Here is a jumble of thoughts, activities, in no particular order:
goat babies are 6 weeks old now, eating grass (and my potted plants) very well. Ready to be weaned.
New place won't be ready till early August, so will be in this house a while longer. Am so ready to move.
Life is out of rhythmn right now: no work at Heritage School on Wed, no sitting at Shanthi's on Mon am while the cleaning happens
Friday, June 19, 2009
Random thoughts
Here is a jumble of thoughts, activities, in no particular order:
goat babies are 6 weeks old now, eating grass (and my potted plants) very well. Ready to be weaned.
New place won't be ready till early August, so will be in this house a while longer. Am so ready to move.
Life is out of rhythnm right now: no work at Heritage School on Wed, no sitting at Shanthi's on Mon am while the cleaning happens.
My big pot of milk takes 30 minutes to come to heat to make it safe to drink. I love getting fresh milk at my door 2x a week. Usually buy 5 liters for about $1.25. Love the cream to put onto hot cereal.
Added Rachel to my staff, as she loves to cook and it gives us one hot meal every day. Ruth still cooks 2x week, at least till she starts her last internship in August.
Gambles have decided to stay on for one more month to try to get all the papers from the Court and finalize the adoption. They are truly in vacation mode, in an almost empty house.
There are such wonderful people everywhere in the world. Folks who help without complaining, who are good counsel and keep confidences, who are willing to extend themselves in the service of others. God is so good.
Travel plans for Kenya in August are beginning to firm up. 10 days in a village in the highlands. Guess I'd best take all my warm clothes.
The 2 cats in my house are still not friends, after 2 months together. At least the yelling at each other is much reduced. Never thought I'd think that hissing was OK, but it is much preferable to the loud, middle of the night, screeching that can happen.
Macaroni-and-cheese-with-corn-from-scratch is one of my grandkids favorite dinners. So I have to go shopping soon, with one of my boda drivers, to pick up the makings. Pizza is on the docket for tomorrow night, a bit easier as it can be done ahead of time.
Had a business stamp made up. Uganda is big on papers being stamped and signed if they are "official". So the new ID cards I will make up for staff next week will be stamped and signed before they are laminated.
Am learning to make cheese as well as yogurt and other lovely things from milk. Not a bad pastime.
Guess that's all the random stuff for now.
goat babies are 6 weeks old now, eating grass (and my potted plants) very well. Ready to be weaned.
New place won't be ready till early August, so will be in this house a while longer. Am so ready to move.
Life is out of rhythnm right now: no work at Heritage School on Wed, no sitting at Shanthi's on Mon am while the cleaning happens.
My big pot of milk takes 30 minutes to come to heat to make it safe to drink. I love getting fresh milk at my door 2x a week. Usually buy 5 liters for about $1.25. Love the cream to put onto hot cereal.
Added Rachel to my staff, as she loves to cook and it gives us one hot meal every day. Ruth still cooks 2x week, at least till she starts her last internship in August.
Gambles have decided to stay on for one more month to try to get all the papers from the Court and finalize the adoption. They are truly in vacation mode, in an almost empty house.
There are such wonderful people everywhere in the world. Folks who help without complaining, who are good counsel and keep confidences, who are willing to extend themselves in the service of others. God is so good.
Travel plans for Kenya in August are beginning to firm up. 10 days in a village in the highlands. Guess I'd best take all my warm clothes.
The 2 cats in my house are still not friends, after 2 months together. At least the yelling at each other is much reduced. Never thought I'd think that hissing was OK, but it is much preferable to the loud, middle of the night, screeching that can happen.
Macaroni-and-cheese-with-corn-from-scratch is one of my grandkids favorite dinners. So I have to go shopping soon, with one of my boda drivers, to pick up the makings. Pizza is on the docket for tomorrow night, a bit easier as it can be done ahead of time.
Had a business stamp made up. Uganda is big on papers being stamped and signed if they are "official". So the new ID cards I will make up for staff next week will be stamped and signed before they are laminated.
Am learning to make cheese as well as yogurt and other lovely things from milk. Not a bad pastime.
Guess that's all the random stuff for now.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Prayer power needed
Yes, I believe in the power of prayer to change things. I also believe God has a plan and that His plan is perfect.
Sometimes we make plans and hope they are a match with what God has in mind. Sometimes we know/sense/feel what God wants. Sometimes we walk in the dark.
