Love Mercy

International Women's day

2012-02-08T12:04:00.000+11:00

This morning with International Women's day coming up in a month, I am reminded of a story from just a few weeks ago.

One afternoon as we were walking through Lira town, going to check on some seed suppliers for our Cents for Seeds project, two young girls approached us in the street. We were with Julius, who is definitely a celebrity in his village given his Olympic status, but also because of the incredible hard work that he puts in to bringing development to his people. These two girls, both called Grace, looked no older than 16 to me. They approached us and told Julius that they knew him, and that they lived in his village, Awake. It was almost 5pm, and the sun was beginning to set. Julius knew that they had a long journey ahead of them. He offered for them to stay the night in his home in Lira, so that they could rest and commence their journey the next morning.

They followed us around the market place, where we noticed that one of the girls was pregnant. Julius told us that the other girl already had two kids, and that this one who was currently pregnant had no husband. She also was wearing no shoes. The next morning, Eloise packed her spare pare of thongs in a plastic bag, and we made our way over to Julius' house for our morning training. Eloise intended to give Grace her shoes, however when we arrived, we were told that the girls had left last night and they had not stayed after all.

When we enquired as to why the girls left so suddenly, we were told that Grace, the young woman who was pregnant, had had some type of fit as soon as she arrived at the house. The boys told us that she was posessed by a demon and that she fell to the ground and started shaking. We asked a few more questions and established that her eyes were rolling in the back of her head, and once the fit was over, she was delirous and not making any sense. Her friend was laughing at her and telling her to get up and stop being silly.

Whilst the boys were adamant that she was posessed, Eloise and I were both quietly putting the pieces together in our heads; either this girl had epilepsy, severe malaria, or something even worse. She had left the house that evening in embarrassment and fear, and by the time we arrived the next morning we had no way of contacting her, as we didn't even know where she was. I couldn't get her out of my head for the rest of the trip - a young girl, with no husband, expecting a baby, and with some sort of serious medical condition yet no access to proper medical care. I felt helpless, I felt overwhelmed. Part of me wanted to get in the car and drive into the village until we found her, but I knew that that was unrealistic. We didn't even have a photo of her, but her face is still burned in my memory.

I had to accept that that is the way things are over here. People live like this. Women can die like this... and it's for this reason that on International Women's Day on March the 8th, we will be raising as much money as possible to change the fate of young women like Grace.

Our trip: A personal reflection

2012-02-07T18:10:00.000+11:00

Caitlin Barrett

Walter and Myself - my sponsor child.

There is always a lesson to be learned in Africa… not that that is the reason that we go, but each time I have been to Uganda I have come away with a clear and distinct lesson that I have learned, and that has changed me in some way. On the plane trip home from our January trip, Eloise and I wrote each other 15 questions and asked for answers then and there. Reading through them on this side of a 30-hour plane trip having overcome severe jetlag, I I have found a few coherent themes.

1.Highlights. (in no particular order)

Family

The first time we went to Africa, we went with a group of about 13 Aussies. This time, it was just Eloise and myself. The highlight for me of this trip was being part of an African family. We had two babies in our group, and Eloise and I were expected, like everyone else in the family, to play our role and help out with the kids. Luckily we were more than happy (desperate in fact) to cuddle the kids at any given moment. We also felt this sense of brotherhood with our new friends Samuel and Quinto, our quasi body guards who were hired on with the instructions to “come running if you hear us screaming.” They took us under their wings like we were their sisters. We felt like we were a valuable part of an intimate family, made up of brothers and sisters, adopted children, stepmothers and grandfathers and new wives and new babies. It reminded me of what I already know – family really is so incredibly important, no matter what it looks like.


Monique being checked for Malaria by her adopted step-mother. Her birth mother is trying to run a business in Lira, so Monique is cared for by her new family

Julius' father Charles, the head of our family, with his Grand-daughter Grace


Eloise and Myself, With Grace - the wife of Julius and their son Jayden, and Florence, the wife of Jimmy and their daughter Grace.

Development: the way it happens in the books I read.

Development can be a scary word - I remember learning at university that if you do it wrong, you ruin peoples lives. The newest buzzword in the development scene is “participation.” Every project needs to be design and run with the participation of its stakeholders. Of course I agree with this, but it is easier said than done. From a professional perspective, our first meeting with the women in Barr village was so fruitful. We watched as they came up with brilliant ideas that we would never have thought of on our own. They really are an incredible group of women and I am so excited to be working in a place where authentic, organic, grassroots development is happening.


The ladies from Barr welcoming us

Speaking at Barr village

Feeling comfortable, like I was at home.

I had a few moments in Uganda where I was so happy, so relaxed, and so comfortable, I forgot that I was on the other side of the world in a place where I was an outsider. Walking through the streets, buying jewellery from the side of the road, riding motor bikes. All of these moments made me feel comfortable, and despite the many staring eyes, made me feel like I was at home.

Lowlight: a blessing in disguise

The lowlight of the trip involved the breakdown of our car… but this was really a blessing in disguise, because it meant that instead of being like every other white person that visits Lira in a big four wheel drive, we were forced to do what everyone else does- Walk!
I saw so much more, understood so much more, and felt so much more connected to the people on foot than I would have from a car. With that said, whilst I love the connection I felt with the place on foot, I also loved the separation that being in the car offered, where I could be a spectator on the lives of the people we passed. I love observing daily life from this perspective; the people walking along the road, the little kids on bikes that were way too big for them, mums carrying babies, kids carrying siblings, people carrying heavy loads in interesting ways, the way life works when no one is watching.

