Heart of Africa
Missionaries from Waxahachie making impact in Uganda
By NEAL WHITE
Waxahachie (Texas) Daily Light Editor
Reprinted by permission

"Fish."
The message was delivered as a single syllable word.
There was no explanation, no dialogue with instructions.
Just a lone word spoken with crystal clarity above the din of 1,672 singing
children whose stomachs were nearly as empty as the hope that had long since
vacated their hearts.
But yet they sang.
"We are the children of Uganda.
We welcome you with loving,
Laughing, singing, dancing"
About that time, the trucks and guides arrived to ferry the crew to the next
village as part of the documentary being filmed.
"How far away is it?" Rand asked his wife Kristi.
"Not far, one or two miles," she answered.
"Is it OK if the trucks take the crew and we walk?" he asked.
She responded by taking his hand and the two set out by foot down the dirt
road baked red by the hot Ugandan sun leading out of Kamonkoli - one of the
few safe havens guarded by the military where villagers, though
impoverished, find protection from the reign of terror inflicted by rebel
forces.
As they walked, the children of the village's only school followed - all
1,672 of them. Still singing. Still dancing. Still rejoicing in the fact
that a visitor had trekked into the war-torn jungles of Uganda just to see
them.
"God spoke to me," Rand said, giving Kristi's hand a squeeze.
" could tell," she answered. "I can see it in your face."
"He said 'fish.'" Rand said with a quizzical expression.
"I donıt know what it means. Just the word 'fish.'"
Kristi looked up at him, shading her eyes against the afternoon sun as 1,672
children walked along behind them.
"We're going to move to Africa, aren't we?" Kristi asked.
And there in the midst of war and poverty and malnutrition, a single word
from God in 1999 set a major plan in motion.
So began the Blair family's mission from Waxahachie into the heart of
Uganda, and their quest to make a difference, one life at a time.

***
During a recent furlough in February, the Blair family returned home to
Waxahachie to visit friends and share the joy of doing the Lord's work
abroad.
Reflecting back on the past two years, Rand and Kristi recount one
life-changing experience after another.
Like the mighty current of the Nile River that cuts through the northern
region of Uganda, the stories flow quickly and effortlessly.
Their words are filled with hope and excitement, painting a picture of a
beautiful land filled with hardship and suffering.
Rand shared the story of an injured toddler that had been badly burned in a
cooking fire.
In the jungle villages, most of the structures are built with thatch and
mud, and all the cooking is done in large pots over an open fire.
One day a toddler from the Karamajong tribe had stumbled over the cooking
pot, knocking it over and in the process, incurring second and third degree
burns over most of her body.
"I was walking down the road and I saw the woman holding the child in her
arms wrapped in a blanket. I could tell immediately the child was in shock
and something was wrong," Rand explained.
He asked what had happened, and the woman told him about the accident. She
was in the process of taking the child to a witch doctor in the next village
over.
"I told her I wanted to take the child to the hospital, which was about 50
miles south," Rand said. "She said she didn't have any money."
Rand pulled a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket and jotted down a
short note before flagging down the milk truck that took milk from a nearby
dairy farm into the city.
"I put the child and her mother in the milk truck and told the driver to
take them to the hospital and handed him the note to give to the hospital
administrator," Rand said.
In the note, Rand had promised to be responsible for all expenses for
treating the child.
"Two weeks later I heard from the hospital administrator. He told me the
young girl would live and that she was being released from intensive care
and she would be able to return to the village in a few weeks. He also asked
about my promise to pay the bill," Rand said, explaining the bill came to
54,000 shillings.
When asked how a missionary could afford such an expense, Rand leaned back
in the chair and shook his head.
"That's $27 U.S.," he said.
A few months ago, Rand said he was walking down the road near their home and
spotted a group of villagers working in the fields.
"As I approached, I saw the mom and her baby come running over to the side
of the road and she was followed by all of the other women in the village,"
Rand said, his voice again breaking with emotion.
"When they reached the side of the road, they all went down on their knees
and put their hands together, lowered their heads and began praying as the
little girl ran up to me and hugged me."
