Christmas message • New Developments • Recent Work • The House • Visitors • Prayer

New Developments

	Change of vehicle After 4 years of extremely hard use on roads that most of you would not consider as such, the bus needed to retire. We were sad to see its parting but welcome our new RAV 4. We hope this (a smaller vehicle) will in time become our 2nd vehicle as the need is still there for a heavy-duty up-country vehicle.
New RAV4 - This is the actual machine - looking good!
Office We have leapt into the current century with an equipped office. After 8 years of admin from the bedroom floor, the text for this newsletter is being typed on a new computer at a purpose built desk. As a result of the desk & computer we are now working on the framework for new training materials. This will be an on-going project for the foreseeable future. We will be writing it in sections, testing each part on a live audience of youth/youth workers until we have a training manual we are convinced is appropriate for our work.
	The new office

Where’s Silver?

Silver is currently on a contract with ACET (A UK charity training in AIDS care & prevention) in Mbale, Eastern Uganda. We are looking at how to develop a partnership with ACET as much of our work is similar in its focus. Also it is giving Silver the opportunity to see how we can work in the Eastern region in the future. He feels there is a major need for effective Youth Ministry in the area & is looking at where relationships

Recent Work

Much planning work has been going on. Not easy to illustrate in a newsletter because it is mostly in our heads at the moment. Part of this planning has included writing a YEA Profile document; this is almost complete now & will help in showing our vision/mission & how we plan to work over the next few years. As soon as this is complete we will get it sent to all of you.

We have been making trips to Mabira forest in partnership with the 'Church of Uganda'. Our friend Henry has been organising for us to go into schools & churches in the area. He is about to be shifted to Mukono Cathedral but we will be continuing the work in Mabira with his co-worker, Geoffrey. We hope that new work will develop in Mukono.

UYF (Uganda Youth Forum) of which Ian & Douglas are Board Members, has been active recently. UYF has been running National Youth Conferences in Kampala for the last 10 years. This year the conferences are being run up-country in the regions as well. Ian & Douglas spent a week in Bushenyi (Western Uganda) running one of these conferences. Ian will also be in Mubende for a week. As well as carrying the Gospel message these conferences also tackle such issues as Life Skills, Relationships, Sexuality, HIV/AIDS prevention etc. In many up-country areas this kind of conference has never been available before & is well received. Almost 400 youth attended in Bushenyi, there was no PA system so by the end of the week Ian & Douglas were hoarse from shouting.
 

Christmas message • New Developments • Recent Work • The House • Visitors • Prayer

The House

Despite a busy schedule much work has been achieved on the house & compound. The perimeter wall & fence is now complete. The gate should go in this coming week. The bedrooms have been decorated. (Living room next). There is now a new water system in place. This has a ground storage tank, new header tank & electric pump. The compound is being transformed. Lawns are being planted, trees & shrubs have been put in & currently a parking area is being built. Colin has been managing this work which at times has been almost full time. We hope to have a break from major work for a while as it is pretty exhausting.
 

	Planting out the borders
	Some shrubs - this is is looking quite refined!
	The new water head tower
	The other part is burried
	Ready for the gates

Christmas message • New Developments • Recent Work • The House • Visitors • Prayer

Visitors

Anna & Elizete arrived in October. They are from Brazil but have been in England for some time learning English. They are with us for 6 months & have got involved with much work since they arrived. They are based at KBC & have been working with the Luganda service 'Community Transformation' outreach programme, the student ministry Hostel visits, & the Compassion International child sponsorship programme.

In December they will be working with Silver. He has taken them to a project deep in the village in Mbale District . They will be living & working in a local project helping young single mothers. In January they will be back & busy with the KBC camp & UYF conference.

We are then planning for them to spend time in Hoima working at Mustard Seed Children’s Home & with the Diocese Peer Counselling team. We hope that our Mission Team will be in Hoima during the same period. After that we hope they will go to Kamuli to link up with Ian & Pat at Maria’s Care Children’s Home. They will spend March back in Kampala before flying back to England March 31st.

Christmas message • New Developments • Recent Work • The House • Visitors • Prayer

Please pray for:

• Unity in our team as we work together.
• Good health in a busy programme.
• Safe travel in lots of up-country trips.
• Peaceful Presidential elections up-coming in March 2006.
• The resources we need for Colin to come to UK.