For some weird reason there is this dream growing in me. Currently it looks like this:
25 acres of farm land in rolling foothills, with water supply in several places, reasonable access to a medium size town for ATM banking, internet, etc. There should be a small village nearby with a health clinic, a local school and market.
The plan seems to be that I would live on 5 acres, have 4 families living near me on spaces that are also farmable. We would have converted shipping containers for our beginning homes and solar power.
In exchange for free rent, the families would help me look after and care for the livestock and garden near my place. They would be able to raise and keep any/all food they raise and grow. After 5 years, I would deed off to each family the land they had developed. The remaining piece would become the African base for my family whenever they wanted to come.
The only problem facing me now is trying to decide where to buy the land. Every place I have visited so far in Uganda I have loved. And I haven't yet seen it all!! Of course I need to save money to buy the land. But if this dream is coming from the Giver of All Good Things, that won't be a problem.
Some day.......
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Christmas 2009
Christmas is a season, not an event, a day or a party. Sometimes it is hard to remember that in the midst of all the excitement and preparations.
This year we tried to make it a bit more focused. We made cookies and shared some of them with others. Our Christmas dinner found 14 people, 4 different countries of origin, 19 languages and people from age 17 to 65 enjoying the conversation and food.
We didn't have roast turkey, but instead had turkey quaarters that were pressure cooked and then baked on top of the dressing. It came out really well. (The guys who slaughtered the turkey for me had begun to quarter it, as they do in the village, before I found them. Hence the creative cooking.
The rest of the dinner included matooke, giblet gravy, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, green salad, rolls and butter, sodas, wine, coffee, tea, pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, small mince pies (British style) and Christmas cookies of course.
It was wonderful, even though the rain delayed people coming and slowed the cooking of the matooke. All in all a great day. Wish you all could have been here.
This year we tried to make it a bit more focused. We made cookies and shared some of them with others. Our Christmas dinner found 14 people, 4 different countries of origin, 19 languages and people from age 17 to 65 enjoying the conversation and food.
We didn't have roast turkey, but instead had turkey quaarters that were pressure cooked and then baked on top of the dressing. It came out really well. (The guys who slaughtered the turkey for me had begun to quarter it, as they do in the village, before I found them. Hence the creative cooking.
The rest of the dinner included matooke, giblet gravy, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, green salad, rolls and butter, sodas, wine, coffee, tea, pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, small mince pies (British style) and Christmas cookies of course.
It was wonderful, even though the rain delayed people coming and slowed the cooking of the matooke. All in all a great day. Wish you all could have been here.
New Year in Kampala
While most of the 20 and 30 year olds were out partying, looking for friends, etc, I was playing on-line games new year's eve and went to bed just before 12.
In bed I heard crickets, birds, some fireworks and then a lot of yelling, singing and laughing in the neighborhood. As I dozed off I wondered if having it be spring and summer all the time is how we are really meant to live. Don't you think the Garden of Eden was maybe a bit like that?
In bed I heard crickets, birds, some fireworks and then a lot of yelling, singing and laughing in the neighborhood. As I dozed off I wondered if having it be spring and summer all the time is how we are really meant to live. Don't you think the Garden of Eden was maybe a bit like that?
Spiritual Discipline
Last year I learned a lot from fasting one day a week. Now will see what fasting for 1 month will do.
My housemate, Florence, has fasted every Jan and July since I've known her. I really admire her closeness to God and ability to hear His direction for her life. So... I decided to join her for this month.
This is the second day and already I have picked up food, unconsciously, and ate it!! It was a handful of macadamia nuts, one of my favorites, that I was sharing with Janet and her friend, Shawn. Oh well, will just add one more day on at the end of the month. Already I can see that I will have loads more time to read, quilt, or just be. Pretty freedom giving I think.
More updates as we walk along.
My housemate, Florence, has fasted every Jan and July since I've known her. I really admire her closeness to God and ability to hear His direction for her life. So... I decided to join her for this month.
This is the second day and already I have picked up food, unconsciously, and ate it!! It was a handful of macadamia nuts, one of my favorites, that I was sharing with Janet and her friend, Shawn. Oh well, will just add one more day on at the end of the month. Already I can see that I will have loads more time to read, quilt, or just be. Pretty freedom giving I think.
More updates as we walk along.
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