Making Moves!

I was assigned two major duties to fulfill for the five weeks I will be in Uganda this go-around.

1) Launch our first small business start-up, Mary's Milk - a raw milk and dairy retail shop.
2) Launch Sunday services held by LOLGMU

Finding the right location for both has been a challenge, especially as a new non-profit with limited funds. With our long term vision always in mind, we have been committed to the motto of crawling before walking and walking before running. With that being said, we were able to close on an excellent deal today.  As I mentioned in my first post, we signed a rental agreement for our first Mary' Milk store, but today our landlord approached us with a better offer. The end unit suddenly came available, which includes an office and a back door that leads to a roughly 20 yard X 30 yard (I'm programmed to think in football measurements) patch of land. There is also a pathway which leads from the main street and down the side of the store to the patch of land.

Based on the land lords terms, for just a little more rent per month, we have sole access to the store, office,  pathway, and land in the back of the unit. Baby steps, right? We found a way to have our store, office for Mary's Milk and LOLGMU, and a piece of land to start Sunday services all under one roof and one rental payment. It's hard to understand how huge this is without experiencing Kampala. Basically, it's urban sprawl (think dangerously high pop. growth rate) is out of control and it can be a logistical nightmare. Now, as just an infant organization, we have a centralized location and home base for Light of the Lord Global Missions: Uganda.

Quickly, you may be thinking, "A piece of land for Sunday services, how will that work?" Our intent is to install tents in which we will hold our services under until we grow our fellowship and have sufficient funds to either a) build a church b) rent out a church or c) rent out any form of a brick and mortar location. However, the piece of land can be useful for many other special projects, such as creating an after school playground or day care for kids or growing gardens to teach local citizens how to be self sufficient.

All in all, today was a major step in reaching our main objectives for March and April. We figured out a way to save money and establish a quasi headquarters for LOLGMU.

More to come...

Street view of soon to be completed Mary's Milk store and office for both the business and LOLGMU

Negotiating our rental terms with Joseph the land lord. This back plot of land will be transformed into really nice lot to hold Sunday services. 

Store side pathway which leads to the land in the back. We are going to spruce it up with bushes, flowers,  stone walk way, all that good stuff. 

Huge day! Signing the new rental agreement