My Journey With ACT

My families' first involvement with ACT was as a sponsor for an orphan through the MukoHOPE Program. In those early days, our family did little more than submit our support dollars for our sponsored child, send periodic letters to him and an occasional gift.

                          Dave with Andrew 

 

Dave visiting Andrew and his guardian grandfather at his grandfather's home. 

As time progressed, I became more curious about what life was like in Muko Sub-County, Uganda. Listening to ACT travel team reports presented on Sunday mornings at church, I started to have a lot of questions. Questions like, if Muko is on the shores of a huge lake, why do the people not have access to a plentiful supply of water and fish? Why, in a tropical region, is it challenging to grow adequate food?

Asking many many questions after one such presentation, it was suggested that I consider traveling to Muko with an ACT Travel Team to gain a first-hand perspective. I think I said, "Well - maybe, some day." I was not sold on the idea of traveling to Uganda. I was apprehensive about what difficulties such a trip might entail. However a short time later, one of the leaders of the 2014 Travel Team to Uganda asked me to seriously consider joining the travel team. There were two main activities for my involvement in that 2014 trip - help with some infrastructure improvements at the ACT Resource Center and conduct a follow up study on a potato growing project tat had not lived up to our expectations. I felt with my technical background and modest carpentry skills that I could contribute in both of these areas and, with veteran travelers leading the way, I agreed to go. As an extra incentive, I would also get to meet the young man our family sponsored.

Dave in back in the black and white

Despite my early apprehension, travel to Uganda was an incredibly rewarding experience. Far easier than I expected and enlightening. I met many wonderful people and worked diligently to achieve our stated trip goals. Retrospectively, I feel much of my reasoning for joining the 2014 travel team was misguided. Our Ugandan partners posses all of the necessary skills to complete the kinds of infrastructure improvements that we envisioned for the ACT Resource Center, and they were far more competent and knowledgable about growing crops in their region than I will ever be. What really mattered was the people!

I traveled to Uganda again in 2016 and 2018. I have witnessed the positive impact ACT is having in the Muko community and I have seen growth in understanding what it means to be partners in ACT. In 2018, I joined the US Board of Directors for ACT and I currently lead the US HANDS (agriculture) Team. We work together with the Uganda HANDS Team to improve the agricultural practices and nutrition in Muko Sub-County.

I have learned a lot being involved with ACT. My ideas and preferences do not always lead to my expected outcomes. What works in the US, often does not really work well in Uganda. Context and culture matter a great deal. I have learned to listen more carefully and thoughtfully, Above all, I am grateful for the wonderful and caring people, both in Uganda and the US, that I have met through my journey with ACT.

Blessing to you in your journey, wherever that may lead!

David Molzahn

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