My trip to Soroti

Hello, it has been an eventful set of days since last I was able to get on here and update you all. I took a bus east to Soroti town with Sarah to visit the prison there. Sarah is a Ugandan lady who is starting a mission in the prison to help to educate the prisoners and to bring them some hope. She is also a gospel singer and is putting together a special concert at the prison with some other artists. They will put on a concert and bring in some good food and have some games for the inmates. She was traveling up to her home town to set up some last details of the concert and was kind enough to bring me along. She has a real heart for ministry to the prisons. It was quite an experience for me. One must be very careful in Uganda when you are taking pictures. They do not allow pictures of bridges, police stations, and certainly not the U.S. embassy which you pass by in town. So I was obviously not able to take any photos at the prison. But I was able to visit. I was able to climb Solot rock there in Soroti which I will have pictures of and Sarah took me to her village to have dinner with her family. What a special time that was.

Before I continue on and tell you more about my visit to the prison I would like to make sure you know about the horrible mudslide in a near by district in Uganda. We drove by on our way to Soroti. The number of dead is still climbing. Whole villages were swept away. The death toll could reach 400. Please pray for the people here in Uganda and for the survivors and those who tried to rescue people. It was a horrible tragedy that is rocking the entire country.

I will say that my trip to the prison in Soroti was better then I was anticipating. I am not saying that it is not a tough place to be. Most of the men and women there are among the poorest of the poor,but the chaplain and his wife are caring people who have a huge desire to better the present situation of the prisoners as well as improve their chances once they are released. I met Isreael on Tuesday afternoon the day before we went to the prison. I was able to give him some books for their little library they are trying to start for the prisoners. He was so greatful. I had a restful night at the Holiday Inn in Soroti and we went to the prison at about ten the next morning. First we went in and met with a lady, I am not sure exactly what her position was, but she showed us some of the crafts that they are teaching the prisoners how to make. They were quite good and I told them I would buy some after we were done. Then we went in to great the O.C. That would be the Officer in Charge. He was a tall, imposing man with a gentle and caring demeaner under the authority. It was obvious he genuinely cared for the people under his care and wanted to make things better for them. He had a good relationship with the chaplain and was very gracious to me as a guest.

We then went all together to view the workshops. They are trying to teach skills as well as more formal eduction. They are teaching weaving of mats and baskets, woodworking, and want to teach bead making as well. The grounds of the prison were clean, there were trees for shade to work under and little greenery planted about. They also have a music group that plays native instruments made there at the prison. Next we went into one of the buildings where they were holding class. There were about 20 young men sitting on cow hides in front of a black board. There was no paper, or pens. They did have some educational posters tacked to the walls. One of the inmates was a teacher so he is teaching there. Six of the men got up and demonstrated at the request of the O.C. that they could now write there own names. Most of the men had never been to school. That is part of the reason they end up in prison, with no schooling the opportunities for work are severely limited in Uganda. The chaplain and O.C. want to do everything they can to help provide a way for these people to better themselves and support themselves once they are released. We got to visit the wood working shop as well. They make very nice things there when the machines are working. That is not often as the machines are from when the British left!! Everything is so old, even the O.C.'s secretary was typing on a typewriter that I swear the British had left behind as well!

Our final stop inside was the women's side. There are around 400 men and 20 women housed in Soroti prison. That number can vary. I had been asked to speak a word to the women by the chaplain. I spent a lot of time in prayer the night before. What can I say to these women? Some are there for good reason and need to know God's forgiveness and some are in there for little or no reason and need help forgiving. God led me to the book of Romans. I spoke on 'hope' and what is real hope? Hope is only real when it is based on something real. What is worth hoping in on this earth? All go through some kind of suffering, some more, some less. The only thing worth hoping in is Jesus, and that if He loved us enough to die for us, He loves us enough to be with us every step of where ever we go in life. And He will take us to be with Him when we die. That is the only thing worth putting real hope on in this life.
Romans 5:3-8
"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
You so, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Amen and Amen and good night!