some pictures

we were hiking around in the mountains/hill tops near the real mountain.

The house i am staying at, what you see in front of you is the road

you can see mountains in the distance, and i'm on top of a hill in the mountains. I found a small mint plant on top of this hill and transported it back to my house(shhh, don't tell) so, we're gonna have some mint tea!

do you see the large hill in the distance? that is where i hiked the day before, and today we hiked to this hill. in the very far distance, almost a shadow, is another range of mountains, karamojong. i'll be heading there in a few weeks.

This is my shower. It's a shack with a wooden floor, you wash out of a basin. it is also the same place we go "number one" at. but, instead of 'relieving yourself" on the boards, you stand on them and shower! fun fun.

check out the post below for some info about mission work!

Perhaps today I will give you a sort of a mental picture of what going out into the mission field is like, here in Africa. Well, for starters, it means going into the rural villages. The REALLY rural villages. You pack your things according to where you are going. For me, I try to pack as light as possible, because you never know if you’re going to be packing it for a bit, or riding on the back of a motorcycle to get where you are going. (the motorcycle is no fun; imagine two on a dirt bike with all your gear strapped to a rack on the back) So, when I pack, I bring a few changes of clothes, a book or two, including my bible and journal. I bring all the basic toiletries, except in smaller varieties. (small toothbrush, small toothpaste, and maybe soap) The trick is not bringing the things that will be supplied. Soap is usually supplied. I also bring my water purifying drops (these are a necessity) and I make sure that I have toilet paper (you have to use a squat toilet/hole in the ground and t.p. is not provided) so, it’s byotp. Bring your own t.p. also, I bring a rain coat and some other necessities. After I have packed all my things into my hiking pack, I usually have to wait for transport. This can take a while. Sometimes I’ll be told that we are leaving early, just to find out that we don’t leave until two in the afternoon. Or I’m told that we are leaving, and then we don’t leave for another few days! (time in Africa is a bit different) So, we go into the mountains. I’m either riding on the back of a motorbike, or riding in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Once I arrive at the rural village, (travelling can take from 30 minutes to 6 hours.) I meet the person I’m staying with, and the person who brought me will leave. Then, I get a tour of the village. This can take either a few minutes or many hours (depending on how many houses I get dragged into for tea and fellowship.) It’s interesting though, no matter how long it takes, you always see the important places. You see the church, and other key places. When you walk through the village, the first thing you will notice are the children. They are everywhere, and as you walk, they follow after you shouting “Muzungu!”(white) It becomes a sort of parade. It’s awkward, and it’s embarrassing for me. The children follow after and act very strange. They want to touch you and greet you and talk to you. the second thing you notice is that everyone will greet you and wish you well. As you walk they will shake your hand and greet you. When you go into homes you can bet that you will be fed and watered. People here delight in feeding their guests, especially if their guest is a muzungu. You see, it’s not like America, people in Uganda don’t often see a white person, so it’s a bit of a surprise, and they want to welcome such a visitor. So, you get hot milk tea, and you also get food. It will either be biscuits (cookies) or a full out meal. If it within a few hours of meal time, it will be a meal. The meal will be the best food they have to offer, usually chicken and rice. And perhaps chibate (chai ba tea)(*African flat bread)(Yum!) and eggs as well. That’s if you’re really lucky. And when they feed you chicken, they feed you the best part. And for them the best part is the gizzard. So, you get to eat the gizzard. Also, when they feed you, they want you to eat a lot! Especially when they think you are hungry. So, they will continue to feed you and give you large portions. They feel special if you eat all the food, but if you leave some on your plate, they feel like you either didn’t like the food, or you were sick and they worry. So you eat a lot. You have to learn, as a missionary, how to say no to some food, or else you will constantly be fed until the point of nausea. One day I was fellowshipping, when I first came, and I had four bottles of coke in only an hour, then I hiked for two hours. So, then you go to the church and you will preach and perhaps you’ll preach for an hour. After that they will continue for a while. A church service lasts for around 4-5 hours! Then, when your time is up, you will be asked to stay, begged not to leave, and inevitably they will offer to give you a plot of land and help you build a house. Every place I’ve been, since I’ve been here, I’ve had an offer to get a piece of property and even some cattle! Ha. It’s great. They really love missionaries here. So, then you leave, and start all over again next week.

