by the Rev. Canon Alison Barfoot, International Relations Asst. to the Archbishop of Uganda
What do Music, Theology, and Construction Have in Common? They are all subjects I have studied! My bachelor’s degree is in music, and my master’s and doctoral degrees are in theology and ministry. And, now, I have recently finished a crash private tutorial course in basic Ugandan construction techniques and budgeting for construction of a simple building. I asked a few friends for recommendations for a tutor and found Francis, a local civil engineer who runs his own one-man contracting business. I asked him to explain to me the construction process for a simple, small rectangular building often found in rural areas of Uganda. I also wanted to know how to calculate the number of bags of cement the building would need, the number of bricks (Ugandans build with bricks, not wood), and the number of iron sheets for the roof. Poor Francis…no one had ever asked him this question before. Let alone a white woman!
Courageously, he agreed. We set up a schedule of eight private tutorials and met on the verandah of the nearby Namirembe Guest House twice a week for four weeks. I learned about digging trenches for foundations, which way to lay the bricks for the foundation, how to avoid moisture seeping up from the foundation into the floor and walls. I dug up algebra and geometry lessons from the ancient history part of my brain and even caught Francis in a few math errors. I asked for a price reduction, but he just laughed. In the end, I achieved my goal – building a spreadsheet that would easily calculate the number of bags of cement, number of bricks, and number of iron sheets needed based on inputting the dimensions of the building.
But, why? Well, it turns out that one of my “other duties as assigned” is to help some of our international partners evaluate whether requests for funding of local construction projects are reasonable. When I get asked these things, I think to myself, “Why do you think I know this? I have degrees in music and theology?”
Finally, I just decided to learn what I could so that I would not be fooled. Uganda has some of the most amazing cement – when it gets to a construction site, it grows legs and walks away. Most construction budget estimates are padded with extra bags of cement because of this unique quality. I wanted to know how much fluff was typically added to projects.
Not long after I finished my tutorials, I was able to help one of our bishops and his American church partner re-do a construction budget so that it was much more reasonable. The project had stalled; but, because of Francis, I was able to help them get un-stuck and moving forward again in their partnership and mission.
It turns out that in 10th grade, when I asked my geometry teacher if I would ever need to use those formulas again, sh e was right. I never imagined, though, that they would be resurrected as a missionary in Uganda.
So, what do music, theology, and construction have in common? I don’t know…except they’re all subjects I have now studied. And, apparently, it’s helpful information when you’re a missionary.
Canon Barfoot is the founder of Global Mobilization Ministries. Find out more about the ministry at www.GlobalMM.org.
