VICARIOUS JOURNEY AHEAD! project Uganda #8

Short post today. Brian sent me this photo with a short note to say he received the Wordless Book I made for his friend in Uganda.

Indeed he has! And I'm noting that Brian is surrounded by artifacts from his trip to Uganda & other parts of Africa. (click photo to enlarge)

The book & story ropes travel to Uganda next week, carried by his friend, Marie. And she promises pictures. So we'll all continue on this journey vicariously!

Miss any of the Uganda Project story? Click here.

A GIFT FOR BRIAN'S FRIEND project Uganda #7

Continuing Brian's Uganda experience:

Brian woke up one morning asking what he should do that day. Someone reminded him of the 2 crippled guys he had seen the other day. He followed the suggestion & was off to see them, both polio survivors. All it took was that one day and they were friends.

Upon returning home, Brian learned that his Ugandan friend's home had been destroyed by rebels in what Brian calls, "the troubles of northern Uganda" - a terrible era that only recently came to an end. Brian (& his friends) helped with finances to rebuild the house.

In Seattle (Finishers Forum) after my class, Brian told me some of his life journey you've been reading about. I looked at him and said, "You have a powerful life story to tell."

I made this book for Brian to give as a gift to his Ugandan friend. Brian is going to use it to share his story over email as his friend in Uganda looks at the colored pages.

I mailed it yesterday & Brian should get it on Thursday. On Saturday Brian will hand it to Marie, who will take it to Brian's friend in Uganda.

I have a feeling that this story is just beginning!

Click on photos to enlarge.

• Brian in Nairobi

• mailed to Brian:

book, pouch, story ropes

• close-up first 2 pages

• book back-African fabrics.

Miss any of the Uganda Project story? Catch up by scrolling back or click here.

FINISHED!! project Uganda #6

I completed the Uganda Project today!

YES !

• Machine stitched signature & date to the green page - less obtrusive than on the yellow page.

• Made pouch to hold the accordion book.

click photos to enlarge

• Mailed it to Brian.

Tomorrow

• How Brian met his Ugandan friend, who will be on receiving end of this project.

• Final photos of finished work.

If you missed any of the Uganda Project story, catch up by scrolling back.

PAGES & POWER CHAIR project Uganda #5

I made progress on the Wordless Book, destined for Uganda. Expect to finish it in a couple days & send it to Brian in Seattle. From there it will go to Uganda.

Brian continues his story by telling about injuring his knees at work.

"I had surgeries on each knee & returned to work. Then took out my back trying to save the knees. While recovering, I again injured my knee. It seemed I had set off a chain reaction. Every time I overused a joint to let another heal, it too went bad."

"The doctors had me tested for all sorts of things, but learned nothing conclusive. They theorize that I have deformed collagen which is the main building block of all connective tissue."

"Over the months I began to use a manual wheelchair. That’s when we began to discover that the pressure on my wrists and shoulders was making more problems. (Insert African trip around here.) The doctors & I eventually decided that only using a power wheelchair would help slow down the deterioration." And there's Brian in his new power chair!

Ahead - tying the stories together.

STITCHING & STORY project Uganda #4

If you missed - scroll back for first 3 story posts of Project Uganda!

I made good progress on the Uganda Project these last 2 days. The 6 pages are almost finished. They just need buttons, sequins & sparkly stuff. Each 'page' is backed with a different African fabric. Then I stitched the 'pages' into an accordion book. Too complicated to explain!

Let's catch up with Brian, finally realizing his dream to go to Africa! Here he is - now in a wheel chair. More about that in next post. Brian continues his story.

"A year before, a gentleman had seen me in a manual wheelchair at a local group. He had a strong calling to find and help the disabled. He invited me to Uganda, I am not sure just why. "

"That was it! The time had arrived for me to go! I was given a few personal connections to help me when I arrived, but basically on my own. How exciting! Just like old times!"

"I spent time visiting a child I sponsor, was introduced to & drew pictures with the African Children’s Choir, toured slums, visited schools founded by one of my friends, hired a boat for a look at Lake Victoria, cruised the Nile surrounded by Crocs & hippos, found the source to that mighty river, got lost in the claustrophobic aisles of the main Kampala market, ate grasshoppers & goat, basically had a great time. I WAS FEELING IT !"

To be continued...

A PILE OF SCRAPS project Uganda #3

I started my day retrieving 2 bags of African fabric scraps. The scraps are from my friends at Amani in Rwanda. Now I'm creating something with them to send to Brian's friend in Uganda.

I dumped the scraps on the table in my studio, worked on the 'pages', ironed some scraps & thought about tomorrow's creative plan of attack!

Brian finally realizes his dream of going to Africa...

"I think I had a better experience for waiting the 20 years it took to complete that part of the dream."

"It became an adventure with a purpose and much more fulfilling."

"I felt the time was becoming urgent to go there before I couldn’t walk as well as I was then."

To be continued... Scroll back 2 posts for story beginning.

Top photos: poster-George Anderson; acrylic-Filomena Booth; gouache-Marge Malwitz & African scraps in studio.

Lower photo: Brian in village hut in Gulu, Uganda with family he sponsors.

MEET BRIAN project Uganda #2

I hardly know where to start! So I'll let Brian begin to tell you his story.

"I have been to over 50 countries. A goal of mine for all my adult life is to travel to at least as many countries as I am years old. I am right on target. Out of high school I spent some time in Mexico with an exchange student’s family... At 22 I was back packing Europe for 3 months alone. At 24 I circled the globe, and spent the next few years filling in the gaps."

"It was never enough to see the sights. I had to feel the culture everywhere I went, something I still strive to do when I can. I love to make friends and when they need it, help them improve their lives. In circling the globe the one place on the list I didn’t get to was Africa."

Brian eventually did make it to Africa. In the photo he's with students who are in training with the African Children’s Choir. he continues his story tomorrow.

Meanwhile back at the sewing machine, I'm continuing on Brian's project destined for Uganda. Tomorrow I get all my African fabric scraps back from a friend. I want to work some into the design. I set the 'pages' on a couple pieces of African fabric I had leftover from making the story ropes in Rwanda.

PROJECT UGANDA #1

No I am not going to Uganda. Nor is my new friend, Brian, who I'm collaborating with on this project.

I met Brian at the Finisher's Forum in Seattle. Brian came to an impromptu redo of the class I taught that morning on Using Art Cross-Culturally for God. He missed my morning workshop but I was thrilled to have an interested audience of 2 guys that afternoon! And wow on that audience!

Brian is a mover and shaker & I was thrilled to have met him. He really liked this Wordless Book. & had something in mind.

Long story short, I'm making him one which will be hand carried to Uganda, not by Brian, but by someone in his fellowship. It will be given as a gift to his Ugandan friend, he met there last year.

More about this unusual partnership & creating the 'book' in the coming posts.

• Wordless Book I created & used originally in Russia

• pondering the project-needs to be simple & completed this week

• dark & red pages in progress.