2.Most significant moment:

On about the third day, after a highly stressful stuck-on-the-side-of-the-road experience, I realised something that has changed me as a person forever. Lying in bed one night when the power failed, I thought about what may happen if there was an emergency. We had no power. No car. No medical facilities were close by. We had no way of leaving in a hurry should we need to, and no where to go if there was some kind of emergency. As a Christian, I believe in the power of prayer and the sovereignty of God. However, being in a place where everything in the world had been taken, every option, every back up plan, every other thing I could possibly have put my faith in was gone, faith in the lord became a lot more real and important. If the lord didn’t save me, then nothing else would! It was at this point that I released my grip and stopped worrying. More faith is never a bad thing!

3. What would you change?

The only things I would have changed about our trip? I would have packed more pens and pencils. Luckily Eloise had a red lipstick in her handbag, which came in handy when we needed to write a “Thank you” sign for our sponsors!

Two Front Teeth

2012-01-16T18:09:00.002+11:00

Monday 16/1/21-Elzy

It's been a busy week here in Lira town and every night I've tried to write but have ended up nodding off onto the keyboard. I have a few spare moments this morning before we set off for another busy day running errands around town.

After last Saturday's long day in the village of Barr we had a rest day on Sunday and went to the local pentecostal church with Julius, Grace, Jayden and Samuel, we were running a little late but as we walked into this huge church with around 1,000 people present they started singing "God is able" which was so great as I didn't feel so far from home! We hid right up the back, but sure enough, when the pastor got up to preach, he called on his "white sisters hiding up the back to come up and greet us". Which we did... and everyone enjoyed. Julius also bid on and won the bag of sesame that they auctioned off to raise money for the church youth.

We spent the rest of Sunday catching up with Jimmy and Julius and going over our plans for the next 2 weeks.

On Monday we visited all 35 of our Love Mercy sponsor kids in Julius's village. This was emotionally and physically exhausting but soul delighting at the same time. What ensued was the expected roller coaster ride that is a trip to one of the poorest parts of Northern Uganda. Some of the kids we had not properly met before and Julius wanted us to see the condition of their homes. We had an amazing time with all of the kids that we visited, but a handful of moments will be forever etched in my memory.

Joan (above) is an orphan of the 20 year conflict. Joan is 16 years old and she is cared for by a relative in a small grass hut within Awake Village She is softly spoken but one of the few kids who wasn't too shy to try and speak to us in english. She kept saying "please, stay a while and talk with me, sit, you are welcome". "Tell my sponsor I am so grateful and I love them and pray for them, please greet them from me on your return home". Joan has been suffering from typhoid but says she is slowly recovering. She walks 1 hour to school everyday and she told me she wants to be a teacher when she finishes school. She was desperate for us to meet her older sister who is 24 years old. Her sister recently lost her baby to tuberculosis.

Then there was Daniel (below), also an orphan, his father was abducted and killed by rebels in the war, his mother died from HIV. Daniel is cared for by his grandparents. He's just a really smiley kid who has been through more struggle than most will go through in a lifetime. He got out his report card to show us and so we could tell his sponsors that he was doing well at school!

We also visited a woman who has 4 boys and is now a widow. Last year she thought she was the luckiest woman in northern Uganda- Orange, the phone company, came to her hut and asked to build a phone tower on her land for approx $6000 a year. Money like this in the village is unheard of. Unfortunately, the brother of her late husband found out about it and came back to the village and has taken all of the money. This women now doesn't see a cent, and when we visited she was suffering badly with malaria. She could not afford the treatment or the transport to the hospital, so we secretly slipped her some money so that her brother-in-law couldn't see. When we visited her, her sons were all softly spoken but very happy to see us. The eldest, Morris, who is 18 took us into his hut and was chatting away. The 2nd eldest, Walter was given a soccer ball by his sponsor. When I handed it to him, he said "this one is too good!" When we were leaving the village about an hour later, we saw approx. 50 kids assembled on a playing field ready to play.

The rest of the week has gone so quick, we have made 3 trips on the long, dusty and bumpy road out to the village for meetings with the women for Cent's for Seeds. Each time there has been a new challenge and each time we have had to think quick on our feet and come up with answers to questions we have never thought of. Each time God has been faithful to find solutions. After each meeting we hand out soda's to the women, I learned why some of them have so few teeth... they were opening the glass bottled soda's with their teeth! We had only two bottle openers for 200 bottles so a few mins to get around to every bottle was too long to wait for some. The soda's are also a great way to measure the amount of women that are at the meeting. We subtract the number of soda's left over from the number that we bought. It's really the perfect headcount!

One of my favourite things about these meetings with these women is that we always start with worship, as well as honouring God, I feel every time that it unites us and breaks down any barriers between us and them regarding race, vastly different living standards or foreign faces or whatever. Worship songs, no instruments, just epic singing and dancing. At the end of one of the meetings I was brought to tears when they prayed for us and a man said to us "your presence here has given us strength".

