It's a boy!!

Yes, we are now officially the guardians of Lino, a tall Dinka teenager we have known since 2001! Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us in this process!

Pray also as we navigate a way forward with his younger brother Angelo (Taban) who is in boarding school in Kenya.
Here are some photos of Lino when we first met him at the end of 2001 in Sudan and now in
Kampala in 2009!

AG all dressed up for the "Rain" Festival at Heritage International School. Since there is no Fall here, and it is the Rainy Season, the school has a "Rain Festival." The theme for costumes was "At the Movies." Thanks to our friends Tim and Trish, who let us rummage through their dress-up clothes, our girls both had outfits to wear!! AG was very pleased and proud of herself to be Jasmine -- even though she hasn't even seen the movie yet!! How kids learn who all these characters are is still a big mystery to us!

She was so happy with the outfit that she wanted to sleep in it...it took a great deal of convincing to get her to change!

KJ was much less impressed with her outfit as a ladybug. The struggle was not in getting her to take off the outfit, but to keep it on!!

Again, thanks to a good friend (Misty), we finally managed to get a picture of her in the outfit!!

One thing we have enjoyed about living in Kampala is our huge yard, which allows for an experimental garden! We have had fun trying out growing different things and one of the most successful endeavors has been with our zucchini. HUGE zucchini. We have probably eaten zucchini at least once every single day for a month now!

Hussein, who works for us, showing off the garden

Look closely and you can see a very cool looking praying (or is it preying??) mantis on this flower

up close

KJ in her favorite attire (as little clothing as possible), in her favorite place (outside--and either wet or dirty) having fun

The Team

We were happy to have Dr. Scott and Susan Christie and Dr. Doug and Sherri Dickens join us for a week in Uganda to teach about issues related to people who have been traumatized by war and conflict. Issues such as forgiveness, grief, depression, PTSD, etc. This is the group at the mall in Kampala with Peter, Jennifer and Harriet

Trip to Rwanda

We traveled with the team out west to Rwanda, where they led a conference with leaders working among people affected by war and conflict. On the way to Rwanda, we crossed the equator.

Jennifer (Southern Hemisphere), Shelah (trying to be in both) and Harriet (Northern Hemisphere)

Rather than pay the man $5.00 to demonstrate the direction that water swirls in at the equator, Harriet decided to give us an explanation...

Did you know that it goes clockwise or counter clockwise depending on which side of the equator you are on??

At the Uganda/Rwanda border and also Gorilla territory

Dr. Doug Dickens teaching a group of leaders at the conference

Dr. Scott Christie

Beautiful mountains and volcanoes surround this area

Beautiful sunsets too

Conference participants singing

Rain forest

Trip to Goma, DRC (Congo)

*we had the permission of the students, women, and children shown below to take their photos

In 2002 there was a volcano which erupted and destroyed a large portion of Goma. As a result nearly everything there is covered in black volcanic rock. The roads, the houses, everything is built out out of, or on top of, volcanic rock. Also, there has been a terrible fighting in Congo over the years, resulting in millions of deaths, thousands of children forced into conflict and high incidents of rape and violence.

Millions of innocent people have been traumatized and displaced from their homes as a result.

Shelah in Goma, DRC with some of the students we are sponsoring, in partnership with Pastor Stephen Bamoleke and Shalom Transformation Ministries. Most of the kids are former child soldiers, or have been displaced due to the terrible war.

It was so special to meet them face-to-face. We can't wait to go back and get to know them better!

The Shalom Church, who is taking the responsibility of caring for many of these traumatized kids

These five guys are now OUT of the army and back IN school!

Unfortunately, due to the war and violence in Eastern Congo, there has been terrible and widespread occurrences of rape.

This group of women at Shalom are involved in providing a support group and assistance to victims of rape. There is a stigma associated with rape, so the women go out and try to find women who need help and then get them to treatment centers and reach out to them in friendship and love

Another place we visited offers rehabilitation and sewing classes for victims of rape and violence so that the women can have a livelihood

Around Goma

Kids from Shalom church

local houses

a road in Goma town

market

Rollar blades!!