"It was an incredible joyous moment," he said.
Unfortunately, he added, not all of their stories have a happy ending.
"Because of the poverty and lack of education, too many people in Uganda
rely on witch doctors for medical care, and many die from the treatment. We
see a lot of suffering, and there are many children that we couldn't reach
in time."
With the family gathered together during their recent visit home, Rand bent
down to pull a toy out of a satchel and handed it to his daughter Micah,
stroking her hair as she sat quietly in the chair playing with the toy.
"There is so much work to be done," he said. "We all feel that God has
called us to be His instruments in making that work happen."
Their mission is located near the village of Ekitangaala, about 15 miles
south of the Nile.
"It means 'place of light,' and it is," Rand said. "It's like the Garden of
Eden. It is an incredible paradox - the people are so desperately poor and
suffering, yet they live in this beautiful place. They need God. They are
looking for God."
Rand shared the story of how he was filming a documentary during his initial
visit to Uganda and encountered an old woman at a communal well serving as
the only source of water for the village.
"God was already revealing a plan to me. He had already spoken to me, but I
still wasnıt sure what I was supposed to do," he said.
"I approached the woman and asked if I could talk to her on camera, and she
agreed. I asked her what I could do for her," Rand said, as the muscles in
his face tightened in an effort to contain the strong emotions still felt
from his experience of nearly five years ago.
"She told me," he said, his voice breaking as tears pooled in his eyes. "She
said, 'Please tell all of your brothers and sisters to pray for us, because
God does not hear us.'"
"I believe God does hear everyone," he said, explaining the family's
decision to become missionaries. "God is using us as facilitators - working
together with our partner ministries, God is using us to make things happen.
We're changing lives - through our pastor training ministry, through our
medical outreach programs, through Kristi's work with widows and orphans,
and yes, through our fish farm project."

***
"Fish," the single word that forever changed the lives of the Blair family,
is now also changing the economic, if not political climate of a nation.
"God always has a plan," Rand said. "Sometimes it just takes a while for us
to see it."
After much prayer and support from their Waxahachie church family, God's
plan was revealed to the Blair family.
"Our first vision was the fish farm," Kristi explained.
In an area torn by war and wrecked with poverty and malnutrition, the Blairs
set out to accomplish two goals: bring the Word of God to the people while
also coming to their aid and bringing some relief from poverty.
"We're doing that by building a fish farm and raising talapia, it's a
commercial fish that you can buy at H-E-B here in town,² Rand said.
Nearly two years into their mission, work has begun on building ten 1,200
cubic meter ponds where the talapia will be raised before being sold on the
international market. At current prices, Rand said each pond will generate
about $8,000 in annual revenue.
In addition to creating an economy (and creating jobs), revenue will be used
to build schools and fund education, as well as sustain the evangelical work
of the mission.
"We are also working to provide medical relief where we live," Kristi added.
"One out of four children die before the age of 5 due to malaria and lack of
nutrition. We can use the money to help community development projects so
people can become self-reliant. Weıre already seeing results from our widows
with children project."
One of Kristiıs main projects is working with widows and their children - an
all too common problem in villages throughout Uganda.
For the past 17 years the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) has been waging a
campaign of terror throughout northern Uganda. Rebel forces systematically
attack villages and towns not under heavy guard by the limited Ugandan
military, looting the outposts, kidnapping children and leaving a path of
death and mayhem in their wake.
According to the most recent Ugandan reports, more than 26,000 children have
been kidnapped by the LRA. Female children are often used in rebel
concubines or sold into slavery. Male children are most often sent to rebel
training camps where they are used as human pack mules as the rebels move
through the jungle, all while being indoctrinated by LRA propaganda. Some
are sent to rebel training camps in Sudan, ultimately creating a steady
supply of new troops for the cause.
The Blair's mission is located south of the Nile River, in a safe haven away
from the rebel forces. With only two heavily guarded bridges crossing the
Nile, Rand said there is virtually no opportunity for the LRA to cross the
river.
