#like there are many conversations to have regarding what happened and happens in Jinja but sensationalising makes everything so much worse

[crvvys]

also watched and finished Savior Complex which was about Renee Bach. the white American missionary that went over to help Ugandan kids. another wild story.

it covers the white saviour complex, the fact that the government doesn’t want to harshly punish these western NGOs bc they need the help and funding that’s provided. it talks about the massive misinformation that came from trying to take this woman down.

the documentary did not make her look good at all but I also don’t think she intentionally killed any of the kids that died in her care. I think there was negligence, ego and some delusion and I honestly think she should’ve been giving the money she raised to the hospitals in the area who had the actual training.

i think in her mind she thought she could do better than the hospitals bc they weren’t able to help the children she brought bc they didn’t always have the medical equipment. and I imagine coming from a Christian background where you’re homeschooled and living a normal middle class American life where you have no actual issues does not prepare you for the consistent child deaths you tried preventing in the beginning. bc she was initially only feeding these kids, not giving them actual treatment. and word spread that she could help these kids and she stepped up to that challenge and started trying to run this clinic from the house she bought to help with the malnutrition issue. and when she couldn’t treat them bc she also lacked resources, she did take them to hospitals and they told her they couldn’t help and she watched these babies die.

and I think the delusion of her belief that God would guide her, her being in her early 20s, these deaths and this sense of American exceptionalism really got to her head.

bc realistically if you are fundraising hundreds of thousands of American dollars…surely you could partner with hospitals or donate large amounts of that money to better the healthcare infrastructure? she had no medical degree. she had nurses but didn’t have any doctors on staff for years. i think they said 105 kids died in their care out of the 900+ they took in. obviously I don’t see this as a win by any means bc children still died which highlights issues that should’ve been discussed but was overshadowed by the activist campaign to get rid of her. I think there is something malicious about the activist campaign online calling her the Angel of Death and the Mengele of Uganda and saying she killed over 300 babies. bc I vaguely remember this case and I remember them saying she was doing all of this evil shit.

all of this misinformation that covered up the actual issues and what she actually did wrong. and I don’t think she should go back to Uganda tbh. I don’t think any white missionary should step foot in Africa but the core of the issue was the white saviour complex, the lack of healthcare resources that results in these desperate mothers taking their babies to a white woman (meaning they believed she had better resources) that they were told was a doctor when she herself never claimed to be, the fact that white missionaries have such a stronghold in these African countries and how these white folk are at times protected bc of that. and all of that gets covered up when you start lying to take someone down.

the online movement that was trying to take Bach and other white saviours down is run by Ugandans but they had a white American involved and I think she heavily influenced how they were doing their activism. she got removed though so maybe things will improve and they can remove the Americanisms bc even the lawyer involved in the case to find Bach liable for two deaths said that the activist campaign was harming the case she was building and it read as very American and said Ugandans don’t even talk like that.

[marielrieland]

Riding the wave.

Caught in the tensions—

So many people, stories, and localities, all drawing me in.

Moments of hope.

Laughter in the hallways, traditional dances, whispered dreams.

The tides are turning.

Seasons cascading in and flowing out as steadily as the ocean’s waves.

Will I be tossed about—haphazard, overwhelmed—in these changing seas?

Or will I master the waves in a craft lovingly built by my Savior’s carpentry?

The future remains to be discovered.

22 August, 2017 // Jinja, Uganda

Less than four months remain of life as I’ve known it for the past two years—life in Jinja, Uganda.  Although I’m beyond ecstatic for all that lies ahead at Fuller Theological Seminary, I move forward with a somber heart knowing that I’m leaving behind an incredible community at Akola Project.  It’s been a while since my last comprehensive update, so I will share a few highlights from the past several months:

May—Stateside Adventures

By God’s grace, I was able to spend an incredible two weeks at home in the States in early May.  I first landed in Seattle (with just enough time for a coffee with my dear brother Arian), then spent several days at home in Billings.  The highlight of my time there was hosting a “gathering” of friends & family for a night of stories, photos, and selling handmade Ugandan goods.  I was truly blessed by each and every person who made the time to attend, buy a basket, ask good questions, and just be present as I attempted to share a glimpse of what God is doing through me in Uganda.  If you were there, THANK YOU!!  

P.S.—I have many more beautiful baskets on the way home next month, just in time for Christmas shopping! Please message me if you would like to buy one ($25 each).  All proceeds are supporting my student loan payments and Fuller tuition!

After my time in Montana, my whole family flew together (for the first time in many years) to California for a beautiful week with my dad’s side of the family.  Highlights included staying in a renovated Victorian mansion in Eureka, running a half marathon through the Avenue of the Giants Redwood forest, and visiting Amen Lane, where many of my great aunts and uncles live.  It was powerful not only to create new memories with my family, but also to reflect on the lives of those who aren’t with us anymore—especially my grandpa Lance, who spent most of his life in northern California.

A few days later, the Rieland clan drove all the way from Cottonwood to Pasadena, the place I will call home for the next two years.  That’s right—I got to visit FULLER!!  Although I toured the campus several years ago, it was absolutely magical to visit again as an accepted student.  Meeting my Admissions and Vocational counselors in person after numerous phone calls and emails, touring the campus, attending a chapel service, and even sitting in on a class were just a few of the many highlights of the day.  I also met some new friends, and ran into a few old friends who live in the area (including Paul and Hope Phillips, whom I met in Uganda & now serve with on their board—check out Hope+ Africa)!

