Bill and Debra Howeth — Missionaries to Uganda

Praises!

The months go by so fast! Because we are required to submit a report for the 501c3 (yes still working on it!) I decided to go ahead and do another P&P. With so much going on there isn’t a shortage of photos or something to share.
You might remember the last one that we had a lot of volunteers at FMLK for the month of August with a few stretched into those first couple of days in September but a lone soldier until mid month. One of the things I probably inaccurately stated is they were all from Spain.
We did have someone from Greece, one from Brazil, one from the Netherlands and Allen our last guy is from Andorra. Andorra is a tiny little independent country between Spain and France. He lives in France and rides his bicycle to work a short distance to Spain. After looking at Andorra I think I would love to visit as it is quite mountainous, sparsely populated and I have always wanted to visit Spain since that is my mothers heritage.
Allen stayed behind and seemed content to do things on his own. I’m sure he missed the group of all these volunteers which I don’t think he knew well. A friend of a friend situation but again I think we will see many of these young adults back, including Allen. At least I hope so.
Bill & I had him join us for lunch more often since he was alone and the rains were coming more frequent which makes it a little more difficult to get around on a boda boda (motorcycle taxi). You will see some of the photos of his continued work at the school but I’ll try to recap here.
He had iron sheets added to the girls dorm showers, and the toilet area updated where some of the iron sheets had deteriorated. They added a clothes line under the eve that was extended at the shower area so the clothes there might be able to dry even with some rain. He had shower curtains added and had the doors to the toilets repaired.
He brought out a guy to change out all the broken window panes which the count was under 20 but close to that number. He was going to buy chickens but ended up buying the feed and Clare purchased the chickens. Definitely the better deal for Clare.
He also brought a strap with him that has a large ratchet on it that you can chinch between two trees for the kids to learn to walk and balance on it. Probably about three inches wide. Of course there are always too many kids on it and not used as originally as designed but the kids are on it often and enjoy it anyway. He also chose to distribute rice to a few of the guardians in the village and left some for the school as well.
So that was Allen’s projects and we delighted in the visits with him and glad that we had that extra time as well. He too seemed open to spiritual conversations which we had with him. It always hard to say if things change for anyone but I believe that is not my work, that is Gods. I share, God changes hearts and lives.

So onto other things now. BSF started for me mid-Sept so just in time since prior to that I was a little too crazy and I think we all, the ladies, feel like it is overwhelming right now. Always a little difficult to get back in the grove. Bill is still in the trenches with training and conferences being discussed and possible dates being considered. His horizon looks like December I might be alone often since that month is the month that many can book activities with Universities and schools closed.
Other things coming quickly; a sweet friend is getting married in November so helping with that a little bit. She & I are headed to Kampala on Friday to attend a ladies bible conference. I’m excited, the theme is “Abide”. She and I are also working the craft for the conference with a card making activity. I’ll share pics next time. It’s a well welcomed relief for me to have that opportunity to relax and focus and have fun all at the same time with the last three months of over the top crazy busy. I think Bill will probably be working away here and doesn’t get the break as he says the furball kids are always a little whacky when I’m not here.
I just started with some scriptures with P7. I’ve run out of time so will focus on them only and the other classes can wait. They’re sitting for the candidate exams in November. Today, Saturday, I left them with John 14:6 and the question of who is Jesus to you? I will keep the time short so they can focus on their studies, however I want to encouraged them through scripture and prayers as they prepare. Mentioning to them today that it is not unusual to have fear and anxiety, they were receptive to that with a couple of the kids confessing struggling with it. So I’m looking for ways to help them cope with that and point to Jesus all the way.
They have a lot to think about. Because we don’t have a Secondary School we can’t place them in the next traditional learning space. So their choices are limited with FMLK. Some of our Naguru kids are in this class. Then two others in P6. They all call me their Jaja (?) or grandmother. And it feels like each time we have the children graduate up, get rejected because of behavior, or sometimes we don’t know why they don’t return, it is like grandchildren in my heart as it breaks for these kids.
I am working with the teachers and giving them ideas for the Christmas program as well which is just a little to close for comfort. Then I’ll help with the costumes once that is decided. A couple of unfamiliar songs for them too are being considered. Here we go, life is like that here. It keeps us busy and going for sure, just like you!

Prayers
 Pray for Bill as he prepares for sharing truth at these conferences and that the leaders and the students would be engaged and understand the gravity of their choices and that likely, the current status is not a pathway to heaven.
 Pray as we settle in. Pray for our health. I still have a cough from the bout with covid I’m managing. Bill is also having some testing done so we will keep you posted. As you very well probably know or heard, getting old is not especially fun when we think of health!?
 Pray for another couple of streams of funding for FMLK. This is an ongoing prayer, and we hope that with some of these young adults that there might be some help coming in the future. WE continue to trust God in all things!!
 Please continue to pray for the families I gifted photo sessions to, the sessions haven’t been scheduled yet. I haven’t had time to follow up with one family and the other I’m holding off for focus on the first.
 Please pray as we prepare for FMLK NGO renewal THIS month. Always rough!! Still working though this so hopefully we are pretty close and will have little stress at last minute. It is October!!