"The Nile is very wide and the current is extremely strong," he said. "In
addition, itıs also filled with crocodiles. There are not many roads in
Uganda, so the rebels travel by foot. The only way to cross the river is by
one of the two bridges, and the military strongly protects them."
However, the rebel action in the northern half of the country has created
millions of refugees fleeing the area, seeking protection from the raids.
The government has established 35 camps offering only the basic amenities
and protection from the rebels.
"No one knows why they are fighting," Rand said. "But people flee the north
by the thousands as the rebels come through and take what they want, then
kill the rest."
The refugee camps are filled with widows and small children. Most of their
husbands were killed by LRA forces, although Rand said it is not uncommon to
hear stories of husbands succumbing to malnutrition, disease and the AIDS
virus.
In her mission work, Kristi ministers to the widows and has created programs
to help them generate income.
"Most of the economic programs we've established have been agriculture
based," she said. "We have taught them to raise goats, chickens and farm.
"It's a very small community and we're trying to find resources that will
allow them to raise their own funds. They lack so much, but mostly they lack
hope," she said. "We're constantly encouraging them. I see their needs are
so great. With funds from the fish farm, we will help them with their basic
needs and reaching a life of self-sufficiency."
"We're also letting them know that God is providing this for them, not us,"
Kristi said. "God brought us to them to use as a resource."
In addition to creating an economy, the fish farm is also providing a side
benefit that is helping provide housing throughout the villages.
With the exception of the larger cities, out in the jungle and in remote
villages, there is no housing, said Rand, who has long been active with
Habitat for Humanity and continues to maintain ties with the Ellis County
chapter.
"Basically, all you see are one-room huts made out of thatch and mud that
provide very little protection from the elements, especially during the
three rainy seasons," he said. "Many of the widows have no resources
available to build even a primitive structure."
One day while removing earth for one of the fish ponds, Rand said he looked
at the mounds of red clay piled up along the edge of the pit, then turned
his head skyward asking for guidance in what to do with the excavated soil.
Once again, the Lord guided him in a new direction, as he quickly turned to
one of the villagers helping with the project.
"I asked him if the clay that we were digging up could be used to make
bricks, and he nodded his head yes," Rand said.
Today, using rudimentary kilns, the village is producing 100 bricks a day,
which are now being used to build houses for families, and soon, schools for
children.
Though the fish farm project is not yet operational, it hasn't gone
unnoticed by the Ugandan government.
Rand said Members of Parliament, in addition to key officials from different
government agencies, have visited the fish farm to see first hand the
changes that are taking place.
During a visit by the minister of fisheries, Rand said the official asked if
he was an engineer.
"I said, 'No, I'm just a filmmaker who became an ordained minister after
receiving the call,'" Rand said. "He asked who showed me how to do this. I
told him the Holy Spirit."
In addition to being asked by the government to help establish similar
projects in other parts of the country, Rand said the government has also
brought in international investors to see the fish farm, using it as an
example of what could be accomplished in the struggling country.
Reaching up to stroke the graying whiskers on his chin, Rand smiles and
gives praise to God for the miracles that He makes possible.

***
"You know," Rand said, pausing for a second to collect his thoughts. "I wish
I would have known what a smile means to people hurting."
In a land where people live without hope or purpose, Rand recalled how a
single smile could make miracles happen.
"We saw it every day," he said. "These people were overjoyed that someone
actually cared about them - that somebody actually wanted to help them and
be a part of their lives."
"With just a smile, you could see the expression on their faces change. You
could see a sparkle actually start to form in their eyes. All it took was
for me to smile."
"It took going to Africa for me to learn that, but it didn't have to. It is
a lesson that I wish I would have learned a long time ago, because every one
of us, regardless of where we are, have the ability to change lives with a
caring smile. It could be a neighbor or a total stranger, but you can make a
positive impact by just caring and showing up," he said.
"It works here, too. We need to do it here."
Rand shared the story of one of his visits into the war-torn northern half
of the country.
Accompanied by government soldiers that provided protection, Rand traveled
into the Gulu District to work with the children.
