Greetings to our precious family. We are very pleased to bring you a long awaited update about Nyamabuga and happenings at the school. The following report is from Teresa Skinner, director of All Nations International from her recent trip to Uganda. Enjoy!
What a wonderful and unique trip!
Each time that I have travel to Uganda I take a team and we work with the children. This trip was unique because the students did not return from vacation until Sept. 26th.
We chose not to stay in a hotel but in Sister Gertrude’s village house with Ezra and Titus. Clare and Kangume Stella stayed with us and this gave us a lot of time together.
In Kampala we bought rubber boots so that we could visit the farm… how amazing the improvement from last year after Sister Gertrude passed, when I walked the entire farm with Emmanuel.
Emmanuel, Clare, Stella, Ezra, Titus, the teachers and students all seem much more relaxed, confident and emotionally stable than last year. They have gone through a lot since Sister Gertrude’s passing and are coming through it all quite well.
Our team:
Corazon Navara – Manila, Philippines. Cora has a Master’s in Business Administration and is an accountant. She was the administrative coordinator in the Philippines at the Asian Center for Missions under Gordon Robertson where our ministry taught Isaiah 58 training modules during the 1990’s.
Pauline Mmaduakor – Nnewi, Nigeria West Africa. We have known Sister Pauline and her late husband since 1983. Our late director helped the Mmaduakor’s establish a Christian School of 400 students in Nnewi that Sister Pauline directs today.
Sister Pauline prayed with Stella over the school, ministering and encouraging the teachers and leaders with her testimony and prayer. Sister Gertrude visited Nnewi and the school in Uganda. Sister Pauline will continue to offer prayer support and advice.
What do we feel that we were all able to accomplish on this trip?
1. Communications: I restored Emmanuel’s email account on his iPad. He had lost it and it looks like Ugandan electricity also damaged his smart phone… Thank God for the solar at the school and house but we suffered a lot with dead batteries as the solar does not charge iPhones.
Emmanuel was so happy to get access to his emails. I was able to teach him how to fix that problem if he ever has it in the future.
Clare, Stella Kangume and Ezra Nyakana all have smart phones now, so we installed WhatsApp and taught them how to use their phones. Here are two photos Stella already sent. All of them have contacted us several times through WhatsApp. It is a cost effective messaging app where we can send messages, photos and if they have enough data they can call us free.
Ezra graduated from Nyamabuga and is going to another school. He has been mentored by Gordon Skinner for some time, and will continue to do so long distance through WhatsApp.
Why is this communication so important? Sister Gertrude was Mother, Pastor and Mentor. Just as Sister Gertrude maintained communication to the U.S., she gave them communication from the U.S. We saw and ministered to adverse effects of not feeling supported during trying times. We hope that WhatsApp will help aide in better, more frequent and cost effective communication.
Students who have attended Nyamabuga school since 2010 and 2011
40 ‐ P7 Students are sitting for exams in November and will go to new schools after graduation.
2. The Secondary School: Nyamabuga is now only a primary school. The secondary students have joined other schools. In November many of the students that knew Sister Gertrude will graduate and go to other secondary schools.
Although this is painful, (I remember bringing dentists, medical teams and special training for these children as they have grown) the compound is not set up otherwise.
We are praying that in the future, we will be able to build a Secondary school.
3. The Farm. Oh, what God has done: Ssemuyba Geoffrey knew Sister Gertrude and promised to help and he has kept that promise. Geoffrey left his own farming project and joined the NEEP farm. He travels from Entebbe teaching at two colleges during the week and then comes and works many hours on the farm. This has been a major support for Emmanuel.
Previously patches of cabbage were grown all over. Now, per Geoffrey’s advice, everything is organized and much more productive. Produce is grown in sections and stages. The tractor works well and the students are being provided for. God has provided about 8 very good workers for the farm and a special young man called Moses who helps at the school and manages the large school garden.
How we enjoyed eating Honey, Posho, Watermelon, Avocados, Passionfruit juice… all from the farm.
Click here for farm video: https://youtu.be/IMkkTfHz2zU
4. The Mill: Many of us have asked about the mill…
More than a year ago, Emmanuel contacted the electric company and waited and waited for them to install the necessary electricity to operate the mill efficiently. They had used the mill before but since it is large, they needed more power. This was a frustration because whenever Emmanuel took the corn (“Posho” is made from the corn on the farmand is the main staple for the student’s diet) from the farm to other mills, they would not return all of it.
Good News: Emmanuel has found a very good way around this and will have the mill up and running before the end of November.
They have bought an amazing machine that removes the corn from the cob quickly. One day I walked into the mill house full of corn on the cob. Then next day I walked into the mill house full of bags of corn. Amazing.
5. What makes us a Christian school? Many have wondered about the spiritual side of the school.
For years, Kangume Stella faithfully helped the boarding students pray in the morning and have a “service” during the week every night. She also ministered to the children every Sunday morning.
To strengthen these areas we have done several things.
Through “WhatsApp” on Stella’s new phone we have started her on the Isaiah 58 Mobile Training Institute program from our sister ministry All Nations International. We have 100 books of the Foundations of Faith is58MTI textbooks being printed right now in Fort Portal. Hopefully they will be finished next week. Stella and Clare will begin teaching the students from this 
book on Sundays. This curriculum is designed for lay leaders to train others.
Clare is a mother to the children. I still laugh, thinking of how I saw her playing with a little boy’s soft ears. Clare will be
teaching the Sunday classes with Stella, as her desire is to have time with the children in Nyamabuga.
6. What is missing?
You are missing.
We are missing.
So what can we do? Our visits encourage them so much.
What if each organization represented would go one time a year? We would bring 4 teams to Nyamabuga a year.
We traveled to work with Sister Gertrude… Can we do it again?
In preparation for your visit…for only $250 (money received from selling crafts here in the US) we were able to replace the more than 30 year old worn couch in Sister Gertrude’s house. We also paid to have the older couch reupholstered and foam replaced. That couch will go in the school so that you will have a comfortable couch to sit on when you come.
God is on our side.
What are your thoughts?
Teresa Skinner
All Nations International