Now, I want to share a few quotes.

“when he was preaching, a verse came into my head. ‘can anything good come from Nazareth’ and then I thought to myself, can anything good come from America? (then he went on to give me a compliment)”

“So, what is your name? me: ‘luke ryggs’, him: ah, luke ryggs, Luke, that is good, you see, when I have my first male child I will name him luke ryggs” (this was after talking to a guy for fifteen minutes)

“in Africa, children will not learn without using the stick”

“Michigan… Hmm, is that country in north America or South America?”

And I’ll leave you with a question. It might hurt, but sometimes when we get offended, we do something about it! Think about the question and ask yourself, I know it’s a question I’ve been asking myself.

Can I have a closet full of clothes and twenty pairs of shoes after I have seen children with only the clothes on their backs, and those falling apart in rags, and no shoes? Is it fair? And why? What causes this to happen?

There is a book called 1984, written by George Orwell, it’s one of my favorites. One of the slogans in the book is “Ignorance is strength.” You know, ignorance is strength. When we don’t know about a certain problem, or something that is happening in the world, we are free to act in any way we want. But once we know, we are forced to make a choice. We can continue doing thing that keep people in poverty, or we can change the cycle. WE can choose to keep buying shoes for ourselves when we have no need, or we can buy a pair of shoes for a child in Africa, or Europe, or Asia. I want to challenge you to not live ignorantly, but to have a knowledge of what you are doing with your money. What are you supporting with your purchases? And I could go on.

Praise God.

I got my camera back, here are a few photos!

the first is of the mountains in mengae,

the second is of a boy at the tiger's club ( a charity for feeding and educating street children)

and the last is of a small village near bukwo, the huts you see are the houses that people live in here.

hope this helps

i'm finally leaving for a rural place today!

peace out

live like you look

So, first i want to address something i've been thinking about for a while.

Something i've noticed about people. As a human being, we like to have a feeling that we are being treated like humans. We like to feel like we are humans. We like to be treated decently. How do we do it? how do we feel like decent humans? We have little things in life, like clean clothes and hot showers. We eat good meals, and share with each other. One of the things i've noticed about Uganda is that the people here will stop and greet you as you walk along the street. They are nice to each other, even if they don't know each other. They are concerned about how you are doing, not just merely saying hello. even if you don't have much, you can still be nice to someone. You can still invite them over to take tea. It makes people feel decent to be able to have tea to give, to have a meal, to have things to share. It makes people feel human. So, Like i was saying. People like to feel like humans. They like to feel decent. and it goes in steps. For someone who has never had power, or running water, just sharing a meal with them, staying in their house, when i do that, they feel decent. they feel respectable, they've had a guest over. they were able to share a meal, break bread, fellowship with someone. that makes them feel decent. If someone has always had power, and running water, they feel decent when they are able to enjoy a break, watch some tv. take time to enjoy things. And those people who have had everything their whole life. They feel decent when their bank accounts grow... but here is the crux. what price will we pay to feel decent, to feel good about ourselves? will we sacrifice someone else's decency to feel better ourselves? Will we abuse others so that we feel more human?

What do you do to feel human? to feel decent? is there anything you do that could make harm someone else's decency?

Perhaps you take coffee at a coffee shop. Where is the coffee coming from? did the worker who picked the coffee recieve fair wages?

perhaps you buy clothes and dress smart. Who made the clothes? were they overworked underpaid, is their decency taken away from them so that you can feel better about yourself?

We need to focus on the price we will pay for decency.

that... is an incomplete thought, but i've been thinking it for a few days.

a quick story and i'm out.

there were some visitors at the house today, and as they were leaving, one of the ladies stopped to talk with me. She doesn't speak english, so my host was translating.

a little background first... I have realized that people here have not seen many men with long hair. Since it can be VERY annoying to be called "madame" when i walk down the street, i've decided to grow out my facial hair a bit more. So, i have not shaved in a while and i've got a little beard and moustache thing going. and my hair is just as long as always.... So, that's the background.