"Yes, I was afraid. But only because I was a father and a husband and I had
responsibilities to my family," Rand said. "But I felt the spirit leading me
to go up there."
"When we arrived, I was so overwhelmed. There we were, out in the jungle,
and 15,000 children emerge from the bush walking toward a city about the
size of Waxahachie. It was late in the afternoon, and they were walking from
every direction."
Rand explained the city of Gulu is under military guard, and each afternoon
the villagers send their children into the city where they will be protected
from rebel raiding parties that often travel by night.
Once in the city, the children sleep on the sidewalks, under verandas or in
the park, arising early each morning and walking back to their villages to
be with their parents.
"They start walking out of the city at 6 a.m.," Rand said, recalling an
11-year-old boy named Patrick that he encountered making his homeward trek.
"I'll never forget that young man," Rand said. "He was bright and
inquisitive and walked right up to me and asked me if I was from Israel."
"I told him that I wasnıt, but couldnıt help but ask why he jumped to such a
conclusion. He said, 'No one who looks like you comes here, so you must be a
man of God.' I asked Patrick if he knew Jesus. He said, 'Yes, and I know
that Jesus died for us.'"
Rand walked with Patrick for several miles into the jungle as the two talked
and got to know each other.
"Patrick was one of the fortunate ones because he was able to go to school,"
Rand said. "I handed him my card and told him to give it to his mom and that
I wanted to meet his family."
"They called me, and Iıve since had the opportunity to go back and visit
them. Iıve been able to see some incredible things made possible by the hand
of God," he said.
Reaching over to pick up baby Samuel (who was born in Uganda) from his
carrier, Rand comforts the infant on his shoulder and smiles.
"This is what life is supposed to be like," he said while watching Kristi
help their daughters Emma and Micah color in a coloring book.
"Seven years ago, who would have thought that I'd be a missionary in Africa
running a fish farm and raising a family?" Rand asked rhetorically. "I had
asked God to help make a change in my life. I never could have imagined the
bounty of His blessings."

***
December 1997: By all accounts, Rand Blair was at the top of his game. With
a portfolio full of screen, television and commercials to his credits, Rand
was riding the Hollywood "A" list, jet-setting from one successful project
to the next.
Still, he felt something was missing in his life.
"I was wanting to settle down with someone special, someone who shared the
need to have a strong, loving relationship with God," Rand explained. "I had
been praying about it, asking God to show me how to become a Godly man so I
could be a good husband and with His blessing, a good father."
At the time, he had just finished shooting a Pepsi commercial for the Super
Bowl and was in Dallas having lunch in a restaurant.
"It was noisy, very loud. Loud enough that I could barely hear my friend
sitting across the table from me," he said.
That's when Rand spotted Kristi, seated across the dining room having lunch
with a friend.
"I could hear every word she was saying," Rand said. "She was talking about
her relationship with Christ, and her recent mission trip to Uganda to work
with children and how her life had been changed by the experience."
"There in that noisy restaurant, above the din of plates and silverware and
lunchtime conversation, I knew that God was answering me," he added.
Rand pushed himself from the table and looked up to the ceiling.
"So this is what she looks like," I said to myself.
After formal introductions were made, the two hit it off immediately.
"It was very obvious that God had brought us together," Kristi said.
The two were married the following year, and Kristi convinced Rand he should
go to Uganda to film a documentary about the missionary work being done
there.
Rand agreed. In 1999, he and Kristi managed to secure funding for the
project and set out for Uganda, which led to the encounter with 1,672
children in the village of Kamonkoli, and Godıs single word that is now
changing a country.

***
Spring of 2000:  Living in Waxahachie, the family - which now included
daughter Micah (Emma would soon follow) - began laying the foundation for
their mission work in Uganda.
To pay the bills and put food on the table, Rand worked as a home developer
by day, while he and Kristi began preparing for their missionary work ahead
and becoming immersed in the community - particularly their home church,
Waxahachie Bible Church.
But while receiving spiritual support and guidance from their home church,
the Blairs knew they needed additional resources to be able to tackle the
project that God had laid before them.
"That's when we came into contact with Hope For The Hungry, a missionary
organization based in Belton, Texas," Rand explained.