He only had one but he could get around on it very quickly!

Local bicycle used for transporting all kinds of things

* For more see our Refuge and Hope blog at www.refugeandhope.blogspot.com

Heritage Guys Night Out

We hosted some Heritage Secondary boys at our house on October 30th for a guys night. They had a good time playing twister and watching movies and NOT sleeping. Besides not having enough to feed them, and feeling rather old and out of it (particularly in the area of technology), we enjoyed it!

Lino (he does have a slight advantage with his long arms and legs)

After a long long long long night....the group poses!

A farewell to one of our "sons"

We first met Jacob in 2001 when we were working in Sudan at the transitional camp for demobilized child soldiers. Jacob stood out because of his friendly personality, leadership skills, and English skills. He often was our interpreter in the camp. He was so bright and showed great potential. He became a soldier at a very young age and had been in combat several times. He was once shot and left for dead on the battlefield but managed to survive and make it out.

In 2003 we were able to get Jacob out of Sudan and into Kenya so he could go to school. So for the past 6 years we have been sponsoring Jacob as he has studied in Kenya.

This past August Jacob let us know that he was ready to return to his home in Sudan to try to find his family and begin his life as an adult. We were sad to let him go and will greatly miss him, but we also have always known that this time would come and are happy that he is able to go home. He called us after arriving back in his village to let us know that he managed to find his parents! We are still praying for him- that God will direct his path as he now makes his way in Sudan!

Jacob the night he left for Sudan

September Trip to the USA
We traveled to the USA the beginning of September and attended the 50th wedding anniversary of Jade's mom and dad. It was a special celebration as they renewed their marriage vows (I guess after 50 years they truly understand the meaning of those vows!!) and celebrated their anniversary with family members. (It was also a special weekend because I (Shelah) got to see my brother Jason's daughters Ashley and Kerri whom I had not seen in a very long time!)

A-G and K-J got to be the flower girls


The Acker "Tribe"

Our girls enjoyed getting to do things they can't do in Kampala, like riding the merry-go-round at the mall.

They also had fun with the bubble machine

Refuge and Hope Fundraiser

Another purpose in our trip back to the USA was the annual Refuge and Hope fundraiser.
It ended up being a really fun afternoon and we are so pleased and thankful for the money raised that will help our work among people affected by war and conflict in this part of Africa! Thanks to all who came out and helped make it a success!!!

Art work which was donated by various artists for the silent auction

We had a great time reconnecting with friends, especially the student.go team who were in Uganda this past June working with us

Anna, Carson and Abby! :)

Christina!!! She came all the way from Chicago!!! Thank you!!

The BEACH

Thanks to some very dear people (whom we can never repay!!), we were able to have 2 days off in a beautiful condo in Florida. It was especially a blessing because some of our best friends (Chad and Leslie and their daughter) were able to join us at the beach!

AG in the sand

KJ liked the water

and the sand!

Making sand castles

A-G learning how to fly a kite

Trying to hold it down

Jade's sister and family also live in Florida so it was good to get to see them one last time before departing back to Africa

A-G and cousins Ronette and William

Reflections...

This trip back was different for us in many ways. One being that we now have two small children and that made a huge difference in our energy level when it came to speaking, attending meetings, and trying to get work done. Secondly, I think we are just getting older, and our families are getting older, and it makes it harder and harder to say goodbye each time we leave. At the same time, we really missed Uganda and our "family" and work here. It is a very "divided" sort of feeling. We were excited to get back home and into our work, but felt a stronger sense of sadness at leaving our family than ever before. Much of this is due to my mother's illness. It was hard seeing her sick and having to undergo chemo treatments and leave knowing she has 6 more months of chemo to endure.

Also, while we were stateside there were riots and some unrest in Kampala, which was hard because Lino was here, alone at home, while we were there, separated. Thankfully things were calm by the time we returned and Lino was fine (in fact he really did great!) We still haven't been able to get legal guardianship of him so it made us realize that he really would be "stuck" if something ever went wrong here and we needed to leave. We are battling frustration over the difficult process of trying to get legal rights over someone we have cared for since 2003! We hope this will be the month for that to finally take place! Please pray for this!!

