Silas gets to spend all day with us! - here he is in the area that has become his school room.
We have now made the move into the capital City of Uganda - Kampala. We are
settling in well to our new home and surroundings.
There has been a lot of change over the last month as we have returned to Uganda, spent 4 weeks at New Hope, reconnecting with friends, as well as packing up to leave. It has been quite a tough time of goodbyes
yes and changes, but also busy which has kept us all moving ! We are very happy with the house and it is a real blessing, the kids are very excited especially now we go upstairs to bed! Our neighbour has 3 dogs, hence the dog in the picture, the dogs have become Silas' best friends as each morning the minute the door opens he's off to find them and if he could i think he would ride them as a horse!
Joel and Anya have both started at a new school here in Kampala, its an international school so a complete change from home school / english school in Derby / village Ugandan school at New Hope! They get on the bus at 6.45 each day and have been adjusting well...though the differences have been something to get used to as well as all having to eat breakfast at 6:25am, its too early to talk let alone eat...
Since we have been here in Kampala, it has been fairly hectic, after a few days settling in we set off for a retreat with the IY's It has been good to reconnect with our Investment Year students and as they returned from their 2nd work placements, we all went away for a “Father Heart Retreat” where we spent time as a group seeing and experiencing God as our perfect father. It was a fantastic time and a real privilege to be involved with our I.Y’s as they started to deal with past hurts and pain and starting to see what God their father is like. In the afternoons we all enjoyed swimming in lake victoria which is always a highlight as its not often they get to experience swimming, as well as a few getting on a horse for the first.
Last weekend we have had them all come and stay with us to introduce them to the I.Y. house and for them to feel part of the new developments in I.Y. It’s been a bit of squash but a lot of fun
Life again changed for us as a family this week
as our first group of IY's arrived to live with us, so we have now become a family of 10, makes for a house full with all the challenges that it will bring as well as fun and successes. We are very excited as well as feeling slightly daunted with this new challenge we are entering in as a family and we will try and keep you posted.
that we have even ventured to the beach, we did try going in the water but was a step too far! It was very different for our first few days in Derby as it felt freezing, Kathryn 
took the kids to school on the first morning with flip flops on and some very kind friends took pity on her and managed to find some proper shoes, jumpers and trousers! The kids are enjoying being in school and catching up with old friends, Silas and Anya particularly like the idea of taking your lunch to school!
ey i am a Brown". It's been a long process but its been more than worthwhile. Today we picked the passport from the High Commission and there was only one thing we could do and that was to celebrate with ice cream!
to show his passport to anybody who asks and maybe people who don't!
“As you know I am a coffee snob, and this coffee is great!” so said someone who had recentl
y had some Investment Year (I.Y.) coffee.
“Everyone’s a winner”- For every bag we sell of our coffee, IY benefits financially but also and maybe more importantly the many skills that running a business can teach you; marketing, budgeting, customer services, handling money and helping us to develop and encourage self sufficiency in our children.
The process of packaging the coffee starts with buying 60kgs (132lbs) from our supplier in Kampala and bringing it home in the car (by the time we reach home the very strong smell of coffee has filled the car!), we then pack it in ½ kg (1lb) bags and seal them with a charcoal iron. (The iron has proved to be much better than a ‘proper’ heat sealer! One final step is to
put on the labels and to put some in our special gift bags. We then all rest and enjoy a good cup of coffee!
I.Y. AT PALM RESTAURANT
“Investment Year is an institution of its own” said one of the IY members during the public speaking practice. This greatly struck and I agree with it. Many people have joined different institutions but if you critically follow what is behind all this is to get training about the life coming or what is going on.
This business dinner was prepared long before we got to know about it by our teachers as they know what food it is to us. We had to pick from a list of 15 careers they had chosen (e.g. Doctor, lawyer, film producer, agriculturist etc.) and we were to act as that person through the dinner.
The day which seemed too far came closer and closer up to when it happened. It was amazing seeing how beautifully all the business people showed up at the ‘Palm Restaurant’. Men putting on full suits and ladies as well not forgetting the risky high heels which made them taller for a moment!
‘Palm Restaurant’ was opened at 7pm as the senior chef welcomed us in and we had to interact with each other getting to know about where different ones of us were coming from and what job we did. The restaurant had good customer care services as the staff seemed to know what they were doing. (The IY staff served)
This time has been really a training of its own because however much we credit schools as being training centres, no teacher will ever come to class with a knife and fork and teach you how to use it! We need these skills if we are to interact publically.
As we were taking our last course which was coffee and chocolate cake, we heard from our guest speaker, Aunty Judith Goddard. Her speech was so strong but easy for some one with little faith and slow to responding to Gods call. For many of us fear failure but we were encouraged to hear about Aunty Judith has dealt with them in her life and kept going. There were many lessons to learn from her words and one of them is knowing and clearly following what the Lord requires of you, persistence being the key. Remember he who started a good work in you will fulfil it.
Zam-zam. IY student 2011.
BUSINESS DINNER
Among the million activities that are done in Investment Year, there stands this wonderful adventurous opportunity given to taste different foods, notably the ‘British foods!’ I never imagined of how the whites feel like when they taste African food like matooke which they are not used too, but it became clear to me when we tasted their foods like salads. It really was bizarre for many of us, it was like tasting herbs! I remember when every body took the first bite we looked at each other in wonderment thinking “what on earth is this thing we are eating?”