According to its mission statement, Hope For The Hungry is an
interdenominational ministry dedicated to helping children worldwide and
supporting missionaries who are living God's call to "Share the Bread of
Life with a Starving World."
The organization provides training and resources for missionaries in 18
countries, and is dedicated to saving lives as well as souls, Rand said.
"Its missionaries provide an outreach to the poor and needy in the world,
with an emphasis on children."
Hope For The Hungry was such a perfect fit with what the Lord was calling
us to do. They believe in local ministry and outreach - not just in
impoverished nations around the world, but right here in the United States.
"Itıs a fantastic organization, and we are very proud to share in the work -
and miracles - that are taking place because of their organization," Rand
said.
While working, raising a family and completing their missionary training,
the family also became active in the community.
Putting his filmmaking skills to use, Rand volunteered his services to the
fledgling Ellis County Habitat for Humanity, producing a video to help the
organization raise awareness and funds in the community.
"We love Waxahachie and this community will always be our home," Rand said,
adding when their missionary work abroad is completed, this will be the city
they return to.
The Blairs continue to work with the Rev. Bruce Zimmerman and the Waxahachie
Bible Church congregation, including an outreach program with the church's
Sunday School class which corresponds with children in Uganda.
Each month, more than 600 children from the African nation write letters to
the children at Waxahachie Bible Church.
"I think itıs very important for children from different cultures and
countries to get to know each other as children," Rand said. "If we had all
done that as children, it would have put an end to war throughout the world.
We would have too many friends to fight."

***
Fall 2002: Although a lot of the groundwork had been well prepared, making
the move to Africa was far from seamless.
While housing accommodations had been provided, they initially encountered
problems in obtaining access to the people they were trying to help.
"That was before I met the Speaker of Parliament," Rand said. "He likes to
be called Rev. Willie, and he's a wonderful Christian man who opened the
doors for our ministry. He enabled us to go into the Gulu District and to
walk with the children. He provided us access into the displacement camps.
He has provided us with military escorts when we travel north."
Describing Rev. Willie as a passionate man who cares deeply about his
countrymen committed to bringing an end to the war, Rand said the political
leader has embraced the work being carried out by missionaries in his
country.
"He sees what is happening to the kids and to the people in the camps," Rand
said, sharing his experience from a visit to the Pabo camp in northern
Uganda.
"There are 63,000 people in that one camp - over half of them are children,"
he said. "There are no schools and virtually no education going on. The
people live in mud and stick huts with grass roofs. They have virtually
nothing and they have no rights because of the war. Yet the rebels still
attack."
"There is very little medical relief. It breaks your heart," he said,
leaning down to pull Micah into his lap as he spoke.
Lowering his head, Rand gives her a kiss on the head and cuddles her gently
in his arm.
"It's amazing how God opens doors," he said, as a smile returned to his
face.
With access to camps and villages secure, Rand was faced with a more
daunting challenge - finding a backhoe to dig the ponds needed for the fish
farm.
During one of his visits into the capital city, Rand ran into a group of
missionaries from Good Shepherd, a medical-based organization wanting to
provide humanitarian relief to refugees.
Like the problem Rand had first encountered, they too were facing the
obstacle of obtaining government permission to gain access to the camps.
"I can help you with that," Rand said, as he made the introduction to Rev.
Willie and helped explain the Good Shepherd missionary project - that they
were only wanting to provide medical treatment as well as evangelical
services to the countryıs most desperate citizens.
Within a matter of hours, their problem was solved, Rand said.
Relieved, the missionaries asked Rand if there was anything they could do
for him in return.
"Well, I could really use a backhoe," he told them.
"Turns out, they had a backhoe they were more than happy to let us use, and
we were able to begin our fish farm project," he said. "That's just one of
the partnerships that we've formed with other mission groups in the nation."
In another example, Rand explained how they are helping train pastors in
remote camps, who in turn, help spread God's word and God's love.
"These are villagers who are taking an active leadership role in God's
work," Rand said. "Some of them have the heart to teach children; some have
the heart to minister to the adults in the camp. But the army of the Lord is
growing, and His work is being done."