Yesterday we visited the almost finished medical clinic and got Julius to take us through each of the rooms and talk us through as if we were a patient. It is so very exciting! Jim Fee, Jimmy and Jullius have done an amazing job with the construction so far and it's going to make a huge difference to the lives of the people in the community. It's mind blowing what can be done with good leadership and vision.

Today we visited the returned loan of seeds from Barr village from last years harvest. This was fun!

UGANDA JANUARY 2012

2012-01-14T01:42:00.001+11:00

Eloise and Caitlin are spending 2 weeks in Lira, Uganda, to monitor and evaluate the Cents for Seeds project. Here is their first travel journal entry:

8/01/2012 - Elzy

It's about 5am here in Uganda and I'm wide awake. I'm trying to tap softy so as to not to disturb Caity or to rouse the mozzie's lingering outside my mosquito net.

We had a long but safe flight here and we arrived in Enbebbe on Thursday to Julius's welcoming beaming smile at the airport. We had one night in Kampala and we had a nice dinner at the hotel catching up with Julius and Grace and playing with 6 month old Jayden.

On Friday Julius and I went for an early training run in Kampala before starting the 7 hour drive North to Lira on a bumpy, dusty road. We had a full car, with Julius, Grace, Jayden, Florence and her 1 year old baby Grace and Caity and I. About 5 hours into the drive, all the warning lights lit up in Julius's car, we were in the the middle of no where so we made it slowly (and nervously) to the next town where we found a mechanic so we waited by the roadside whilst he worked for 3 hours on the car with no result. We finally were able to pay a guy to take us all to Lira and we arrived exhausted but safe at about 1030pm. We are staying at the Kanberra hotel in Lira, and the staff are lovely and I feel safe here.

Yesterday, I got up early for a run with Julius and 19 year old Samuel (one of the original orphans who Julius found underneath the bus in 2003) and Samuels friend Quinto. Samuel is following in Julius's footsteps with running.

I love running here, the sun rises and the roosters crow, we run along a dirt road the goes for 100's of miles, passing farmers who stop and stare and sometimes call out as we run by. Julius translates as we run, they say things like "go go Muzungo", (Swahilli for "White Person" or more literally "confused person walking around") or they yell to the boys "don't let the Muzungo beat you!"

After the run yesterday we had breakfast and headed to the village of Barr. This is one of the villages we do the cents for seeds program with. About 200 women met us singing and dancing and welcoming us into their village. We all sat in the church and they sung to us as a gift for running the program with them.

We then spent the following hour with them explaining how we were going to improve the program, what our vision is for it and encouraging them to make the most of it. It went better than we could have ever imagined, they were responsive and happy with what we had come up with to help break their cycle of poverty. We have a few new comers to the program and so we explained step by step from how we fundraise by telling our friends about them in Australia, to them registering their names to receive their seeds and having a educational agriculture workshop (one of the big step in improving cents for seeds) to planting and farming and eventually harvesting and returning their loan and the rest they keep to eat, feed their family, sell at the market and store for the future.

We answered their questions and calmed their fears about if their was a serious drought and they did not get a harvest what if they couldn't repay the loan. We told them about all the friends and supporters they have in Australia who love them and are standing beside them.

After the meeting we cracked open the some 200 bottles of soda and we watched and took photos as they sat and drank. A number of women came up to us at the front they would get down on one knee with hand reached up and say "opoyo" which means thankyou. There is not much that moves me more than this. To know that we are making a difference in this village causes me to thank god over and over again.

As we drove out of the village, a man who was very sick, shaking and groaning and sweating profusely tried to get into the car, Julius thought he was a mad man and ordered him out, the man collapsed on the ground and Julius realized he was sick, he said he had no family to take him to get help and we were told by another man that there was a government run medical clinic a few miles up the road. On the way to the clinic in the car, the man was in a really bad way so Julius reached back and layed hands on him and we prayed for him, Julius asked if he wanted to receive Jesus and the man said "yes" and begun praying with Julius. We got him to the clinic and told the doctor and they layed him down and said they would take care of him.

It was a sobering drive back to Lira after a morning like that, TIA (this is Africa)

Stuck for Christmas Gift ideas?

2011-11-29T12:17:00.000+11:00

As Christmas fast approaches, I know I am beginning to panic
about what to buy people who seem to have everything they could
possibly need and more. This year, we have some great solutions
to this problem!

A beautiful wall print from our friends at Blacklist Studio Prints.

This beautiful "All is Calm" print is featured in this months
Real Living magazine. All proceeds are being donated to the Love
Mercy Foundation. The print comes unframed, and is $49.95, plus
$5 postage. Alternatively, the print can be picked up from
Sutherland or Cronulla.

Please email jaynie@blackliststudio.com if you would
like to order a print.

What does our name really mean?

2011-11-14T19:27:00.000+11:00

For those who have read a little bit of the bible, our name may seem familiar to you. That is because our name is based on a verse in the bible:

"And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly^[ with your God.”

Micah 6:8

So what does that mean? Jesus commands us to love our neighbors. A true neighbor is one who shows mercy. The word "mercy" carries with it both the idea of feeling empathy and compassion, as well as taking action on behalf of, and with those who are unable to do so themselves. The people of northern Uganda have lived through injustice for decades. We exist to empower communities, regardless of their religion, age, race, or political persuasion, to use their voice to demand justice. We see the love of Christ, shown through the local church to be a driving force for change in overcoming poverty.

