St. Andrews's - Versailles KY

St. Andrew's has begun to serve Ugandan Gold Sunday mornings during our coffee hour at 10am in the cafeteria. Ugandan Gold coffee is grown and processed in our diocese of Bunyoro-Kitara and 100% of the proceeds are given back to them! To learn more about this coffee and how the purchase of it benefits our diocese, visit http://www.ugandangold.com.

You can now buy a bag of Ugandan Gold by contacting Margie Shera at 502-229-1568 or cuppajoe@live.com or at church.

Not sure how to invite someone to church?
Does the thought overwhelm you?
Are you waiting for just the right moment?
Chances are you are not alone...
We have an easy solution for you!!!
Let the Coffee do the Talking!!!
Attach a card/sticker invitation to the bag.
Give it to an unchurched friend, neighbor or family member and ask them to join you at St. Andrew’s!

Ugandan Gold

Ugandan Gold Coffee is a product of the Christian East African and Equatorial Development Trust, a non-profit organization committed to developing and maintaining sustainable income-generating projects in poverty-stricken area of the world.
It brings together the abundant possibilities of American financial resources and markets with the natural resources of nations situated along the Equator.
All of the profits from the sale of our coffee are returned to Uganda for economic development and health initiatives.

Compassion or Pity?

When you see the awful pictures or watch the news channel reports showing the terrible hunger, the ravages of famine, poverty and war, what do you feel? Grief? Pain? Deep sadness that God’s children live in such devastating circumstances?

When you hear the awful statistics of how malaria, cholera, tuberculosis, AIDS wreck havoc on the people of Africa, how do you respond? Has the news been so unrelenting that it just washes over you? Do you feel like you are just one person out of 6.6 Billion on this planet and what can one person do?
The problems are overwhelming and the solutions seem hard to implement. Africa has been a continent in crisis for so long, it seems permanent. Often the solutions offered appear simplistic. The following might sound familiar. Donate seeds and farm implements and there’ll be no more hunger. Clean up the graft and corruption so aid will reach those most in need. Educate the children and they will be able to break out of the poverty cycle. Technology is the answer-get enough computers and things will get better. Just invest in heath care and the crippling effects of disease will be eradicated.

The answer is that while all are admirable goals, to some extent, they have been tried and haven’t solved the problems. The solutions are not just economic, or governmental, or philanthropic—they are an ever-changing combination of all of the above, depending on the time and place. We have to work together to make permanent change for those in need. This is where compassion comes in. Though the words “compassion” and “pity” are often used interchangeably, there is a difference. Pity is a deep emotion in response to the sad plight of another. Compassion is a deep emotional response that moves you to do something about the sad plight of another.

So, have compassion—do something. You can start small—sponsor a child through a charitable organization. Donate money to well-drilling efforts. Consider donating an animal. Look at your purchases—what can you change so that the less fortunate can benefit? Of course, Ugandan Gold Coffee isn’t the only coffee that helps others. But drinking Ugandan Gold as your morning cup of java can get your day started off right—you will be wide awake and helping others at the same time.

Water Well Update
Our first major project has been the drilling of water wells in rural Uganda. In order to benefit as many people as we can, the local community is asked to help with the manual labor involved with the drilling, and to contribute to the maintenance of the well when it is finished. The following is an update from Graham Hodgetts, Our Director of Engineering.

Well #1 at the Kibbuse Foundation – This is technical training school in the middle of nowhere with essentially nothing but 90 students, a few tools, one moped and some wood. The well took two tries, the first of which hit rock. The second is in pay dirt-A sand and gravel water-bearing stratum in which the level of water does not reduce even after pumping 50 gallons in 10 minutes. The well has been cased and stabilized and the concrete wellhead has been installed. After the cement has cured the Bunyoro team will install the pump.

Well #2 at the Azur Clinic – This clinic is a miracle! Now three wards and a surgery are planned. Five years ago it was a ramshackle abandoned shell, overgrown with weeds. The well drilled here is 40 feet deep and we are in about 12 feet of water. We shall continue digging until we are at 80 feet deep at which time we will test the recovery rate and, if good, we will finish the well.