It was a wonderful night and we learned the new skills of using a knife and fork (British style!), and I now know that when I am in the UK I will not look out of place.
Mitala Isaac. IY student 2011.
I remember the first time I visited my capital city (many years ago!) I think I wandered around wide eyed and stunned at the amount of people, all seemingly going somewhere very important and in a rush. Part of Investment Year is helping our children to develop life skills and to be able to live and operate in different settings. As we live in the village it is important to be able to move around the city safely and confidently, so this week as a group we travelled to Kampala (Capital City). 
We split them into 4 groups and gave them a map, a phone with a camera and a list of useful buildings, sites and monuments (eg. Taxi park, post office, parliament, independence monument etc) that they had to find with the final place being the leaders with lunch! As each team drifted off into the chaos of a busy city, there was nervous excitement from each of our children as they headed, for most of them into the unknown! We went to the final meeting place, hoping that no one would get too lost…80 minutes later the team who headed off last reached their destination after successfully finding all their places. T
The other teams were not far behind. It was a fun day and I believe our children learnt a lot about themselves, working as a team, asking for help, reading maps and being in Kampala. A few of them also learnt how to deal with being stuck in a lift (elevator) for 15 minutes!!
We left Kasana with 15 of our children and happily returned with 15!
Here is the “IY 2010 Year in Review” –
Reading
- Each of our 17 IY students read through the entire Bible and read a minimum of 8 books (many read more)! (Together, they read a total of192 books, not including the Bible-which means 192 book reports were turned in as well!)
Internships at the various New Hope Uganda sites:
- in accounts, construction, community relations, remedial tutoring, guest house, primary school, secondary school, Early Adulthood, special needs program, childcare/extension, and the clinic
Internships outside New Hope:
- worked with street kids and refugees in Mbarara; worked with special needs children in Guludene and Mengo; worked in a babies home and in a malnutrition rehabilitation center in Entebbe, a Christian school in Kampala, the clinic of one of Uganda’s leading doctors, and in the Kiwoko hospital laboratory, out-patients department, and electrical department
Other accomplishments and activities:
- served as interpreters for American lawyers at a remand home in Kampala
- started a coffee business and took over the running of and purchasing for the Kasana Children’s Centre gift shop
- business etiquette training and a business dinner
- The 8 boys helped run 2 camps for former street boys at Musana Camps
- Each IY either ran their own small businesses or made investments in various things to help with the costs of their further education
Each 2010 IY received training in:
- Personal financial management (through completing the 10-week Crown Financial course)
- Authority of Scripture
- Biblical exegesis and hermeneutics
- World view
- Courtship, Marriage, and family,
- What is salvation?- debates and biblical reasoning/discussion
- Church history/chronology of Scripture
- Entropy and stewardship
- Business etiquette and skills
- Public speaking
- Basic computer skills
- Basic photography
Unique to this year:
- This was our first year to have a reading list- we joke that each year gets harder and harder… Now that we know what they’re capable of, next year’s students will be required to read a minimum of 13 books and the Bible!
- We went to Kampala for a “Know Your Capital Day”- a day learning their way around the big city
- Girls’ week- a time of discipleship and fun and “mother-daughter” time with IY girls and the IY women staff members
- We spent time in “listening prayer” each morning we were together- learning to listen to God’s “still small voice” through His Spirit and His Word
- This was the first IY group to keep up with Bible reading throughout the year!
- We wrapped up the year with a Father Heart Retreat at Musana Camps
- T
In closing
As I looked over what God had done and what each of our IY’s had accomplished this year, my heart was full. But, more than the accomplishments and training was how the Lord knit our hearts together with the students this year.
The great thing about IY is that its not just the young people who are challenged, changed, impacted. This year has been so good for me to, as i have really started to see and understand what it means to be a father to our children, my 3 children (Joel, Anya and Silas) but also my IY children! They have taught me much and i am so grateful. Being a dad to 17 teenagers has been a challenge but so much fun.
IY 2010 was great and we look forward to IY 2011...and i will try and keep you upto date much better
Reunions! Don’t you love them? The thought of a school, work get together after many years fills some of us with dread, especially if there are photos of what we used to look like or enjoy wearing! But let me tell you about a fantastic reunion…..
As the 17 students, 5 staff and my 3 kids headed to Musana camp, after completing their last work placement and being apart for 12 weeks we were excited to all be together again with the opportunity to spend the week together. Our focus for the week was to experience God as our father. It was a great week as for many of our children, for the first time, they started to face the pain and hurt of the loss of their fathers in their lives and to recognise the impact that has had on their lives and on how that has affected how they relate to God as a father. We all recognised that even if you have had a great father, he is 
human and will make mistakes and cause hurt and pain, the only father who is perfect and will never let us down is God our father. It was a great week and we really appreciated their honesty and vulnerability and it was a privilege to part of the healing process!
That’s how we finished the year and what a way to do it! Now that’s my kind of reunion. (can’t wait to the next one!!)
Happy New Year!
