Institute Class

This week we have been learning about Biblical Counceling. Uncle Jones has been giving insight on this topic. We have enjoyed his teaching and are learning a great deal.

Our New Hope Family

We have had a great time getting to know our Pacific Family.

Oli Otya!

Eating lunch in Jinja with our friend David.

David's bike ran out of gas on the way to the source of the Nile

Caleb Giving Nico a bath.

Oli otya! (Greetings!) Family & Friends,

So much has happened since our last update. We are so thankful for how God has made His presence known to us over the last couple of months, in the midst of joys- like baby Nico, and seeing our newest nephew Cash via Skype, as well as difficulties- like receiving the news of that Alair’s mom is wrestling with cancer again (and we’re ½ a world away). Yet, in so many ways, the Holy Spirit has been actively working to prepare our hearts to recognize His hand, worship the Lord as He reveals His glory to us in every circumstance, to point out His glory to others as it is revealed more and more, and to have a song of praise ever ready on our lips (Ps. 40: 16, PS. 34:1-3).
During a recent phone call with Alair’s mom (Averill), we learned that she is able to walk very short distances with a walker and uses a wheel chair outside of the house due to the degeneration that has taken place in her spine and hip. She is still feeling well (not sick), and aside from the pain (which she is treating with a “pain patch” as well as acupuncture treatments every other day), has enjoyed her time with family and friends who have visited. We continue to covet your prayers for her, and the rest of the family (Dad- Jim, Sister- Janea, aunts, uncles and cousins). Please pray also for clear direction from God as to when we should return.
God has allowed me (Alair) to walk through a similar situation with Silvia (a sixteen year old girl in our family group), whose mother is very sick. Although I can’t claim to understand what she is going through, I am confident that God has placed us in Pacific family to love and encourage, pray for and pray with those we have opportunity to cultivate relationships with, and to point them to Christ and the truths in God’s word.
We have been caring for baby Nico (Nicholas) from New Hope’s Hope House on the weekends, and after a few months of prayer have decided to begin the application process for adoption. We must first apply and be approved by New Hope then we will able to start the progressive stages of the process. While our New Hope application is in process, a staff person from New Hope will attempt to locate Nico’s birth mother. The complete adoption procedure in Uganda requires three years residency, and has three different stages (each having its own set of regulations): 1st foster, 2nd guardianship, and 3rd adoption.
This month marks the ½ way point in our five month training. At the beginning of class, we dealt extensively with learning to detect cultural word views, and as we have been searching the scriptures, we are coming to more fully understand and to cultivate a biblical or kingdom world view. This begins with seeing all of creation and life with God’s glory at the center. As God unveils His glory, His sovereignty and power are among the numerous attributes that are revealed! In addition we have seen from scripture what redeemed manhood, womanhood, and family look like. We are currently beginning a section on child training.
Slowly by slowly we are learning Luganda (the language spoken in our area and we were happy to hear, in the region where New Hope’s new camp/ training center will be located). Caleb practices phrases like “Well done”… “How is your family?”... “Welcome back”… and “I love you,” on everyone he passes by (literally) and is doing very well. Everyone loves the fact that he greets them in Luganda. Some Ugandan friends and staff have made the comment “You know Luganda as well as I do.” I (Alair) think he he’s well on his way to becoming Uganda’s favorite mazungu (white one). Although the timing is not certain, our next undertaking here in Uganda will be to take six months of language school before we move to the camp property. Yes, English is the national language in Uganda, and it is spoken widely here at New Hope, but there are many other languages spoken here…Luganda being the most common.
Please continue to pray with us about the purchase of the land for the camp. There has been a purchase agreement made, but we are still in the negotiation stages and a few land disputes must be settled before we can obtain the title. We are using Skype to chat and make calls, so if you want to do a search for us (our name is Caleb and Alair Mitchell) we’d love to hear from you. Also check out our updated blog Thank you again for your support and your prayers.

In His service and for His glory,
Caleb & Alair

Learning Ugandan Culture

(far left in white is Esther, middle left in blue and white is Lilliane, middle right is Gloria)
During parents day the students from the secondary school perform a traditional African folk song.


Uncle Dan and Caleb show off a puff adder. This is a very dangerous and venomous snake. Uncle Dan killed it with a stick on the road to Lewuro.

Caleb is learning to ox plow with his teacher Francis who is also attending the Institute classes.

Little Nicholas

The Past two weekends we were able to take care of a Nicholas from the baby house. He is 6 months old and always has a smile on his face.

The First Three Weeks

Alair with Kintu Obadiah (child we are sponsoring)


Past Sons and Daughters reuniting with current ones

Nathan from the baby house


Dear Family and Friends,

It is with much excitement that we write to you. Our transition time has gone smoothly and we are adjusting to the culture quite well so far. This month New Hope celebrated 20 years of bringing the “Fatherhood of God to the fatherless”. It was a three day celebration where older brothers and sisters were welcomed home by their families (children here are raised in a family setting), and joined present and former staff in thanking God for his faithfulness to individuals and the ministry. It was a sweet time of reunion, forgiveness, and hearing testimonies of the on-going goodness of the LORD.
The family we are attached to is Pacific family. There are 21 children in our family (7 boys and 14 girls ranging in age from 4 to 16). We’ve spent evenings in family devotions and Saturday mornings working in the family garden. I should warn you to hear the term “garden” loosely because the family gardens include banana plantation, and over three acres of plots for sweet potato, beans, cassava (a white yam-like vegetable), and maze (corn).
Another exciting aspect of our time here has been the teaching we are receiving in the institute. We have been challenged to detect where our cultural world views clash with kingdom world view, and to recognize the lies in our deceitful heart Jeremiah 17:9 and to renew our minds with truth Romans 12:2.
We were able to visit the land for the camp on our 11th wedding anniversary which was July 1st. It was a four hour trip from the Kasana site to the property on Lake Victoria. There are beautiful views of the lake, trails through the bush, a fresh water spring, and 600+ meters of beach front where a squatter’s village of fisherman and their families are living. The two initial priorities are fencing of the property and further developing the roads leading to the camp. The next priority in camp planning will be to build a structure that will first serve as housing for both us and the Sparks and be used in the future for either programming or storage. The next step will be to begin developing camp programming.
We feel very privileged to be serving with New Hope Uganda. Thank you for your on-going prayers, and support. We will keep you up to date as things progress.

In His service and for His glory,
Caleb and Alair

Our New Home

London


Lake Victoria Property with Syd and Andrea

Our New Home

Well, we made it safely to Uganda with little to no problems. We had a 12 hour layover in London were we were able to visit with Caleb’s cousin Mike (who lives there) and Alair’s cousin John who happened to be on business at the time.
We have been settling down nicely here in Uganda. We are learning many new things about the Ugandan culture and have met many new people. Our next door neighbors while we are in the institute are Syd and Andrea Sparks who we are partnering with on the New Hope camp endeavor.
We have had two days of great class lectures from Keith McFarland and are learning about how different world views effect how we see life. We have also talked much about the Kingdom world view and how it is unchanging even within the different cultures.
We had a wonderful Fourth of July celebration with many of the western staff. The food and fellowship were great.
Saturday was our first opportunity to work in the gardens with Pacific Family. We learned how to slash. In other word how to cut down tall grass and weeds in preparation for ox plowing. Alair’s longed promised ox plowing pictures will be coming soon.