I do apologize for not having written. I have absolutely no excuse except for my eternal distractedness. Yesterday I had two jewelry shows. Having a jewelry show is distracting. Especially when you have no inventory. I've been making jewelry like crazy. And no, my 2 shows were marginally successful. I didn't sell a lot. Now I have to figure out how to market myself - always a problem. I have some ideas, which I will test out next week.  I realized, having reread my last two blogs, that I left you in the lurch, waiting for me to have a...

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Two common dilemmas with fibromyalgia are fatigue and depression. I've been asking myself all week, as I've been both fatigued and depressed, which came first, and to tell you the truth, I don't know the answer. I was into my juice fasting, and starting to feel a little better from the "virus from hell". But from Monday - Wednesday I accomplished little apart from 2 long phone calls from John, which ate up 2 mornings, and pinning dozens of photographs on Pinterest, which is addictive, in case you didn't know.  I had a lovely weekend - went to the Wynton...

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Today has been a down day, or more accurately, a down afternoon. My morning went ok as I scurried around tidying, organizing in my studio, doing laundry, answering emails. But the afternoon has been just ....down. The downsides of a juice fast: diarrhea, feeling cold and tired, scatteredness, no energy, other than to look at pretty pictures on Pinterest. Between answering emails and ordering yet more pills, that is mostly what I've been doing for several hours.  Feeling pretty unaccomplished, I decided to write more in here.  But I must remind myself that Upoki emailed me this morning and sent...

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My graduate, Bitum Upoke, just wrote to say that he has come out of the forest today, where he has been with the Pygmies for 2 weeks. They are in a bad way, with a huge diarrhea attack that has killed 5 children last week. He came home to find his infant daughter was very sick herself, with malaria. He rushed her to the hospital.  But the Pygmies have no hospital, no resources, no knowledge, no where to go, and they don't know what to do. I suspect that either their food or their water supply is comtaminated. Upoki's vision...

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More on diet, I promised you yesterday. Actually, there have been multiple diets. The first was Dr. Frahm's, who advocated an 80% raw diet, and no red meat at all. He has cured multiple thousands of people of cancer on his diet.  I read his book on muscle testing, which tells you how to do it, and where to do it to check all of your major organs plus your electrolytes and other minerals. You can also test for latent virus and parasite infections. After a year or two doing this on myslef (I am unusual, most people can't test...

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So here it is this week, and after 3 days, I am somewhat better. I still tire easily, and this morning I noticed my throat and chest are bruised as far down as 6 inches. Its bleeding from the inside. Killer virus! I guess that's what comes of getting sick when you are in the middle of detoxifying. That's right, detoxifying. Fibromyalgia is caused by a buildup of toxins in the body, due to poor performance in the gut, or bowels. The reason for this is our sterile, not to say toxic food supply, and overuse of antibiotics without reinserting...

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As I am nursing myself, I have decided to write about my management of my own healthcare. I will try to update this at least once a week.  I returned to the US on May 16, 2012 because every time I walked up the hill to the rest of campus I was getting shortness of breath and chest pain. I said when I first went to African Bible University in Uganda, that the hill would make me or break me! It is long and steep, and must be negotiated to get to the rest of campus. I was seeing myself...

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John is on campus, in Week 2 of Year 8, enjoying getting to know almost 30 first-year students from across Africa. For the first time, we are blessed to have Yosef, from Eritrea up in the "Horn" of the continent. Two Asian students are also enriching our student body as we train servant-leaders for Christ. My teaching in liberal arts continues, and I am squeezing in the doctoral dissertation as often as I can. This is the most beautiful place I know on earth. Alison, however, is getting rest and treatment in St. Louis as required by two doctors. Having...

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  It's a "deja vu all over again" kind of day, having just returned from a whirlwind tour of five schools in the region to observe 16 ABU practice teachers at work while many of you are on holiday in the U.S. This trip was more involved than the "slice of life" trip I wrote of during last school break. Ali and I are editing an in-depth report to include photos, but for a quick overview, I decided to blog this on the same topics: Please pray for our 18 ABU students across Uganda doing a required supervised practice course in...

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This is a brief update to the last item, on Ali's health. We are thankful to the Lord that she has had a successful stent placed in the lateral anterior descending artery, which serves the front of the whole heart. Location is at the top, so it means a full blockage could have been deadly (apologies to any medical folks if I have misstated the case). God is merciful in the details. We appreciate your prayer and ongoing prayer for the remaining health and other hurdles we must surmount during this long break. John

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  Dear friends, This is a very quick blog to fill you in for PRAYER. Ali went home a bit early, about three weeks ago now, as she was continuing to have heart symptoms. These started in 2008, but had not gotten a clear diagnosis. As they were getting more serious of late, it seemed best in consultation with leaders to get her to St. Louis, where she can stay with her sister and have access to good doctors and hospitals. John is under a deadline for his doctorate and has more resources at ABU; he will return to the...

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It was a blessing today to meet with Bernard Musukwa, a 2010 ABU grad who has licensed his Christian NGO for the vulnerable in Goma, eastern Congo. We talked and prayed together for blessing on his work to date; he has bought a car to use in the ministry and to gain income as a taxi driver, and land to give permanence to his work. Right now, he is in Kampala  to find supplies and funds to start a pre-school in September, Lord willing. He needs $2000 initially. I should mention that he has invested some of his own hard-earned funds to...