We seek to love all people as equal, just as Jesus did, regardless of whether they share our faith or beliefs.

The Important Role of Women in Feeding the World's Population

2011-09-27T16:57:00.000+10:00

This is why we focus our projects towards women in rural Northern Uganda.
For just $25 we provide women with tools, training, and access to seeds
to grow food and provide for their family, village, and local market.

Update from our Sister organisation: Achon Uganda Children's Fund

2011-09-27T16:36:00.000+10:00

Progress on the Kristina Clinic

Achon Uganda Children's Fund Board Member- Jim Fee with the Community Board members for the Kristina Clinic

An update from Jim:

Julius and I returned home on Sept. 21^st from an eventful and successful trip to Uganda. We departed on September 10^th and spent 10 days in Northern Uganda. I am writing to provide you trip highlights.

From Sept. 14^th through the 19^th we alternated days in Lira and Julius’ village Awake which is 42 miles NNE. Recent heavy rains prior to and while we were in Northern Uganda made the road from Lira to the village very difficult to navigate so the normal 1½ hour trip became a 2+ hour journey each way.

The road to Awake

Kristina Clinic construction in Awake village is progressing very well since our May clinic visit. Under the leadership of construction manager Patrick Ebyau and Julius’ brother Jimmy Okullo the living quarters are virtually complete save windows, doors, painting and a 10 meter paver patio surrounding the building. Since the May trip, clinic construction has progressed to completion of the walls and roofing; in addition Lifewater Int’l has installed the clinic bore-hole well and cool, clear water is flowing for future clinic patients and staff – a huge asset and accomplishment. Patrick and Jimmy expect clinic construction to be complete by the end of November – and we have adequate funds, just barely, to pay for it thanks in no small part to our partners Love Mercy in Australia (thank you Love Mercy!)

Other Kristina Clinic highlights included clinic manager, Sam being identified. Sam is 29 years of age, born in the village, high school team soccer captain, secondary educated in Kampala at Mulago Hospital in a two year college sanitation and hygiene program, returned to the village “where he wants to live, grow and contribute to the community”, recommended by several board members, and always smiling; it appears we have a winner; the board will make a final decision at the next board meeting. Assuming Sam is hired, he will spend time in training at Engeye Clinic under the tutelage of John Kalule, Engeye clinic manager – thanks to the support of Dr. Stephanie Van Dyke, Engeye co-founder and a recent addition to the AUCF board

· Julius spoke to 450 students at his former primary school in Orum where he announced a Nov. 5^th fun run sponsored by Nike at which 20 schools and 1,200 students will participate; Julius will be supported by Nike manager Chris Cook and four other Nike employees; when told each of the kids would receive a Nike shirt, they went bananas.

The rest of the time in Lira was spent planning clinic furnishings, solar power, equipment, staff hiring and about 100 other various items In addition Julius and I spent considerable time visiting the orphan kids and Julius’ family. At the conclusion of our trip, Julius, Jimmy and I assessed the clinic opening date which had been targeted at Jan. 1, 2012. Given the magnitude of work yet to be done (staff hiring, furnishings, equipment, supplies, medications, soar power, policies/procedures, clinic manager training) and the like we decided to push the opening date to April 1, 2012.

On the trip home, Julius and I reflected on the tremendous progress made during 2011 thanks in great part to you the Love Mercy Team.

Sutherland to Surf.. what did it mean?

2011-08-08T09:11:00.000+10:00

By Eloise Wellings

A couple of Sunday’s ago, 75 of us ran and walked from Sutherland to Cronulla. Around 10,000 steps to run, a few more if you’re walking. There was purpose in each and every step. Building a medical clinic in a war ravaged area in Northern Uganda. I hope that some day, some of the hundreds of Love Mercy supporters might get to meet our Ugandan friends who we’re standing alongside. But in case not, let me tell you a little about the people from Otuke County, who will be helped by this clinic.

They are the poorest of the poor, some of them have lived through the last 20 years of war in Uganda’s North, some of them children, and war is all they’ve ever known- never seeing or knowing what peace looks like, until now. Now, that the war has settled, the LRA have moved into neighbouring Congo, it is time to rebuild, restore hope and make the community liveable again, and we’ve been given the opportunity to respond to the need. The medical clinic will have an amazing impact on the health of the entire community. Currently, to receive any health care whatsoever in Otuke, a person walks for sometimes days to maybe get medical attention from Lira- almost 70km’s away… (like walking from Cronulla to Wollongong) Imagine, having a child with an intense vomiting and diarreah bug and not having the means to rehydrate them and make them well with the necessary medication, instead, walking them for days to find help. Often a desperate but futile process in Uganda’s heat.

I paint a grim picture, but this is how it is. But thanks to the many hundreds who have opened their mouths to share the cause, helping people to believe in the cause and moving them to reach into their pocket, and to those who laced up their shoes and strided their way from Sutho to the beach- it’s all about to change.