In one of the camps near Gulu that has a large concentration of children -
all members of the Acholi tribe - 50 men and women have asked to receive
special training so they can reach out to others.
"That training has begun," he said. "Good things are starting to happen, but
there is still so much yet to be done."
Since their arrival in Uganda, Rand said more than 1 million people are
being reached through missionary partnerships that weren't being reached
before.
"When we arrived, we saw people with little or no hope, few churches that
carried the word of God," Rand said. "Now people are seeing the plan that
God has revealed. A plan that is resulting because of an incredible group of
partners came together under God's hand."
"While we have raised money, there is always need for a lot more. But we
have total faith in God's plan to reach the people," Rand said, noting the
adage of being able to teach a man to fish.
"There is no greater glory than being able to teach a man to fish and to
become self reliant. When a people see they can rely on themselves,
attitudes change - it starts with an individual, but it quickly spreads
throughout the community, and to the entire country.
Recounting his first visit to Uganda when God spoke to him in the school
yard, Rand said he has no doubt that God's hand is guiding his family's
path, using them as instruments to help others.
"I have felt God move me," he said, his voice again breaking with emotion.
"It was a divine appointment. I looked up in the sky - that beautiful
African sky - and I asked God, 'What else can I do'?  He put in my mind the
word 'fish'."
"Fish."
"That's it."
"Just that one word."
"So now, I'm a fisher of men and I'm teaching men to fish," Rand said.
"If you listen to God once and obey what He says, He will start talking to
you all the time," he added.

***
Life in Uganda isn't as harsh or as bad as one might expect, Kristi said.
"We have one sink and running water. All of our basic needs are met," she
said. "We go into the city once a week to buy our groceries - the things we
donıt grow or make on our own."
"When you know God's will, there is peace in your heart," she said. "We know
this is where we are supposed to be."
As for living near the jungle, Rand said there are wild animals, but for the
most part they stay far away from humans.
Occasionally there will be reports of a leopard attacking a human, but those
are isolated and further out in the bush, he said.
"I did have an encounter with a cobra once, but I didnıt look back to see
what happened to him," Rand said.
"Mostly, we just have a problem with monkeys getting into our garden," he
said, breaking into a chuckle. "They really like our corn."
To illustrate their quality of life, Rand said life is not much different
than it was in Waxahachie about 80 years ago.
"It's a pretty basic lifestyle, with lots of opportunity to talk to God," he
said, reflecting on the Bible lessons regarding John the Baptist and Jesus'
Sermon on the Mount.
"When I'm out walking around, that's what I think about," Rand said. "I have
come to truly understand the passion of Jesus."
"I am awestruck that God would use me as a witness. I'm in awe that He would
reveal His love and compassion to me, allowing me to be a part of restoring
His people."
"We are blessed," Rand said, reaching across the table and taking Kristi's
hand.
"Anything that I've done in the movies, any work that I've done period,
doesn't hold a candle to the joy and fulfillment that the people are now
seeing in Africa," Rand said.
"I encourage anyone, if God places a call on your life and you are
resisting, give in," he said. "Give in. Answer His call."

***
After a four-week furlough, which provided an opportunity to visit with
friends in Waxahachie, the Blair family returned to Uganda March 1. Their
next scheduled furlough will be in August 2005.
Until their next visit, Rand and Kristi Blair may be reached by e-mail at
randblaire@yahoo.co.uk. The couple said they welcome correspondence,
especially from their friends and neighbors in Waxahachie.
Contributions to the Blair's missionary project may be made to: Hope For The
Hungry, C/O Missionary project for Blair, P.O. Box 786, Belton, TX. All
funds marked for the Blair missionary project will be channeled directly to
the fish farm program in Uganda.
For more information on the Hope For The Hungry organization, visit the
Website at www.hopeforthehungry.org, or call (254) 939-0124.
For more information on the Waxahachie Bible Church, 621 N. Grand Ave.,
contact the Rev. Bruce Zimmerman at (972) 937-9590.