This woman stops to talk to me and she says "we have been praying for you. Also, i wanted to tell you that you look like Jesus. Every picture we have seen of him, every carving, you look like Jesus." and then she went on to say "i want to encourage you to live in a way that reflects how you look on the outside."

But, it was interesting. Apparently, I look like Jesus.

that's just kind of funny to me.

pastors corner

yesterday i walked to Pastors corner, a gazebo at a local hotel/resturant. it is a nice place to get away and have some quite time to reflect and read the bible. this is what i wrote in my journal.

"sitting in pastor's corner at masha hotel. drinking a grape soda and observing life. the clouds are far away and puffy, like big balls of cotton, they seem to have soakd up just a little water, they are gray on the edges. the birds are chirping and the ground smells like it has been raining to the point where it (the ground) has drank its fill and is satisfied. a few weeks ago the ground was dry and dead, brown with lack of life. Now it is green and full of water. a bit squishy when you walk on it, like spring in michigan. it shows its contentment by growing greener and greener like to a shade of green contentment. I slowly sip grape soda out of a glass bottle. the cool bottle feels nice while sitting in the shade away from the sun. I sit on a terrace on the edge of a cliff. the fence is two yards in front of me. It calls me to stay back, to peer through to the beauty beyond. 100 feet down is the road. the only paved road in the district. i watch, like a bird, as people drive, rid, and walk by, along the road. Beyond the pale ribbon of the road that snakes away down the mountain, i can see farm land. banana plantations and small houses, made of mud and straw. the green of the banana plantations and open land is quickly contrasted from the red squares of plowed farm land waiting for the perfect combination of rain and sunlight to bring seeds to life. I sit here and one thought comes bubbling to the surface of my mind. Matthews, indiana. For whatever reason, i am reminded of my grandmother's town. It is a small quiet town, with farmland and the smell of wet dirt in the air during springtime. Like a few other places in Indiana, some of my fondest memories come from matthews. Spring time spent there, exploring the banks of the river looking for tadpoles, running through the forest looking for mushrooms. Looking for easter eggs, especially the special one with a dollar in it! The wind through the wind chimes. Grandma fussing about little things. It all comes together like a grand symphony. Springtime and grandma's house, summer at prandpa's hous, thanksgiving spent with all the relatives. Fond memories from my childhood. You don't need money to be happy, you need love. Friends and family. The grape soda i'm drinking reminds me of summers at our lake house picnicing with family. Grandpa and everyone coming for the forth of july. I am so blessed with an amazing family. I knew it, but it never fully sank in until now. You don't realize how much you have until it's gone.

Our focus in life too often is aimed at things. Getting the right car, the right job, the right comforts. But, Jesus didn't focus on things, he focused oh people. He focused on loving people. There is something deep within our souls that only love can minister to, and by loving others, we also feel the ministry.If we focus on loving people because they are suppose to be loved, man, it would change the world. People matter, things don't. 

Love is the basis for ministry. Imagine a tree. the roots are the way we love and the rest of the tree is our ministry. the life of the ministry comes from the roots. If the roots are damaged, the tree will die, if the roots are SHALLOW, the storm will come and knock the tree down. But, if the roots are strong, deep, the tree will withstand any storm and will draw water from the deepest source, the source of life, even in the times of droughts. the water we draw our love from, that the roots of life get their nourishment from is God's love. It is a deep, everlasting source, which will never dry up. Sweet water of life.

Amen.

psalm 98.

time is in the weather

What???

that don't make no sense. time is in the weather?

let me explain...

Time, here in africa, is something different. It's more of an option. All things, even church, start when people are ready. people don't try to be there at a certain time. If you are getting ready to go to church, lets say it's ten minutes till church starts, and you have not eaten, you will fix breakfast and eat and enjoy tea, before you go to church, because odds are everyone else is doing the same thing. So, even if you are the preacher, you can be late by 30 minutes or even an hour. People will wait, people will sing, people will dance, and everyone else will be just as late as you!.

So, that's time. Event to an event. not minute to minute. 