I’m excited and so blessed to report after speaking with Julius and our sister organization AUCF (Achon Uganda Children’s Fund) that because we doubled our goal of $30,000 and raised $61,256, that we will now be able to put a maternity wing on the clinic. This will be part of “stage 2” of the clinic and will make an enormous difference to the current dire situation concerning maternal deaths in Uganda, described here in a recent article in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/30/world/africa/30uganda.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

So, on behalf of our Ugandan friends in Otuke County, Northern Uganda, I want to thank everyone who is supporting, encouraging and believing in The Love Mercy Foundation. In fact, anyone who is supporting, encouraging and believing in Love Mercy, IS Love Mercy. The foundation is made up of the people who are putting up there hand to say “I can be the change”

And what a blessing and honour it is to be a part of that change.

Elzy

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31.8-9

A Ball of Heartstrings

2011-08-08T08:49:00.000+10:00

More from Awake: Rachel Hardy

2011-08-02T16:37:00.000+10:00

Like Water....

Rachel Hardy is spending time with the Kids in our sponsorship program to see how we can best help them in their future. Have a read of what she has to say on her latest trip to Orum Primary School.

“A few years ago, you wouldn’t have stopped on the side of the road like this, would you?”

“Eh, no. You didn’t ever stop. If you stopped, eh…you were gone.”

On our way to Orum Primary School to take pictures of the sponsored children, nature called Jimmy, so we slowed to a stop on the side of the road. I asked him about stopping, and he gave his haunting response as he shut his door. I shuddered.

Much of the territory I traverse for research and photo documentation is former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) war land. Though the sheer beauty of the seemingly untouched countryside is stunning, I find myself wondering how many bodies are buried in those rolling hills and how many horrific tales I’d hear if those majestic trees could talk.

Somewhat spooked, I searched the tall grasses on either side of the road from the safety of the car. I was sitting along a road where many people had been tortured, abducted and killed during the height of the LRA’s terror. As Jimmy hopped back in the Isuzu, I asked him how villagers had bought supplies or even food if the roads had been so unsafe. I could imagine how terrifying it would have been to travel this road in search of food, gambling with your life that you’d not only find food, but make it back home as well.

“That’s how most people died,” Jimmy explained. “They were hungry, their children were begging for food, and they had to do something. So they took the chance and went out to harvest crops in their fields or walked to try to find a market. But the LRA was like water,” Jimmy continues, waving his hand across the landscape. “They were everywhere. You couldn’t get away from them, and when they found you, they took you.”

Now bumbling down the dirt road towards the school, he continued, “That was a way they got your family, too. Rebels were everywhere in the villages. They’d watch until you left to get food, then they’d attack your home while you were gone. You’d come back and everyone would be dead or gone.”

I stared out the window at Otuke District, mindlessly munching a chapatti as we finished the route to the school. The area is now a far cry from that unstable and terrifying time; men ride down the road on bicycles yelling “Apwoyo!” at Jimmy, and women walk to the Otuke market. Smoke from cooking fires rises from homes along the route, and children herd goats and cows down the road. But everyone still remembers; everyone still tells stories. And though it’s been years since the LRA flowed through the region like water, I was still relieved to reach the school and escape the ghostly tide.

Report from the Ground: Rachel Hardy

2011-08-02T16:33:00.000+10:00

Rachel Hardy, International Studies in Development student is currently doing research in Northern Uganda for the Love Mercy Foundation for 6 weeks, and also for her thesis.

Here is some of what she has learnt so far...

I thought I was prepared.

I had my camera for pictures, my notebook of interview questions, a pen, extra bug spray, sunscreen, and hand sanitizer. I bought a muffin, bananas and some peanuts at the supermarket for a snack, and Jimmy grabbed chapatti, mandashi and water. I hadn’t had milk that morning to make sure my motion sickness didn’t get the best of me on the rough and bumpy roads. I was well stocked, well fed and well on my way for my first interview session with the women of Awake (ah-WAH-kay) church. But I was far from ready.

Upon our arrival, a handful of women gathered to talk with me about Love Mercy’s Cents for Seeds program; the village was participating for the first year, and we wanted to get their feedback. At first, the questions grazed the surface of their situations:

Do you need more tools? What pests are you dealing with?

As the interview went on, more heart-gripping answers came. The women normally went for weeks without ever coming into contact with currency. Their crops were failing due to a lack of rain, and they were worried for their livelihoods and families.

I reached the question where I expected a barrage of answers:

What more could Love Mercy do for you? As Jimmy translated the question to the women, I sat poised, pen ready to write what I thought would be a huge list of the obvious: more seeds, food, better shelter, clothes, shoes, school fees, HIV medicines, electricity, running water.

But they didn’t ask for any of those.

They didn’t ask for a closer market.

They didn’t ask for a bigger or better home. They didn’t ask for Internet, new shoes or fancier clothes.

There were a millions things they could’ve asked for—simple things, expensive things, things many of us only dream of getting ourselves.

They simply asked for goats.

Goats.

Goats? What about chickens? Chickens are too risky without fences, I was told. Wild animals can easily kill them. A cow? The women initially agreed but then began murmuring amongst themselves. No, a community cow could cause tension and wouldn’t be a good idea. Tension? I was confused. How would access to milk and eventually meat for all be a bad thing? How was a small goat better than a huge cow?

The women explained that a community cow wouldn’t be the responsibility of anyone in particular, and if it happened to get sick, who would take care of it? And what if the cow happened to produce more milk for one person than the next? No, they decided; they didn’t want to risk tension and competition amongst themselves in return for a cow. A goat each would be perfect.

