the people who in most cases among our 9 students are already working in some incredibly hard places is a great motivation to be here though. It is deeply humbling to stand in front of them and talk about things like how teams form and how we going about being individuals who are more transparent and vulnerable to ourselves and others close to us. They are doing amazing things, yet often lack training such as this, which, not only benefits them but also equips them to train others.

I spent my first couple of weeks here helping the base here to prepare for the schools that we are running. I specifically am staffing the Foundations of Community Development school here at YWAM Hopeland, but what you could perhaps call our "sister school" the Sustainable Agriculture School also started at the same time and the two schools are collaborating to try and provide the best training we can to the respective groups of students. We began classes on Monday after welcoming our students here throughout the weekend to the start of this 12 week season. The first week is all about team dynamics. We spend it learning about unity, team formation, and personality types as well as getting to know one another. Next week we will discuss Biblical Worldview and the impact it has on societies, with the following week beginning to talk about the principles involved in development from a biblical perspective. Much of our classes involve discussion. This not only helps people to assimilate the material more fully, but we truly have much to learn from a class of whom 7 are Ugandans over 40 years old and all are working in communities already, looking for ways to help their work inspire and equip workers who will carry and multiply the work of leading people into Godly lives and relationships which ultimate helps ensures their hope for their families to have a better future than what has gone before. It is a blessing to look into their faces and see the fruits of a life of faith lived in opposition to poverty, despair, and destruction. I'm blessed to be here, and to in some small way impart to them tools that will help them to do the amazing work which has already been started all over East Africa.

The second week I was here, there was a large agriculture show in the middle of Jinja. Apparently it is quite well known and brought in guests and exhibits from all of Uganda as well as several neighboring countries. There were some very interesting techniques and technologies presented there. Many of them were done with a goal of supporting sustainable, low-cost, high yield methods to allow the small plot farmer to compete and earn a decent income in this largely agrarian society. It was pretty fun getting to nerd out there and learn some neat stuff. I also made friends with this camel! I hope everyone is having an amazing summer. God Bless!

-Michael

Prayer Requests:
1) Health
2) Finances
3) Wisdom in helping to lead the school
4) Vision for what to do after the school is over

A quick note, my finances are not yet covered for my time here, so my funding page is still active. There are a couple of other ways to contribute as well. If the Lord puts it on your heart, please contact me or click here- http://www.gofundme.com/8cluaw