Ukiah Light

Lessons

2011-06-22T19:52:00.000+03:00

At a recent ladies retreat from my church, we had as our theme song one that has stuck in our minds and calls us to the best things...

Open up the sky, fall down like rain,
We don't want blessings, we want You.
Open up the sky, fall down like fire
We don't want anything but You.

Now if I could really order my life to reflect that every moment, I would be further on my spiritual journey than I am. Thanks be to God, that S/He loves me as I am anyway.

How do you sharpen your knives??

2011-05-09T07:55:00.001+03:00

Many people use electric knife sharpeners for kitchen knives. Some may even use a whetstone. This is what we use here for sharpening knives, pangas and slashers. (These last 2 are gardening tools.)

This man charged us about $2 to sharpen 4 kitchen knives and the garden tools. What a great deal.

Siraf

2011-05-06T07:59:00.001+03:00

In med December when Siraf came to live here, he was the size of Sophie, our cat.

3 months on he is more than ½ the size of Tiger, my female dog.

He loves to play, eat and sleep, not necessarily in that order.

Gracious friends brought toys for him so that our shoes, garden/yard tools and clothes on the line are not toys for him.

On Good Friday, all 3 dogs took off, through an open gate. Simba was caught within an hour, as he couldn't resist stopping for some trash by the edge of the road. Tiger returned on her own about 5 hours later, much the worse for wear – wet to the skin, wounded in her rear leg and moving very carefully and slowly. Siraf was no place to be found.

We hunted, sent out messages to local boda drivers, offering a small reward. Jackson and Ali walked in all the areas where they thought he might have gone. We were heart sick. There are many people here who fear dogs and think nothing of hurting or killing them. There are a few others who really like dogs and feel free to take strays home to their villages.

We prayed and worried for 3 days. On Easter Sunday morning, Samuel called me to say he had found Siraf. He'd spotted a man walking along our road, with a dog following behind. He ran down to the road, called Siraf's name. The puppy came running to him. Samuel brought him home, gave him water. There was much rejoicing, amongst all of us and the big dogs too.

I'm thinking of changing his name to Siraf Ressurection. Or maybe Siraf Prodigal. What do you think?

Here is a today photo of him.

Retreat

2011-05-04T08:15:00.000+03:00

Attended an awesome all Church retreat last weekend. It was fun, connecting, powerful, restful, enlighting and, did I say, fun.

Florence and I had gone on women's retreat just 3 weekends before and that one was inspiring as well. It was hard to imagine that another retreat, so soon, could be as good.

But, although different, this one was good for us too. I am discovering that I can speak words of blessing over others that give comfort and encouragement. This coupled with neck and shoulder massages kept me busy and learning in the free time options.

Can hardly wait for the next one.

Easter Dinner 2011

2011-05-04T07:55:00.000+03:00

This Easter we had a Christian version of the Seder, a Jewish ritual that commemorates the escape from slavery to freedom for God's people. Alan and Cheryl, from the UK, led the service, providing explanation of the symbolic foods, background information on how we were different from a traditional Seder.

The table was set for 9 people, plus a seat for Elijah (who didn't come btw). It was great fun and educational for all of us too.

Around the table from left, clockwise were: Florence Melody, Rachel, Alan, Cheryl, Donna, Miriam, Deline and me (behind the camera). We ate almost ¾ of a roasted goat, plus salad, greens and dessert, along with the matzah, the charoset, horseradish, hard-boiled eggs and parsley. Sweet red wine or Mirinda fruity were the beverages to choose from. The passion fruit pie and the mango-pawpaw pie left a lot to be desired.

Next year, I'll go back to my traditional buffet with open invitations for all looking for a party.

2011-02-21T08:27:00.000+03:00

There is a new family next door to us. Robert, Heather and Caleb Donahue are here for a year with eMi EA. The parents are architects and 5 year old Caleb is full of energy, ideas and creativity, with a passion for the Dukes of Hazard, especially the car known as the General Lee.

It is great fun seeing this family with a heart for service come here, learn about this Ugandan culture, food, and people, while they sort out how to make the house into their home. Heather was born in France to American missionaries who brought their baby to Zaire, now DR Congo, for 2 years. Her mom and sister are coming this summer for a visit and to celebrate Caleb turning 6.

Robert has been to Africa several times on eMi project trips and has seen more countries here than I will likely ever see. His interest in the people and being culturally sensitive are an inspiration to me to keep learning. Heather, who loves to cook, is finding that many of their favorite foods are here, either at local markets, at the supermarkets or perhaps even downtown. She has already had company for dinner....and here less than 30 days. (I think I was here several months before I invited anyone to come and eat with me.)