I was floored. Here were women who had to farm all day to simply exist, much less make any money at all, who had absolutely nothing materially, and yet their thoughts were communal. They farmed and weeded together; they went to church together. They would rather each have a small goat and maintain the relational ties in their lives rather than the wealth of a cow and risk their friendships. It was the exact opposite of the capitalist, competitive world in which I live.

At the end of my interview, I thanked the women for their time. One woman leaned forward and signaled to Jimmy that she had something to say to me. She began thanking me for coming, for caring, for helping them provide for their families. She was so thankful “my people” cared enough to come help the people of Uganda. She prayed God would bless my life for investing in Awake village and wished me safe travels back. She thanked me over and over. All I could think to do was return the thanks.

But what really could I say? Knowing that my very presence in Uganda meant I had more money in my pocket than she’d have in years, this woman asked that I be blessed. She wasn’t bitter towards our different circumstances; she didn’t resent the fact that I came from America and she from poverty-stricken Uganda. Her faith and heart simply wished that God would bless me for wanting to help her.

I was quieter on the way back to Lira; I couldn’t get over the grace, humility and strength the women of Awake church had shown. I rolled their words, their smiles, their concerns over in my mind. I played back the string of well wishes the one woman had bestowed upon me and fought back tears as I gazed out the Isuzu window. I had been prepared for the day materially but not at all emotionally. Bigger doesn’t mean better. Wealth doesn’t always bring happiness. Theses are truths I know, but the day’s perspective spun them in a new light. Not sure if I can chose God’s blessings for me, but if so, they are these: I want to see every situation I’m in—be it feast or famine—with a grateful heart and to be content with life’s needs rather than life’s wealth.

I want goats.

Total Raised:

2011-08-02T16:10:00.000+10:00

Well last week you saw the photos... Now you can read the Newspaper article
too!

After several weeks of fundraising, many hours of training, and approximately 1hr17mins* running the Sutherland to Surf, our team of 75 people managed to raise a huge $61,270!

This is an incredible effort given that our target was originally just $30,000.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors, as well as our team of runners, walkers, and volunteers who made such an effort making sure the day was a success!

Special thanks go out to:
Simmone & Scott Townsend on the BBQ
Stephie from live it for her organisational skills
Jackie Hammond from Wazzup T-shirts in Taren point for her generosity.

Hold onto your shirts until next year! See you then

*approximate finishing time of all athletes who competed)

Photos from the Sutherland to Surf

2011-07-26T12:34:00.000+10:00

TOTAL RAISED TO BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK!

Elzy's story....

2011-07-12T10:26:00.002+10:00

Love Mercy in the news:

Listen to the story of our founder and our foundation:
http://www.abc.net.au/sport/audio/2011/06/26/3253854.htm

WAR DANCE / / MOVIE NIGHT

2011-07-12T10:24:00.003+10:00

THRIVE COMMUNITY CHURCH / / LOVE MERCY MOVIE NIGHT

Join us on Wednesday the 20th of July at Thrive Community Church to watch the movie WAR DANCE, a documentary set in Northern Uganda. This will provide a great context for what we are doing in Uganda, why we are building a clinic, and how running 11km from Sutherland to Cronulla can HELP!

7PM-9PM
Thrive Community Church - 15 Cawarra Road, Caringbah
SEE YOU THERE!
p.s - this event is FREE!
Here is a sneak peak:
http://youtu.be/LIl-zFPD3gc

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

2011-06-20T02:45:00.000+10:00

On Sunday July 24th I'm running the Sutherland to Surf for Love Mercy so that we can help build a medical clinic in war torn Northern Uganda. The pictures of the plans for this clinic are in the post below.

The clinic will be built in the Otuke county and every day, people in this region suffer, and in some cases, die needlessly because they don't have access to routine, preventative health care or emergency medical attention.

With our clinic, we want to restore dignity and life-saving care after more than 20 years of war.

Our clinic will provide primary medical care including triage and appropriate treatment, disease testing, inoculation, medication dispensing and education.

Do you want to help out? There are 2 ways you can help!

1. Sponsor someone you know who is running the race, and help them reach their target. Click here to donate to Eloise or Myself.

2. RUN THE EVENT! That way you can gain sponsorship for yourself! To do so, follow these three easy steps:

Race: Sunday July 24th

Step 1: Follow this link to register and start gaining sponsorship!http://www.lovemercyfoundation.org/Register.aspx

Step 2: After registering on the Love Mercy website, you will receive an email that you copy and paste to all of your email contacts asking them to sponsor you. All they have to do to sponsor you is click on the link in the email you send and this will take them straight to your profile page on the love mercy site.

Step 3: Enter for the race at www.sutherland2surf.com.au

Free t-shirt at the start and celebration breakfast at the finish for everyone who runs for Love Mercy ♥

PLUS- Feeling like you might not be fit enough to run the event, or even walk it?

JOIN THE FREE SUTHO2SURF TRAINING GROUP AT LIVEIT FITNESS! FOR ALL FITNESS LEVELS- EVEN WALKERS!

When: Every Saturday starting Saturday the 25th June

Cost: $60 BUT if you come to ALL four saturday sessions we will give you your money back! If you miss a session, the $60 will be donated to the Love Mercy Foundation! THAT'S INCENTIVE!