So, here we are back in Kampala and trying to sort out all these different emotions. We do feel like this is home and 100% that this is where we are supposed to be and we are excited about what the future holds. Every single day is an adventure and we certainly are never bored, but we do miss our family and friends (okay, and Papa Johns Pizza too)!! We take comfort in knowing that this world is not really our home, that we are just living on borrowed time, and that one day we will never have to say goodbye again...so for now we will do our best with what we have been given and try to live each day to the fullest for the Kingdom of God.

Also, please visit our newly updated website: http://www.refugeandhope.org/ and the Refuge and Hope blog at http://www.refugeandhope.blogspot.com/

Sunrise over Lake Victoria.

Jade's most recent experiment was to build this swing for our yard! It turned out great. He is training some of our guys in making more of them in hopes they can sell them. Anyone need a swing??

K-J showing off her teeth



A-G on her climbing wall (another of Jade's building projects!)

K-J, who is actually a big climber, trying her best

Made it!!! With some help of course :)

Active girls

Taking a break

From climbing walls to ballet

K-J enjoying her breakfast...prior to fixing her hair

Lino 6 ft. 2 and still growing shooting baskets with Saudi

The guys enjoying a game of "knock out"

Angelo (Taban) jumping high in the air!! He is on his school break from Kenya right now and spent a few days with us on his way back to Sudan for a few weeks. It has been 6 years since he left Sudan, so we are hoping this will be a good visit for him.

Barakat

At a birthday party for one of our friends

During a recent visit to see the other guys in Eldoret, Kenya.

This is at the Kip Keino Secondary School.

Jade with Kip Keino, former Olympic gold medalist. He provided a home for our 9 guys for several years when they first came from Sudan. Now only one of them, Al Jehli, is still living there while he attends school.

Lino's birthday party

Opening presents

AG and her good friend, Blessing

Last month we made a visit to "Chimpanzee Island," a chimp sanctuary in Lake Victoria, with some friends.

Watching the chimps eat

It was rather amusing that we were required to wear surgical masks on the island to protect the chimps from swine flu!! Not easy to convince an 18 month old to wear a mask.

No swine flu for these chimps

Waiting for the boat to leave the island

On the boat

Wind blown mommy, desperately trying to keep K-J from falling or jumping out of the boat. Thank goodness for lollipops.

To view the Refuge and Hope blog click here http://refugeandhope.blogspot.com

Something that never fails to warm our hearts are the beautiful, precious children in each place that we visit in Uganda! This sweet baby is from the village of Lokalis, across the river from Greek, in Eastern Uganda. The student.go team who were here working with us in June gave a training about malaria and distributed 141 treated mosquito nets to this resettlement community.

The treated mosquito nets come packaged in blue bags, which obviously make pretty comfortable cushions to sit on!!

(*some of these photos were taken by the team members and we have nabbed them to use on our blog!!)

Nets were also distibuted in suburbs around Kampala--in children's homes, as well as in slum areas.

This is the community of Lokalis gathered for the training and distribution

Demonstrating how the nets are supposed to be used

The tribes in this area are traditionally pastoralists (the importance of cattle cannot be underestimated). Cows are extremely treasured and loved. This reality hit home when a leader stood up and asked if there would also be mosquito nets given to their cows!

Sweet kids from Kaberamaido!

Kaberamaido is where we have some projects going on and was the next destination for the team to visit.

Beautiful feet!!

These children from the orphanage in Kaberamaido played traditional instruments and sang for the visitors. Nets were also distributed for the children in the home.


We were so excited to facilitate a youth conference on "Character" and "Developing a Vision for Your Life" for 100 young people in Kaberamaido over a weekend in June.

Playing volleyball with the youth

The Participants

Shelah with a group of High School girls at the conference

The girls said the biggest challenge they face is being pressured into marriage at a young age, which usually means dropping out of school and giving up the chance of an education. Several girls shared how they want to break this cycle and encourage their peers to finish their educations

The Wolves Football (Soccer) team in Kampala, wearing their new jerseys that Carson and the team brought out! Thank you Carson!! They loved them!