Well #3 in Ntoma – The well is located right next to a primary school in the Masindi Diocese. We are 52 feet down and have not yet hit water. In this location we may need to go down 100 feet because it is a dry location. The folks here are as poverty-stricken as the area is beautiful. When we chose the site, I noticed what I thought was a pile of sticks. When we went back to start digging that pile of sticks was filled to overflowing with the new semester’s batch of purple-uniformed primary school kids. It was the local school! Please pray that we make a good well, particularly at this place, so these beautiful little kids can get clean water!

Well #4 at Kigorobya Muslim School – This was an abandoned well because the riser pipes had rusted out and the pump had been removed. Nobody knew where it was! We installed a reconditioned pump and 90 feet of plastic pipes, which won’t rust. The pump started working very well with good, clean water. The staff and students were extremely grateful. It was not until we had left the school we found out that about 85% of the students and faculty were Christians.

Well #5 at BKD Headquarters – This was a well that needed rehabilitation because the pump piston was bad. We pulled the pump, resealed the riser pipe joints and replaced the piston. This well was fitted with a lime box because the water is acidic and full of iron (over 2000ppm). The water coming out of the lime box is now less than 1ppm iron.

Wells to be drilled next:
Irrindimura – This is a truly classic African village. The whole village turned out just to talk about the prospect of water. It gets so dry they suck on papyrus reeds just to survive in the dry season. They have committed as a whole village (at a public meeting) to provide the heavy manual labor to dig the well.

Nyabirung – A small trading center in the middle of a dry plateau. The nearest water is a borehole located 3 km away, which dries up during the dry season. This means they then have to walk 6 km for water. The village elders have signed a commitment on behalf of the villagers.

Mwitanzige – The pastor of this church reported that the children (they are the water carriers in Uganda) have to stand in line at the only pump for many kilometers. They wait so long they are missing classes in school and their education is suffering. The pastor and church elders signed the commitment that the church would provide the labor.

In addition to the water wells, this year’s projects have included the donation of filing cabinets to the Azur Clinic in Hoima, and a small business loan.

New places--If you are in the Pittsburgh area, go visit the lovely people at McGinnis Sisters’ Fine Foods in Monroeville. You can buy Ugandan Gold Coffee there as well as anything you might need—the store is full of wonderful and tempting foods.

Hot weather coffee—yes, I know this is a bit late for those in the Northeast, but it’s still warm!
            Spending time and $$ at the local coffee shop getting those expensive and calorie laden iced coffee drinks? Save yourself some time in the morning commute and save yourself some money. If you haven’t missed it, you can always collect your savings and give it away. A month’s worth of frappachinos would sponsor two children in Africa for a month.
            So, how to have your caffeine fix? Make a small pot of Ugandan Gold Coffee double strength before retiring at night and put in refrigerator. In the morning put two cups of the extra strong coffee in a blender. Add ½ cup milk, sweetener and a handful of ice cubes. Blend. Add a flavoring. I have used raspberry syrup with dark chocolate powder or Vanilla Caramel creamer with a squirt of caramel ice cream topping. Be creative—try different flavor combinations. Push the aerate button for a few seconds. If you need it, you can add a dollop of frozen whipped topping. You have about 3 cups of a refreshing cold drink, spent under $1.00 and, depending on your choice of ingredients (skim milk, splenda, fat-free vanilla caramel creamer, non-fat whipped topping), have consumed less than 100 calories.

Christmas Gift Boxes-
        It’s autumn now, so the holidays are not too far away. Our gift pack consists of four one-pound packages of coffee. Included are: two pounds Regular Roast, one pound Decaffeinated, and one pound flavored coffee. The box is a beautiful Christmas red with a flyer describing the gift included. It makes a wonderful business gift for clients at Christmas and is also a very appropriate personal gift. Your gift-giving can be thoughtful and easy at the same time. You can order online or contact us by email at coffee@ugandangold.com.

The purpose of this newsletter is to let you know about all the wonderful things that have been happening thanks to your support of this mission and will be sent twice a year. If you would prefer not to receive it, please click on the link below and let us know. We will take you off our email list.
Thank You!
P.O. Box 1362
Wexford, PA 15090
412-889-6642
www.ugandangold.com