Session Details:
Saturday 25th June- 7am meet at Audley Lady Carrington Drive
Saturday 2nd July- 6.30am meet at Greenhills, Cronulla
Saturday 9th July - 7am meet at Waratah Oval, (oval next to sutherland leisure centre) Sutherland
Saturday 16th July- 7am meet at Audley wier carpark (bottom of Audley hill, on left before crossing bridge

Medical Clinic

2011-05-04T23:48:00.000+10:00

The month of May will see the beginning of construction of the Kristina Achuma Clinic in Awake village. Our sister organisation, Achon Uganda Children’s Fund is currently heading to Uganda to begin the groundbreaking. Awake Village is 42 miles from Lira, the site of the nearest healthcare facility. The vast majority of Awake residents cannot afford transportation to Lira or the care offered there. As such, every day, people in this region suffer, and in some cases, die needlessly because they do not have access to routine, preventative health care or emergency medical attention. Our clinic will provide primary medical care including triage and appropriate treatment, disease testing, inoculation, medication dispensing and education. Our staff will be comprised of Ugandan MDs and RNs as well as a general manager and staff augmented by periodic visits from US-based doctors and nurses.

This is a huge fundraising project for us, with the clinic set to cost an estimated $90 000. Which brings me to the subject of our BIGGEST fundraiser for the year! We would love your help to run/walk the 2011 Sutherland to Surf fun run on July 24^th. By gaining sponsorship from your colleagues, friends and families to complete the fun run, you will be helping to finance this huge project. Please join our facebook group for more info!

May News.

2011-05-04T23:18:00.000+10:00

This time of year is busy and exciting for Love Mercy. The middle of March was the beginning of the rainy season in Uganda, the time when all of the crops for the year are planted. This means that the second round of our Micro-Loan “Cents for Seeds” project has begun!

After the huge success of our project in the village of Baa, with 107 loans distributed and 104 returned to us, we were able to expand our project to include the nearby village of Awake. A total of 547 women have signed up to receive approximately 15kgs of seeds each, of differing varieties, from soya beans, green beans, and also ground nuts.

The mood in the villages was excited as the women lined up and received their seeds. They are now being planted, to be grown, harvested and then will contribute to imporiving the quality of live for families and entire villages. The women are asked to return the principal of their seed loan to the Love Mercy Foundation so that we can continue our project. The rest of the harvest, which averages around 100kgs, will be eaten, sold, and stored in case of famine.

I can only guess what this lady was doing as the seeds were being given out. When we met her in November, both times we saw her, she spent at least 5 minutes welcoming us in song. She was singing "Heaven! Heaven!" as an expression of her gratitude towards us being there, and helping her village. She had the coolest dancing, shaking her shoulders around. So incredible!

It is exciting to think about the difference that these seeds will make in the lives of so many! Woo hoo!

Caity

Women hold up half the sky

2011-02-24T14:12:00.000+11:00

This article in the New York Times explains how researchers and economists are realizing that women hold the key to economic development. Women care for the children that will be tomorrow's leaders. Women have the burden of providing food for their families when there is none. Women feel compassion and mercy towards others who are suffering. It is because of these facts that the Love Mercy Foundation has been targeting women in rebuilding villages that were ravaged by war.

It is truly inspiring to see the difference that women around the world can make when unified in spirit and cause. One example of this can be seen the Colour Sisterhood that operates from Hillsong Church. They are supporting an organisation that also works in Uganda, and with the support of thousands of women in the developed world, women who are blessed with plenty are able to give to women in Northern Uganda. One such project has seen the transformation of a place of darkness into a place of light. When the LRA rebels were capturing children, the children would gather together spend each night in large abandoned buildings for what little protection they could find. Living Hope – Watoto has transformed this building in Gulu into a workspace and meeting area for women affected by war and HIV. Check out the first video on this page for the details! It is plain to see that united women are a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Caitlin

Uganda in my bones...

2011-02-16T12:38:00.001+11:00

Uganda will seep into your bones, it will change you, regardless of whether you want it to or not.

It's been almost 3 months since our trip to Uganda. Three months on, I still have vivid images of what we saw there. It's like along the way I took mental images of what moved me the most. Not surprising... It was my prayer before I left, that I would go and I would be moved beyond my own emotions, that I would see it as God does. I can still hear the beautiful women from baa, singing for us in their church, this, our gift for running the cents for seeds program with them. As they sing I can still see the faces of the ones that bare the scars of the horrible atrocities that were carried out on them during the war. I only just learned of the terrible massacre that happened in that village just 5 years ago, when the LRA stormed into their homes and caused unimaginable pain and bloodshed. Peace has returned, but the scars remain. What amazes me most about these women is their grace. To an outsider, the physical scars seem the only evidence of their horrible past. There, I remember watching these women worship, I thought "they are worshipping and singing to God as if they have lived without pain"... then my heart corrected me... "they worship God as though they trust Him regardless of their plight." Ahhh perspective. They are dignified in their dress, despite their lack, they take extreme pride in their appearance. I love this about them! There is a sense of empowerment that comes from nurturing and taking good care. We are planning a trauma counselling course with these women and all the men in their village. It's called "Empower". The course will run every weekend for a month and address the issues that can haunt someone after living through or witnessing a traumatic experience- like the massacre. Sounds funny but we're going to have a tea party to raise enough money to pay the trained councillors to facilitate the course in the village. I'm still amazed at what can happen when people band together for a cause, like a tea party!? What is that?... We rock up and eat delightful treats and drink cups of tea outa' pretty cups and chat and laugh with our girlfriends. And because of this frivolity, in the name of Love, a precious soul in Uganda can be set free... tea anyone?