Now, weather, hmmm. The roads here are terrible. If there is rain, it will wash out roads, and make driving impossible even for 4wd vehicles. So, if you are leaving, lets say, on tuesday, to go into the mountains to preach for the week, and the rain comes, you will not be able to leave on tuesday. The day will be "wasted". But, people don't really seem to be concerned if a day is wasted. So, wednesday, you are trying to leave, and the roads are still impossible. Another day wasted, but not wasted. Time here is given freely, there is no hiccup about waiting and wasting time. an entire week can go by and you wil still be in the same place, waiting to leave. But life goes on. People still seem to keep up and keep having fun.

So, if you are ever in africa, make sure you take a book along with you. a good one that you can read for hours. Waiting is something you get use to. i've found to think. think and think. I've been thinking so much. I've discovered so much about myself just from hours and hours of contemplation. I have learned that my thoughts skip along and it is hard for me to pay attention. I've also learned that I like to rush between things. So, i find ways of challenging myself in patience. I also find my unconcious patterns, and i try to reverse them. Lets say that i cross my arms in one certain way, i try to reverse it. Little challenges, like brushing my teeth with the hand that i normally don't brush with. Getting use to these things, and then once they have become a new pattern, i change it back. All because of the fact that i'm waiting. Reading a book and then memorizing different passages in the book. It's amazing what you can do with your brain to keep your time occupied!

So, that's just a little about me. and about my time here. But, i'm doing plenty. I've been preaching my voice out!

love you all.

luke

yesterday is a wrinkle on your forehead

So, yesterday, i preached. Today i am resting and catching up. tomorrow i travel, and wednesday through sunday i preach again.

That has been my life.

But, God is great.

I came across a passage that spoke some amazing truth to me.

in the book of luke, after the parable of the sower. there is a passage, that says "to those who have, more will be given, to those who don't have, even what they have will be taken away."

this passage has always struck me as strange, until i caught a little bit of the previous sentence that always had been something read over but never sunk in. 

"consider carefully how you listen"

WOW.

ouch

good stuff.

If we don't actively seek to understand God's word, to "have" we will not be given more understanding, and if we don't listen carefully, even the little understanding that we do have will be taken from us!

So, 

Consider carefully how you listen.

amen

living is simple

The title "living is simple" 

Those are the lines to a switchfoot song. its a great reminder to me. living is simple, if you allow it to be. Too often we overcomplicate living with trying to manufacture our own "better way." The better way of a television, a cell phone where anyone can contact you at all times, a car, a house, a morgage, and we add all this little junk into our lives that we can't help but bump into it as we walk through our lives, and we still have wants. But, living can be simple. Without electricity, without t.v. without a morgage, no problems.  people did it for thousands of years, and even thought more. loved the simple things more and were devoted to loving people. 

We can do that too!

living is simple.

on another note...

i've been feeling some culture shock lately and small reminders from home are always nice. i was in the capitol city of uganda yesterday and now i'm back in Kapchorwa, missionworkin' it up. But, anyway, yesterday. ( i get sidetracked easily) So, yesterday, (but it's so easy to lose track), Yesterday i was at the (yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away...- the beatles, good song) YESTERDAY! i was in a store picking up some supplies that cannot be gotten in kapchorwa, and i stumbled upon some ground coffee, african coffee, processed in a good way. I bought. I tried today. It was amazing. It was like a good cup of STRONG coffee and went deep into my bones and strengthened my intestines and brought my contenance up like a sniffing salts to a passed out boxer. It was an amazing experience. coffee.

wow. simple pleasure.

red bull and a smile

Red bull and a smile

So, let me tell you of the past few weeks.

two weeks ago yesterday, i fell ill. It was pretty bad

I was travelling back from bukwo, a district bordering

kenya. It is a small place with no power and no doctors.

so i travelled to kapchorwa town, 6 hours away, in a 

large truck, cramped into the cab with a man a woman and

two little children. There were many more people yet in the

vehicle, but travelling in the back, with the cargo.

That is what we in africa like to call public transport!

So, travelling upon terrible roads whilst battling diarreha

and vomiting! it was not fun. But once i arrived in kapchorwa town,

i went to the doctor, after a brief stint in the bathroom(TMI!).

