You may not have noticed, but Uganda has been in the international headlines the past several days. We have had a tremendous amount of rain over the past several weeks that has caused mudslides in the lower east region of the country in the district of Bududa. Bududa is located in the foothills of Mount Elgon which is situated on the border between Uganda and Kenya. Several days ago mudslides wiped out two villages. The death toll is nearing 100 people and there are over 250 still missing.

Please pray for the recovery, provision and comfort for those who have lost loved ones and in many cases all that they owned. We, like many of you, are experiencing unusual weather for this time of the year. December through March is supposed to be our dry season. We have had an unseasonably cool dry season and it has been accompanied by days of rain showers.

We have been told by the meteorologists that the unusual weather patterns in Europe have caused the weather pattern from northern Africa to slide down into our region, thus causing the rains. They are predicting that we will have much higher than normal rain levels and to expect this weather pattern to continue through June. In some areas of Uganda the rains are much needed and long over due, but in other areas such as Bududa it can be devastating. Here is a link http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/712052 to a story that may give you some insight not only to the horrific tragedy but also to issues related culturally that may be contributing to and possibly making events like these more frequent and even more devastating.

Well the rains have also stopped for the most part the excavation of the MAF aircraft hanger. George estimates that they have only been able to work about one day in the past three weeks. There is at least a good week or more of excavation work needed before foundations can begin. The construction site is now fondly referred to as Lake George. They have also discovered that the water table has risen drastically and is only about twelve inches below grade, so extra measure are going to have to be implemented to allow for the digging and installation of the building foundations. Please keep George and the workers in your prayers.

Fellman's Blog

Fellman's Missionary Page

Construction finally began February 2nd on the new MAF aircraft hanger. For the past several weeks hundreds of truck loads of soil have been removed from the construction site and relocated to another location on the airfield property to prepare for grading of the site. Grading for a new access road and of the site is now in progress. Lord willing, they will complete the finish grading of the site and begin digging the foundations for the building in the next week or so. George has been working six days a week from dawn to dusk with the contractors to get through this critical phase of the project. Pray that their progress would be unhindered and work would continue safely.
Agape, George and Luan

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George and Luan Fellman

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Greetings from Uganda! George and I are both doing well and staying busy. George is awaiting civil/structural drawings from the hanger manufacturer before he can move forward with the airplane hanger site preparation. They are expected to be ready in mid March, so he has a little bit of a lull in his schedule right now.

I just received confirmation that I will be traveling, Lord willing, with a small team of engineers to the Family Empowerment farming project about a four hour drive upcountry on February 26th and 27th. I have shared with many of you in the past some of our adventures and work to bring clean water, sanitation, and health care to the families that participate in the co-op farming project. The past couple of years I have tagged along with other short term teams to teach the ladies the Word of God.

Recently, I have been trying to coordinate the efforts of supporters in the United States that are trying to bring the project's vision for creating fish ponds on the farm a reality. The team will be surveying an area on the farm where an existing fish pond and future fish ponds will be located. Test wells monitoring changes in the water table were just installed in January by a short term mission team. I will go along with the team of engineers to help facilitate any needs they might have as they complete a topo-survey of the proposed sight. Our trip has been postponed several times, so pray that our trip will continue as planned. Please pray for safety as we travel by road and for the area to be easily accessible for the team to complete the survey.

I am most excited about getting a chance to share from the Word of God again with the ladies on the farm. The Lord has really laid on my heart to share with them regarding the return of our Lord Jesus Christ for us and the blessed hope we have being a child of God. Pray that any cultural, language or educational barriers are removed as I share with them. Pray that Christ would be magnified through the teaching of the Word of God. Pray that my sisters in the Lord will be encouraged as they learn about the great blessings our God and Father has in store for us that have a personal relationship with him. Pray for understanding of the scriptures, that lives will be changed and for anyone who may attend that has no hope to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

The second Project Management workshop with MAF Uganda leadership is going well. Feedback has been very encouraging. We have one more day of training to complete the workshop. Please pray as I have been asked to meet with a member of MAF International, UK leadership team regarding further Project Management training opportunities with MAF.

Please pray that I would be able to find and purchase affordable airfares as I begin to make travel arrangements for my return to the U.S. in late March. Looking forward to seeing many of you!

Equipping the Saints: Goin' Upcountry

Fellman Missionary Page

Wow, I really need to get better at blogging. I am still transitioning from the mentality of writing a newsletter that is published once a month to chatting with you weekly. I promise to get better and publish more frequently.
For the past year, MAF Uganda has been raising donor support to build a new and much needed airplane hanger at their Kajjansi airfield. The existing aircraft hanger was built in 1994. It has been added on to several times to accommodate the growth in the ministry over the years. The existing hanger is in need of significant repairs. It is inadequately sized and lacks the facilities needed to support today and anticipated future growth of the ministry. George has been working with the MAF team to finalize the new hanger layout design. The new hanger will be 120’Wx110’D including office space and facilities to support needed aircraft maintenance functions and staff. A decision was made this past week to move forward and purchase the new prefabricated structural steel hanger from a supplier located Houston, TX. The hanger is expected to arrive in August. Pray for George as he now seeking the right resources to prepare the site, erect the hanger and finish the interior work and office space of the new hanger.