Eloise

Orphans Kingdoms

2011-02-02T13:28:00.000+11:00

The Love Mercy Foundation is passionate about justice,
equality, and especially simple solutions that have life changing effects in the
developing world.On our first trip to Uganda in November, the team got to experience these things first hand.

Africa is unlike anyplace I have ever seen before. In some ways, it was exactly as
we expected. There are women who carry things on their heads, kids who smile
real big and point and laugh at the pale people, and lots of music and dancing. In
other ways it was totally unexpected and nothing could have prepared us for
what we would see or do. The media tends to portray Africa as a dark, scary and
hopeless place, filled with fear, crime, depressing images of kids with big bellies
and no clothes. We did see these types of images with our own eyes, but far from
being sad and depressing, We were shocked at the light and hope that radiates from
each person. The people are resillient, their lives are often
characterised by war, poverty, and fear, yet they are the happiest, most
welcoming people on earth.

We had some incredible moments on our trip.

We met a little baby boy, Emmanuel, who was only 1 month old. His mother couldn't brest feed, so he was very frail and tiny. She asked us to pray for him.

We heard first hand the story of Julius' father, Charles, who was abducted by the LRA. He has in fear for his life as the LRA based their camp near his homeland, has lived through his Eldest son being abducted and taken into the bush to be a child soilder for 3 months, and the death of his wife at the hands of the rebels. Now he is a pastor, and we are working with him in his village of Awake to build a clinic and provide agricultural support so that his village can return to their homes after living in IDP camps for the last 5 years.

This photo was taken at a church in the village of Baa, where we implemented our first Cents for Seeds project. For $25aud we provide a women in this village with 10kgs of seeds. She plants, and harvests these seeds, generally receiving a yield of 100kgs. Then she gives back the initial principle of 10kgs for us to give to her neighbor. we learnt that 104 of these women had returned their initial principle of 10kgs and had received a yield (on average) of 100kgs! This was incredible news for us as this was our first time this program was implemented and we were expected to only receive a return of 70% at a maximum. We received feedback from these women, and will change the timing of the seed distribution for next year, and double the amount to 20kgs because their land is so fertile after laying dormant for 20 years during war times.

We visited the 19 Orphans that live in a house in Lira in Northern Uganda. These are the orphans that the Love Mercy Foundation organizes sponsorship for, and ensures that they attend school, have adequate meals, health care and school supplies. This was an incredibly enriching time just sitting and playing with kids who don't often have the opportunity to have love and care from adults. We took over a lot of play stuff that people had donated in Australia (like hula hoops and colored pencils) and had a lot of fun watching how great African kids are at hula hooping! We were able to complete our goal of filming a documentary focusing on 3 of the kids who have had a very moving past. We established that the next trip may involve some sort of trauma counseling for the kids who were street kids, and some of whom possibly witnessed the murder of their parents but who have never addresses these issues.
It was wholly evident to me that God has an incredible plan for this area of the world, and I am amazed at what has already been achieved just from sitting in an office in Sutherland! It was a fantastic way to gain perspective on our projects and see exactly where the people of Northern Uganda are at. The villages we are focusing on have just lived through 23 years of violent war and abduction, and have only returned to their villages for 2 years after spending 6 years living in IDP camps. It is the perfect time to help facilitate development in this place.

Caitlin

Loving Mercy

2010-11-16T15:14:00.000+11:00

In a matter of days we'll be back in Uganda! Except this time with a much clearer purpose! Last time we went there for Julius and Grace's wedding, for a bit of a holiday... really expecting nothing more than to experience Africa, go on a safari and meet Julius's family... I'll never forget the first time I met his kids, the 11 he'd found lying underneath a bus in 2003. When we arrived at the house, they all came running out to the car to greet "Uncle Julius" and his white friends! My heart skipped a beat at how beautiful and innocent they all were, I remember fighting back tears at the thought of what they had been through when the LRA rebels tore through Northern Uganda and meaninglessly killed their parents, how scared they would have been, most of them under 12 years old at the time. The thought of how different our childhoods have been.... thinking back at what I would have been doing at the time all this horrible war was going on. And then the image of them hiding underneath that bus and of Julius seeing them, caring enough to stop and ask questions. Julius had mercy on these kids. I'm pretty sure he didn't know exactly how it was all going to work out when he walked them home that day, I'm pretty sure he was as scared as they were... but God knew. God also knew that we'd be heading back there this Sunday, with a team of friends who have been impacted by this story, friends who share the same passion as Julius does for helping the poor in his village and in his country. I often think about that day Julius found those kids, I consider what would have happened had he turned his back and walked away?.. no one would have known, his life to this point would've been much easier financially... but much less rich. The constant reflection on this question has had a profound impact on my life...
Anyway, I've got my keen on to see these kids' smiling faces again, meet the now 33 kids in total that we have sponsored by generous Australian families, maybe teach em' "The Nutbush", check out the land we have bought for the medical clinic and witness the women harvesting their crops from our Cents for Seeds project! Got my keen on is a gross understatement!