They tested for the big two, malaria and typhoid ( in kampala, the

doctor {an englishman} told me that in the bush, to be sick means 

to have malaria, the two words are the same!) and my tests came

back negative for the both of them. Hooray... or so I thought, but

the lingering question in my mind, on the first day of my illness,

is why am i sick if I don't have those. Perhaps allergies,

or food, or a virus. So, i decided to weather the illness,

and take the pills the doctor gave me (which were still

malaria pills, to fight malaria!, they are tenacious with

the malaria!) After a few days, i was still feeling ill and 

the medicine was spent.So, a few more days, still ill.

and a few more... so on and so forth. a week hence, and i was

still very ill. So, we gather our heads together and talk

about a solution, and we come up with one. so, the past monday,

I climbed into a private trasport(thankfully) and headed west towards

kampala. The country capitol, to see a "special muzungu doctor" 

AKA a white doctor! So, i arrive on monday, head to the clinic,

a very posh place right next to one of the few golf courses in

the country! the "rich" side of town. And what is going through 

my head is how much this is going to cost, maybe a pound of flesh! 

perhaps an arm and a leg, but they would surly apply leeches to

my pocketbook to let some of its livelyhood! So, monday, at the clinic

the doctor is busy, booked solid, for the whole day until tuesday at

noon. we set the appt. and head back to where i'm staying. fall asleep 

ill, and wake up ill, hoping for sweet relief! go to the doctor

and wait until half past noon, coincidently, i was early for my 

appt. and it was the first time i've been early since being here

in Uganda! hooray.I see the doctor for less than ten minutes and

he chides me for coming into the country with out the 

simple pills that would cure such an illness in less than

a day! he asks for a stool sample and they take it to the

lab. I feel bad for the lab technician, he's got to have 

a crappy job!(pun intended). So, i wait an hour and a half for

the results that were to come in "ten minutes", again typical 

Ugandan way of dealing with time. ten minutes can mean an hour

or even more. and guess what! it was salmonella! that dirty

little amoeba! and the doctor gave me some pills and sent me on

to the cashier. the worst part, or so i thought. You see, when i

came to the clinic, they had me deposit 60000 shillings, or a little

less than forty dollars american. So, i'm looking to pay a large

bill, for a simple treatment. And you know, God is amazing,

the lady starts handing me money back. It only cost 43000 shillings.

I was shocked. This was a private clinic, the doctor's 

consultation along was supose to cost 65000! plus lab fees

and the price for the medecine. But, they only charged me 43000.

let me put that into a perspective that you might understand.

Imagine going to a private doctor, who has had many years 

of medical training, special training and all that rot.

and to add to that, he is the owner of the private hospital.

He looks at you personally, and gives you consultation, 

he had the lab fees done, and then he gives you the perscription

himself, and also a surplus for the next time you get sick.

all of that treatment.

for twenty five dollars! 

$25

That is unheard of. Unfathomable.

Praise God.

So, today, the day after, i'm feeling good for the first time

 in two weeks plus! and i went to town to look at replacing 

my camera (mine was stolen :( ] and also to check out a bookshop.

I get to town, yet i don't find a camera (very crappy ones, very expensive)

But, i founds some great books, two of my favs. 

(1984, george orwell/ grapes of wrath, John steinbeck)

and i stopped by a shopping center to grab some deoderant,

and a toothbrush ( mine is getting worn to the nub.) these

are the important things to have with you in the bush.

and lotion. skin dries up like the plague and you walk around

feeling like a leper unless you use lotion all the time. and

then moses, the man driving me, and i wanted to grab something to drink

whilst we were shopping. (i've switched from while to whilst, incase it 

bothers you, i'm not sorry, it's a better word) so, WHILST we were 

shopping, we espied the drink cooler and what to our surprise, but 

I found a Red Bull in there. It was even less expensive than

in america! so, i'm thinking... SCORE. So, i grabbed two, one

for myself and one for moses, because the best things 

in life are those shared with friends. i paid

for the merch. and we grabbed some straws (you can't 

drink anything w/out a straw, it's the law in Uganda) and

i had at my red bull like a raving lion at an antelope.

as soon as the first drops of the cool elixer touched

my tongue, i knew that everything would be alright. I felt

my strength returning, like when popeye takes a hit of 

spinich, and my contenance grew to be that of what it should.