Existing MAF hanger at the Kajjansi Airstrip

Feedback has been very positive following the completion of my first Project Management Training workshop in January with MAF Uganda staff. Six more staff members are scheduled to participate in the second workshop beginning Monday, Feb 9th. We will meet each Monday for the next four weeks. Pray that the training will be practical and applicable to their everyday work and lives. I have also been asked about leading a third workshop with the national staff. Also, pray that my computer will hold out. Our existing laptop is having seizures. Unfortunately the diagnosis is not good. I am using an old laptop that has no battery and has issues of its own as well.
Please keep me in your prayers as I lead the weekly MAF Women’s Bible study. Pray that our time together will be a great time of fellowship as we seek to enter into a deeper relationship and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul admonishes us in Colossians 3:1-4 to diligently, actively, single mindedly pursue the things above, in other words, Heaven. It is my desire in our study of Heavenly things that we would gain a greater and different perspective of the things that are of this world and find encouragement in our moment by moment walk with our Lord in lue of the riches and glory He has stored up for us in Heaven, eternally secure and undefiled. Pray that we would set aside our time together each week as priority from our daily routines.
“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!” (NLT, 2 Cor 4:16-17).

Equipping the Saints: Ok, so I need to get better at bloggin!

Fellman Missionary Page

We have struggled for the past several weeks with internet connections to give you an update. We now have mobile internet for our laptop, so we are looking forward to updating our blog more frequently. We are now enjoying our new apartment and neighborhood. We are still unpacking some of our boxes that we shipped when we first arrived in Uganda. We had forgotten many of the items we shipped, so there was some nice surprises. When we prepared to move we thought that we didn't have very many things, but as most of you have experienced if you have ever moved, you always end up with more than you thought and wonder how you accumulated so much stuff! So we continue to try to find a place for everything.

We started celebrating the holiday season early with our friends and family here. We are blessed to have friends that are from various countries around the world. It has really opened our eyes to the various ways that other countries celebrate this time of year. We stared in mid-December with having a wonderful breakfast with a MAF missionary family from Sweden. The Balter's moved to Uganda this year. They invited many of us to celebrate St. Lucia Day on December 13th. Special food was prepared by Samuel and Jenny for the occasion. St. Lucia was an Italian Christian that lived during the 4th century. St. Lucia Day is traditionally celebrated with a feast and a ceremony where a girl is elected to portray Lucia. Wearing a white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head, she walks at the head of a procession of women, each holding a candle. The candles symbolize the fire that refused to take St. Lucia's life when she was sentenced to be burned. This Swedish festival of lights also helps to lighten up the long winter nights in December. Jenny and Samuel prepared some of the special foods for Lucia's Day like Lussekatter (St. Lucia Bun) made with saffron and spicy gingerbread biscuits along with a host of other traditional Swedish breakfast foods. It was a perfect start to the holiday season. Samuel also told us that St. Lucia Day is traditionally followed by 12 days of fasting before Christmas. We were not willing to take the holiday that far!

The following week we attended the MAF Christmas party held at the Kajjansi Airport. All of the MAF missionary families as well as those employed by MAF Uganda and their families attended the party. It was nice to finally meet many of the spouses and children of the people we work with daily. The turnout was more than expected. The highlight was a puppet show following dinner. Several MAF families have created a puppet ministry to share the gospel with international and national children here. Their puppet show was fun, impressive and well received.

We went to the Wunderli family's house for Christmas Dinner. We had turkey, ham, stuffing and all of the fixin's. The only thing missing was some good ol'e American Football to watch between the main meal and desert! Well we are planning on staying home and having a quiet evening for the New Year. May the Lord bless you and keep you; may His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace in the new year!

Equipping the Saints: Happy New Year!

Fellman Missionary Page

Meet some newcomers to Shepherd's Staff...

We are happy to report that the Lord has provided a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment in a safe area for us to live. Thank you for all of your prayers on our behalf to find more permanent housing. The apartment is located about 15 minutes south of Kampala in a quiet neighborhood. It is very near to the MAF Kajjansi Airfield where George will be building a new aircraft hanger.
A new shopping center has opened up within walking distance from our apartment. We will be able to do all of our shopping and banking there. This will really help us to save in fuel costs. Diesel is now about $6.50 per gallon! Two good coffee shops have opened as well in the shopping center. We continue to clean and make ready the apartment. We hope to begin moving in this weekend. We also have to purchase basic furniture and a stove. The Lord continues to provide in unexpected ways for our every need.

Equipping the Saints: Answer to Prayer

Fellman Missionary Page