June—The North & Sipi Falls

As part of my normal workflow, June found me once again packing my bag and heading to northern Uganda.  After making this trip more than a dozen times in two years, I’ve realized that I need to change things up to make it interesting and exciting.  So, after a powerful week in Pajule with the Akola team, I decided to take a personal weekend and journey from Pader to Lira (with the beautiful Phil & Suzan Wilmot), then proceed to Mbale and venture up the foothills of Mount Elgon to Sipi Falls.  Sipi is a stunning region of the country, not only for its series of cascading waterfalls but for the vibrant greenery, coffee plantations, and views of Uganda’s expansive eastern region.  Needless to say, it is one of the most Edenic places I’ve ever seen!  I have made some incredibly special memories there, and this weekend would be no exception.  

While I had an amazing weekend of hiking, eating, and drinking tea with some great new friends (shoutout to the Jeffs!), I returned to Jinja with an unexpected hitchhiker—a real nasty bacterial infection.  Thanks to the help of Jesus and Dr. Charles, I recovered in a relatively short time, but it is an experience I’m definitely not planning on repeating any time soon!

July—New Horizons at Akola

Somehow, my updates so far have not included much about what my work has consisted of at Akola!  Akola Academy is running strong in its third full program year.  Our topics this year have included a balance of technical and social development skills, in order to help our members achieve both their economic and personal development goals.  The technical side of the program has consisted of a series of guest speakers who are experts in their respective fields—a Habitat for Humanity staff spoke on house construction, a government veterinarian spoke about livestock rearing, and a Farming God’s Way trainer spoke about organic, sustainable agriculture practices.  

Regarding the other half of the program, the amazing Empowerment Officers have been handing the social change trainings with remarkable complexity and grace.  This year’s topics have been a challenge, with many theoretical concepts (including high-level development & social change theory) mixed in with practical hands-on skills (such as conflict management and storytelling/public speaking).  Although the fruit of these programs may take many years to see, the seeds we plant through these conversations are powerful in the way that they work to expand the horizons of what is possible in these women’s lives.

In my own professional life, I am also beginning to expand my horizons regarding the work that lies ahead of me this year & beyond.  I have been developing a new mentorship program (still in the works) that would allow a smaller group of Akola members the opportunity to be trained in specific tactics/actions in order to live out the changes they desire in their community—whether that be fixing a borehole or campaigning against domestic violence.  I am also beginning to look into hiring my replacement, which is a daunting and emotionally turbulent process.  Akola Academy has been my baby for two years now, and I am battling anxiety about handing it over to somebody new.  But at the same time, God has been teaching me a lot about trusting Him to finish the work that He started.  After all, as Paul writes in Galatians 3, none of us were smart or powerful enough to start the work of redemption by ourselves, so why do we keep trying to finish it by our own strength?  It’s a lesson I need to learn over & over again.

August—Reconnection & Reflection

Although this month is not quite over yet, I’ve noticed these two themes emerge over the past few weeks.  This season has been challenging as I am overwhelmed by many commitments/responsibilities (outside of my Akola programs, I also volunteer for two amazing organizations doing community development work around the country).  I’ve also been fairly homesick and easily become stir-crazy when I do take time to rest, which is not a good sign.  In the midst of all of this, God has been so faithful in sending me the people I need to help me process it all.  Most notably, my dear friend Martha Kirabo—which means “gift” in Luganda—volunteered to accompany me for an entire 9 DAYS of travel to the north this month! My time was split between doing three days of VHT training for Hope 2 One Life in Kigumba and Gulu, and working four days for Akola in Pajule.  Needless to say, the week was a whirlwind and I really don’t think I would have accomplished it all if it wasn’t for Martha’s help.  Webale NYO nnyabo! 

I also had a wonderful time catching up with Blessing, another dear friend from UCU, and am looking forward to getting away with some other friends (including my MOM!) later this month.  I value these strong, powerful daughters of God that constantly speak wisdom & truth into my life more than I could ever express in a blog post.

As you can see if you’ve made it this far, the last few months have been incredibly rich in so many ways.  While it hasn’t been devoid of challenges, ultimately this season has been one of the most rich and rewarding of my life so far.  It is so satisfying (& humbling!) to see my work deepening and broadening the longer I spend in this beautiful country.  As I reflect on all this year has contained so far, I look forward to the final few months of my time at Akola and know that God is going to far exceed my expectations of what we can do together!

Thanks so much for being part of my journey.  I truly could not do it without you all.

Love,

Mariel

P.S. I have not always been very good about sharing prayer requests, which I realize is not helpful to anyone who would like to support me spiritually while I am here.  Here are few requests for the next several months: -Wisdom in hiring my replacement -Continued passion & energy for my work (despite the constant temptation to “check out” mentally) -Health & financial provision for my many friends here and their dependents (Akola, Hope+ Africa, and Hope 2 One Life all do amazing work, but there are so many needs in these communities that we cannot do anything about.) -Financial provision as I try to finish paying my student loans from SPU and finding tuition/living expenses for my time at Fuller

-Lastly, please pray for miraculous intervention for the life of little Rajabu.  For those who follow me on social media, you may have seen my post about him.  He is a 4-year-old boy with a severe heart defect that may not live beyond this next year if he doesn’t receive heart surgery.  We are working to get him sponsored out of the country for surgery, but need many different things to go perfectly in order for this to happen! If you would like to donate, please go to www.hopepositiveafrica.com!