(good words huh?) 

See, you never know what things you'll miss once your away

from home for a long time. I don't truly miss red bull,

but, like everything here is a visual reminder of the

fact that i'm not home, not in america, Red bull stands

as a light in the darkness of culture shock(which is no fun)

and reminds me that everything will be alright. It reminds

me that there is probably a billion cans of the stuff

strewn about on some college student's floor as he/she

studies for finals. ( brian wozny!!!) and i remember friends,

and smile to myself because of the love of friends.

So, to end on a sappy note. I am here in africa, Life

is good because God is amazing. I miss home like nobody

knows. Not for all the red bull, or skittles (though i sorely miss them)

But for the friends and especially family. I love you all

and miss you all very much and hope to see everyone 

when i get back. I'll give you all a great big hug and

a kiss if you're not careful. in the meantime, i'll be

heading back into the bush with a machete so that i can

hack my way into deep villages and bring the Gospel to

them. If you are any good with tramping through the

bush, climbing mountains, and enjoying the sunshine

and rain whilst on a mountain in Uganda, Please come

join me, there is plenty of room and the offer always stands.

No Joke!

Plus, if you are  not that daring,

Send me a letter or postcard, it's only a dollar

Luke Ryggs

p.o. box 46

kapchorwa, Uganda

East Africa

or text me/call me at 011 256 752 488 089.

Love from A-country!

luke

God is green:

So, despite being sick, i've been pretty busy for the past few weeks.

I went to a town right on the border with kenya, in another district called

"Bukwo" and the town which bears the same name. I did some leadership training

whilst there. I also had the privelage of sharing the resurrection sunday message

with the people. We have also started working on a christian environmental awareness

message, to the community, the church, and the country, starting in Bukwo. Praise God.

In the rain, in the calm, he is there. 

Amidst trouble and tyranny he is there.

the belief that strength made perfect,

perfected in weakness. If that is true,

how strong are the poor? the oppressed?

The orphan, the widow. That is where we 

should go to learn about true strength,

the humility to rely on the help and 

goodwill of others. To rely only on God,

not trusting in man. To know that when

they look up to the mountains in their live

their help is coming, their God will not

forsake them. He hears the cries of the widow,

the cry of the orphan, the cry for help.

The Lord builds the house,it will stand the storms of life

the promise of trouble is oh so true. We know the suffering,

Our eyes are open to the terrors of evil in this world. 

The grip is weakening,

A day is coming, a day of glory, when everyone will run to the mountain of 

the Lord. They will cast aside all of the things that the clung to, the treasures

in this life that they had to have, that they sacrificed to, the idols they carry with

them every day, casting them aside onto the ground, trampled by the people

Going to the mountain of God. They burdens we carry will only make it hard

for us to run to the mountain.

The day is coming where the sword will be beaten into a plowshare, the spear 

into a pruning hook, and never again will they learn war. Instead there will 

teaching of peace, of a new kingdom that is founded on the blood of the lamb,

in the peace of His Love.

Don't feel forsaken, don't feel that the lord is far away, know that, as switchfoot says

"the shadow proves the sunshine"

if we see war all around us, we can rejoice knowing a day of peace will come,

if we see destruction around us, we can know that God will redeem creation,

if death, hope for Christ, if hate, hope for love. The shadow will pass away

and we will be left staring into the pure light and knowing that the pure light

is within us.

My hope is in the future, in the sunrise.

one last thought,

And you, Child, will be called the prophet of the 

Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to 

prepare His ways;to give to his people the knowledge 

of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins,

Because of the tender mercy of our God,

WITH WHICH THE SUNRISE FROM ON HIGH WILL VISIT US, 

TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKENESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,

To guide our feet into the way of peace.

Christ came to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Praise HIM!

And at last, morning comes. For a life lived in darkness, the first true glimpse of

the sun is breath-taking. It stings the eyes, it burns the skin, it washes away

all the inky darkness. After seeing it, you would never want to look back into the 

quagmire that you dwelt in for so long. Glorious, painful,

but tender sunrise. Sunrise that brings life to creation. 

the trees awaken to praise,

the birds sing its glory. 

All you can do is stand in awe of the coming day.

Letting true light wash over.