At the youth conference

(Anna, Abby, Shelah, Lino, Debbie and Carson)

Kids Games!!

Sports Friends International (a group we partner with), along with many other organizations, hosted an amazing sports day for over 900 orphans/street kids at Heritage International School. The student.go team got to help lead the games and coach the kids. It was an amazing day. For many of these kids it was the first time they had ever left their slum areas. Some from children's homes had never been out of their neighborhoods so it was an exciting experience.

ACKER FAMILY LIFE!!!!!!!

In May we had three of our Sudanese guys home with us during their school breaks from boarding school. It was a crazy... but good time!

In the above picture is Peter (who works with us in the Refuge and Hope office), Saudi, Lino and Abraham with the girls. This picture was taken the day Abraham went back to school-- that is why he has on a school uniform and tie.

Saudi hanging out and sharing breakfast with K-J!! The girls never lack for attention with all their "brothers" around

K-J is growing up!! She is 17 months old already!!

Yes, I am the one who emptied out all those drawers full of plastic containers. I love to empty drawers and get into trash cans and closets!!

I also like to say "up!" Probably because I am a serious climber. I think my climbing causes great panic to my parents, especially when I stand up, wave my arms and march on top of whatever I have just climbed...

Playing with neighborhood kids who come over in the afternoons

I think the necklaces suit me well!

What can I get into while my big sister is reading her book???

A-G actually sitting still...posing and smiling for a picture!! Very rare indeed!

I love to play football with anyone who will play and my daddy says I am quite good!

A-G calls the neighborhood kids her "friends from the bushes," because she met them by talking to them through the bushes! Never the shy one, she came and asked if she could invite over her new friends from the bush to play and before we knew it we had a yard full of kids!

Lino!!

Lino is doing very well!! He is on school break right now. He ended up making As and Bs on his end of school report card and received the Christian Character Award for the term. He traveled with the student.go team to help out and really enjoyed it.

This is him at Sipy Falls in Kapchorwa, Uganda.

Our electricity goes out regularly...so this is Lino reading by flashlight in the dark

Shelah just celebrated her birthday on July 6th.

A-G was more excited about it than anyone. She woke up talking about it, helped decorate the cake, had all of us wear leftover "1st Birthday" party hats from K-J's birthday, led the song, helped blow out the candles... and ate lots of cake!

A-G shoveling cake into her mouth at lightening speed... and Jennifer, who is eating her cake with somewhat greater restraint and dignity

This past month Jade helped out at a basketball camp at Heritage International School. Here he is demonstrating defense!!

Acker family with the student.go team, whom we felt like were extended members of our family by the time they left. Carson, Abby, Jade holding A-G, Shelah (with mouth WIDE open) holding K-J, Lino and Anna

It has been a hard month in many ways...most of all because Shelah's mom, Dorothy, was just diagnosed with colon cancer and had surgery a week ago. This is still something we are struggling to understand and come to terms with. She has not seen an oncologist yet, so we will have much more information after that. Please pray for her and for all of us.

Also, we are in the process of adopting Lino!! Yea!! We are excited about this since it has been a dream for a long time. However, it is NOT a straight forward or simple process and we have been discouraged by many things in the past few weeks. Our first court appearance didn't go so well... because he is from Sudan and is a teenager (a very tall, large teenager) and it is harder to adopt teenagers. We have another court date in August and are praying and hoping for a favorable ruling at that time! Please join us in this!! It may be necessary to travel to Sudan and acquire more documents before the August court date. This adds more time and expense, but we will do what it takes on our side and leave the rest up to God!!

Overall, we love our life here in Uganda! We are blessed beyond blessed with our family, our friends and our colleagues. We are thankful! Thank you for your friendship!! We love you!!

The Acker family!!

Acker family

Jade's birthday party! We won't say how old he is!

Japanese food!!!! YUM!

The birthday boy (yes, Jade is the one in the hat)

Of course we can never do anything here without playing volleyball

Blowing out the candles- this requires a lot of help!