This coming week God might work a miracle and put everything in place for Shanthi, Chad and the kids to all leave Uganda on 24 June, have a 4 day vacation in England and land as planned in Colorado. The miracle has multiple parts, just like the beginning adoption process. So if they actually go on the 24th, we will all know that only God did it. If it doesn't happen, then what God has planned has to be even better than what Shanthi and Chad worked out.
The items required for the 24th departure are these:
1 The judge sits and hears the case for adoption on the 16th
2 the judge gives a verdict right away.
3 the verdict is written out and signed by her and all the other necessary officials
4 the American Embassy processes its paperwork in less than the usual 14 days.
While this might be a possible scenario if it was held in the US, here in Uganda, there is much experience running against it.
a) This judge has been out most of the working days since the case was assigned (due to sitting in other courts in the north, or with illness)
b) judges do not have to give quick decisions and might even postpone the hearing if other matters arise that are more important
c) Some positive adoption verdicts take over 2 months for the paperwork to be finalized and given to the parents to take to their embassy
So, if you have a few seconds or minutes, please pray that the adoption is granted and that all the work is done smoothly, quickly and accurately. God's will be done.
Thank you.
Sometimes we make plans and hope they are a match with what God has in mind. Sometimes we know/sense/feel what God wants. Sometimes we walk in the dark.
This coming week God might work a miracle and put everything in place for Shanthi, Chad and the kids to all leave Uganda on 24 June, have a 4 day vacation in England and land as planned in Colorado. The miracle has multiple parts, just like the beginning adoption process. So if they actually go on the 24th, we will all know that only God did it. If it doesn't happen, then what God has planned has to be even better than what Shanthi and Chad worked out.
The items required for the 24th departure are these:
1 The judge sits and hears the case for adoption on the 16th
2 the judge gives a verdict right away.
3 the verdict is written out and signed by her and all the other necessary officials
4 the American Embassy processes its paperwork in less than the usual 14 days.
While this might be a possible scenario if it was held in the US, here in Uganda, there is much experience running against it.
a) This judge has been out most of the working days since the case was assigned (due to sitting in other courts in the north, or with illness)
b) judges do not have to give quick decisions and might even postpone the hearing if other matters arise that are more important
c) Some positive adoption verdicts take over 2 months for the paperwork to be finalized and given to the parents to take to their embassy
So, if you have a few seconds or minutes, please pray that the adoption is granted and that all the work is done smoothly, quickly and accurately. God's will be done.
Thank you.
The More things change, the more...
Had planned to give away all my goats, chickens and turkeys to a young couple who had interest and space for them. They will eventually move to a "country" setting and then be able to expand.
Well, by the time they took the chickens and turkeys, I'd given some of them to a family at church who wanted laying hens. They also took a young cock, who entered adolescence/adulthood abruptly. The crowing, with a voice break part-way into it, is really funny to hear...unless it is 4:30 in the morning and you are a light sleeper. Life for them has settled down.
But two of my goats died before the family came to get them. Beatrice, the mother of twins and my favorite goat, died from eating plastic bags caught up in the weeds and bushes where she grazed. Two days later, Step, the goat I received from the Gambles as a birthday present 2 years back died from a GI blockage caused by a small piece of rope.
So now my friends have 3 goats, 7 turkeys and 9 chickens to begin their farm life. I will take them the twins when they are bigger. in the mean time my farm is 2 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. The goat kids believe that if they cry they will always get a bottle...and they they belong in the house with us. Just because we had them sleep in the living room for 10 nights. Now they sleep on the mat in front of the door.
Life goes on.
Well, by the time they took the chickens and turkeys, I'd given some of them to a family at church who wanted laying hens. They also took a young cock, who entered adolescence/adulthood abruptly. The crowing, with a voice break part-way into it, is really funny to hear...unless it is 4:30 in the morning and you are a light sleeper. Life for them has settled down.
But two of my goats died before the family came to get them. Beatrice, the mother of twins and my favorite goat, died from eating plastic bags caught up in the weeds and bushes where she grazed. Two days later, Step, the goat I received from the Gambles as a birthday present 2 years back died from a GI blockage caused by a small piece of rope.
So now my friends have 3 goats, 7 turkeys and 9 chickens to begin their farm life. I will take them the twins when they are bigger. in the mean time my farm is 2 kids, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. The goat kids believe that if they cry they will always get a bottle...and they they belong in the house with us. Just because we had them sleep in the living room for 10 nights. Now they sleep on the mat in front of the door.
Life goes on.
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