This family of 3 came with 6 tubs and 3 carry-on bags to begin a life here. What do you bring to a country to make a home? One tub was full of toys, books and schooling supplies for Caleb. That left all the rest for clothes, books, work tools, personal care items, computers, camera, batteries, favorite snack foods, holiday decorations, future gifts, presents, etc. It doesn't take long to reach weight and volume limits for the air travel.

Unpacking and finding a place to store things when the house has very limited closet and cupboard space is a huge challenge. The master bedroom (about 12x14 ft) has one small, shallow closet, with a cupboard over that requires a step stool to reach and one drawer. The only other storage in the house are the 8 running feet of cupboards in the kitchen under the counter/sink. That's it. Well, the garage has some shelves in place, but not a lot and no doors, just open shelves. So the creativity begins.

They have great patience with the changes they are experiencing, including all the different night noises. Their compound wall fronts on two busy streets. The nights are full of the barking of dogs, my 3 inside their compound and others outside. All this in addition to some election campaign trucks passing with music at full volume at any hour of the day and even as late at midnight. Thank goodness the election is almost finished. That part of the noise over-load with go away.

They are adjusting well and seem to be loving most of the experiences. Please add them to your prayers so that they settle in well and that their supporters continue with both spiritual and financial supports.

Eulogy

2011-02-21T08:22:00.000+03:00

The sun rises and the sun sets....another new day comes. Yet it is not the same as the one before.

This miracle of new beginnings is hidden behind the newspaper headlines of the day and the ads seen in all the media around. How can such important changes not catch everyone up in at least one moment of wonder and thankfulness.

In the last 30 days both my mother, who was almost 89, and my sister, soon to turn 59, passed away...at home and in their sleep. Both were women of strength, courage in the facing of daily pain and discomfort and a focus on making life better for those around them. This mother-daughter team worked and lived well throughout their lives, related by more than blood and world views.

Terry had many medical treatments, and traumas because of them, by the time she was 12. Betty had good health until an injury when she was 38 set a new course for her life. These two were friends, companions, care-givers for each other over 55 years.

God is so good to us. Terry came as an unexpected pregnancy after all thoughts of having any other children had passed. Yet this youngest child helped the parents learn more medical information, processes and persistence than they ever thought possible. As life turned out, Terry followed closely in her parents footsteps, becoming a Psychiatric Technician and working at Sonoma Developmental Center. While her parents were in one of the first of the classes for this position, Terry was in one of the last ones.

All of her nursing training was put to excellent use in the work she did and at home looking after parents with complex medical ailments, multiple medications and numerous doctor visits. Terry provided all the supports they needed, while juggling her own chronic health needs.

Terry, and thousands of others like her, are the truly un-sung heroes of our day. They do what needs to be done, each day, every day, and sacrifice the "good life" to care for others. This is the miracle of love, with all its ripple effects, that is new each morning. A chosen path of service not self-centeredness.

This woman, Terry Ruth McNeill Ryan, daughter of Betty, mother of Elizabeth, served with all her heart and made the lives of many others better than it would have been without her. May God reward her mightily for all that she has done.

Life Changes

2011-02-17T12:36:00.000+03:00

Betty Jane Mustard McNeill, born Apri 13, 1922, died January 2011, beloved wife of William E. McNeill, 2nd daughter of Laurence T. Mustard and Evangeline Ruth Wattenburg, mother of Terry, Michael and Margaret, bringer of laughter and games and decor into dreary places and hearts.......you will be a light to loved ones gone on before. I have no doubt that she has joined in the eternal pinochle game with dad and Thelma and others.

Mom lived a life of serving others, at work and within the family. She would forego things for herself in order to take care of her kids, her husband and others whom she loved. After working 9 hours a day, from 6 to 3 at the local mental hospital she'd come home and fix dinner, nudge us about our homework, help with projects like science fair, encourage growth of new skills or what ever was the passion of the moment.

Mom had studied nursing during World War 2 but then had to earn money to support herself as dad was in the merchant marine, which didn't pay much at all. Seems like she was always working, whether we lived in town or on a farm somewhere.

When she was injured at work in 1959 or so, she finally went off on disability. Her treatment was to sit for hours each day in a traction devise that held her straight in a chair. With forced inactivity she began to sketch and then to paint again, a skill she'd begun in high school. She watched the art classes on TV that showed early in the mornings. She borrowed and later bought books to learn techniques of painting, mostly landscapes. She attempted portraits and still lifes as well, but enjoyed painting the world around her, whether at the cabin in the hills west of Ukiah, on the Trinity River or in the deserts of Arizona.

She lost her mother when she was 42 years old and lived longer than her older sister.