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  We invite prayers of friends and supporters for our plans after Graduation, June 2. Many irons are in the fire, and we are not sure quite what is God's will. Some involve travel, possibly home and/or elsewhere, with very busy projects. He will provide strength and help to meet our needs.

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  While I have good Internet (always dicey here), let me send a brief encouragment to those who prayed for Veronica Namukuye, the young lady in the featured photo spot on our home page. She is now fully back in school and gaining strength daily. Vero is one of those quiet fighters who persevere without making much of a fuss, and her classmates and we support her return! Mpola, mpola (slowly by slowly), we believe she will catch up, by God's grace.

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  Just a brief update about Upoki, whom I shared and prayed with today. He and his family are doing well, and making tough ministry decisions about the best ways forward in and around Bunia, northeast Congo. His latest visit to Uganda ended today, and he has been blessed by two valuable donations. One, from UK, will help him buy another 40 jerrycans for the Pygmies to store water and allow it to release sediment. He hopes to build a bore hole for them soon for a greater level of water purity. Another gift from the U.S. will allow him...

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  We were blessed to take part in the wedding of Max Ssali and Gloria Atuhura on Saturday, 17 March. Max manages Radio ABC, and he met Gloria through a missionary couple who helped disciple him in the faith. I got to play drums with our church's worship team, while Ali got to slice 300 slices of excellent wedding cake. I think her fingers are still numb! But the real point of this blog is cultural, and food for prayer of any African couple you may know; it is very difficult to get married well in Uganda. Couples have to navigate...

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     From February 7, 2012 After seven years’ running the ABU Dispensary with your generous outside donations and our own contributions, I’ve reached a bend in the road. For two years now, my friends and co-workers have been advising me to charge my students for dispensary items, and for two years I’ve been resisting. Last week, I went to Akugoba Pharmacy for the first time in four months since it sells things at the lowest prices I’ve found except for the subsidized Joint Medical Store. In particular, I bought Zecuf, an effective Indian herbal cough syrup for 3,500 shillings (up...

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  Sunday past, we heard a powerful and moving sermon by the valedictorian of our pioneer class, Rogers Atwebembeire. His text was 1 Peter 1, much needed in a land where 20 years of relative peace and prosperity (in the central region especially) have caused many to forget the preceding 20 years of incredible hardship. Faithful preaching has been replaced by "believe and receive", and so many are Sunday-only Christians. In the past, persecution caused many to seek the Lord in dark times. Pray for Rogers, and that we can train others to be so bold. We were also blessed...

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  We are now feeling like proud parents (or grandparents) as we see graduates joining and even establishing evangelical ministries to serve Africa. We try to provide a solid foundation by "Teaching the Treasures of God's Truth," and it is amazing the ways in which He leads them to launch out in faith. Those in California would enjoy hearing one of our graduates, Rogers Atwebembeire, speak at a conference this week: http://www.thecenters.org/events.aspx I hope to hear a good report from him upon his return. Many blessings. Mukama mulungi, ekiseera kyona; ekiseera kyona, mukama mulungi. John

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- We began classes Thursday for the 2011-12 academic year with 34 "freshpersons", and a few more might enter late. The Lord often surprises and refreshes us at the same time. I must admit that I had wondered how many new students would be able to make it here, based on reports. God is not limited by my concerns or fears; His arm is not shortened nor His ear closed to our cries. Thank you for your prayers. Ali and I were also greatly blessed by a dinner we held for the ABU Education students who had done their Practice Teaching in...

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  It's a great encouragement when someone clicks on the link at the left to send us a comment. Posting a web site is, perhaps, just a bit like being on radio; it helps to know folks are tuning in. Also, any new visitors can easily be added to our mailing list. You can always discontinue with the link that is included by our server each time we send. Thanks for being there for us as we serve the Lord here.

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 Here is the Pajero I mentioned in my last post. It is definitely big enough for any job we might expect of it, as it seats seven comfortably, and the rear two rows of seats fold up and lock in place. So, last Sunday it was a church-mobile for us and some students, and last night we went to pick up some donated medical supplies--including a wheelchair. It's hard to imagine fitting all that in the smaller vehicle we had first thought of. It also takes the village roads very well in 4WD. Thanks so much for your prayers on...

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 '91 Mitsubishi Pajero, diesel, 4x4, previously owned . . . We have been greatly blessed to have colleagues and friends here who help us through the local procedures and negotiations to do business. We hope soon to have all the paperwork needed to put our "new", well-maintained vehicle on the road. Cars are surprisingly expensive, partly because of taxation and fees, partly because of road conditions, and partly because it takes quite a few contacts and helpers to navigate the issues large and small. We had considered something smaller and lighter, but we wanted something more powerful to give flexibility and...

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 We have been blessed to return home for several months to family, friends, and supporters. They have given us warm welcomes here, and we bless them for helping us on our way. Lately in particular, new supporters have come alongside, and our return costs have mostly been covered. We still are hoping to add partners who can give on a regular basis for budgeting. Our travels around the country have mostly ended, but now we have our tickets to return to our work at African Bible University, Uganda, on January 19. In conversations while in the U.S., sometimes we have been asked, "Isn't...

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