A-G on the playground

A-G's school program. Her class is very multi-ethnic, and her best friend is a girl from Ethiopia.

Jumping!

Jumping again!

We are so excited that A-G is able to jump without having to worry about her leg. It has been over a year since her surgery and she is definitely back to 100%

Grey balloons for daddy's birthday... next year will be black!

K-J's Easter dress

K-J and daddy looking at the goldfish

15 months old

K-J in destruction mode. She empties out Shelah's box of memory cards each day and scatters them all over the floor.

Who me?

Gentle with the cat!

Lino, AG and KJ

Jerry and Dorothy- Shelah's parents were out for a visit this month. It was a great time!

Nana's Birthday cake!

AG and Papa relaxing

At the King's tombs in Kampala

Inside the tomb. The kings are said not to die, but to "disappear into the forest" and the secret forest is behind this hut/tomb and it is forbidden for visitors to enter

Who is older? This is a 300+ year old tortoise that was brought here by one of the kings.

We have planted a small garden in our yard and are just now starting to enjoy eating from it!

Shelling peas from the garden!

Not sure if AG was helping or not

We are very happy to have found a Sudanese church here in Kampala. This church feels like home for us and we spent Easter Sunday with them.

Dorothy speaking at the Sudanese church

Easter Egg Hunt

We could have looked for the eggs again... but we ate them

I'm good

Too good.

Barakat helped find eggs too. In fact it was quite a competition. More competitive than we could have ever planned for!

KJ and Barakat

Kids of Kaberamaido

Church Leadership Conference

Stewardship Workshop

Bibles in the Kumam language

The Kitchen where the meals were prepared each day for the conference

A traditional fridge- water in a clay pot, surrounded with charcoal. It keeps the water very cold!

Paster holding his Kumam Bible

Widows receiving soccer ball. Irene is the lady on the left and is a widow raising 9 children, and the leader of the widows group. She is an amazing woman and was thrilled to get the soccer ball so the ladies can play when they meet together.

A-G in her "blue whale" swimming pool

We love the great swimming weather here in Kampala

KJ and AG

AG and KJ by Lake Victoria

AG with the guys swimming in the lake

Mom and Dad (Acker) with Shelah at the source of the Nile

The Nile River, which begins in Uganda and flows up through Sudan to Egypt

Mom and Dad at the Equator

Taking the Sudanese guys to an all-you-can-eat Mongolian BBQ was quite the experience!

They certainly got their money's worth!

Peter, our enthusiastic and hard-working field coordinator.

We truly don't know what we would do without Peter!!

Our favorite place to shop is the Super Supermarket. A-G has such a reputation there that she gets free candy every time we enter the store.

Or maybe the nearby Praise Supermarket

Boda-Bodas, or motorcycle taxis, are one of the main forms of transportation here.

If you come see us here, you will likely be subjected to playing volleyball every evening (or at least babysitting so we can play)!

Lino has worked hard to start this tradition of ending each day with a good game of volleyball.

We especially enjoyed playing last month when the other guys were on break from boarding school.

The guy's quarters behind our house where they stay when home from school

K-J, who turned one in January

At her birthday party

Happy 1st Birthday!!

Presents

Not too impressed with cake...she licked off all the icing and then threw the cupcake down.
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Below are pictures of the Greek resettlement Village in Eastern Uganda.

We recently visited Greek to meet with the local pastor there and to strengthen our relationship with the community. This is an area that has been through much hardship, where the people have been repeatedly displaced due to conflict. The people have been living in IDP camps for years, but are now returning to rebuild and start life over again. They have been provided with security now, so they are ready to resettle and build up their community once more.

Greek Resettlement Village in Eastern Uganda

Children in Greek

Houses under construction

Cute kids who need a school

Parents

Current school classroom

Church under construction

Pastor and family

Pastor receiving soccer ball donated by the VBS kids at Westwood Baptist Church

A church leader (the lady) with some children

It is hard work to live in a place like Greek.

This woman had to walk a long distance to collect this grass for thatching the roof of her house.

House after house being constructed as people are trying to resettle and begin life again.