Her love of people, willingness to serve others live on in each of her 3 children. The youngest, Terry, has been in the nursing field her entire life, in spite of chronic pain and disability; working first at Sonoma Developmental Center and then taking care of our aging parents full time. The second born, a son, trained, worked and taught in law enforcement until his medical retirement, when he discovered the joy of cooking for the Elks and entered community service in a very different way from catching criminals. The oldest was a social worker for over 30 years, then retired to Africa.

Gifts

2010-12-21T08:34:00.000+03:00

Two friends who live in Eureka send gifts of clothing, toys, candy, etc each year to Ali, a father of 4 children. Cindy and Dyann shop for new or nearly new items to match the current sizes of the two girls and two boys in Ali's household. They also find wonderful, colorful clothes for Takia, their mom and for Ali as well.

Each year they mail the boxes out in August or Sept timing the arrival here by the end of October. Ali loves to open the boxes and examines each item, thinking about which of the children it should go to. He is so excited to see these things from America, especially when items such as Strawberry jam or powdered milk are included.

Ali finds a way to carry all these things home to his family, where they immediately begin their Christmas.

Here in Uganda at Christmas time, the biggest focus for each person is having new clothes to wear on Christmas day. Wives have been known to leave their husbands if they aren't provided with new clothes to wear to church and to be seen in. The cost of outfitting each family member with a set of clothes is huge.

This blessing from America and from people Ali has never met is just one of the Christmas miracles that he likes to talk about.

Thanks and blessings to each of you who reach beyond friends and family to make a stranger's heart warmer this season.

Christmas gift

2010-12-19T08:15:00.002+03:00

Sounds of crying from a young animal and sounds of beating filled the air. Grabbing my shoes I hurried down the road to intervene. By the time I'd reached the spot, the young men had gone back to work, laughing. In a corner, huddled down, was a small golden brown puppy, about 3 months old. There were spots of blood on his coat and he growled as I moved nearer. With soft word and time, he let me pick him up and we went back to my place.

After a little food and water, and one small encounter with the cat, he seemed less fearful and willing to explore. The two big dogs, Simaba and Tiger were tied up at their house. Taking Tiger with her chain to the front porch, we began the introduction process of this baby to a new auntie. After a few hours, it was clear that Tiger could manage him and he was willing to obey her. Simba wasn't quite so sure about this new addition and barked every time he saw this little intruder in our yard. (Today he is much quieter about it all.)

Here is shot of Tiger, coming to see what I'm doing.

Here is Siraf dozing in a corner at the back door.

I know I don't need 3 dogs, especially since this little guy might grow to be bigger than Simba. But for the time being, he is gift to us for Christmas. By the way, he has some Rhodesian Ridgeback genes, evidenced in the fur strip along his spine. These were the dogs used to hunt lions in southern Africa.
Hence his name, Siraf, meaning fearless.

Mail

2010-12-18T13:52:00.000+03:00

It used to be, here in Uganda, that mail was "delivered" by people tossing the letters or parcels into the round-about at the center of the town. People near by would collect and give to the addressee when next seen.

Currently, in Uganda, mail is hand delivered through friends, bus drivers going to the destination or through the post system. Many people have post office boxes, and any business of any size has one too. In Kampala there are two post offices, one downtown and one nearer to where I stay.

There is no home delivery, and no junk mail!! Since living here I have received mail in each of the following ways:
-delivered by interns or staff coming to eMi EA
-from the eMi EA post office box
-from my own PO box
-from Heritage School

It still takes 3 weeks to receive a letter posted from the US to here, and about the same for the return. Good thing there is email and the fb chat and blogs to keep us well connected.

Next time you are at the Post Office or see you mail carrier, be sure to thank them for the good work they do. I certainly appreciate the staff at Clock Tower Post Office where I have my box.

School staff

2010-12-17T11:45:00.000+03:00

Florence had 5 of the students present gifts to each of the volunteers and teachers too.

Kara, wife of an eMi EA staff, volunteers twice a week, to read, teach and play with the students. Her daughter, Leah, sometimes comes along.

Brittany, an eMi EA intern for this past 9 months, has been teaching one morning a week for the past 4 months. She will return to Uganda in March, hopefully on staff.

Frances, wife of the American Embassy's Head of Maintenance, has come on Friday mornings for the entire year. An experienced foster mom, she has a heart for kids as strong as Florence's.

Miriam teaches the middle group of students and works with them on the letters and numbers. (She is studying accounting!)

Rachel has charge of the "baby" class, the 3-4 year olds. But one of them can already read!

Each child had a gift bag containing: a pencil, eraser, exercise book, 8-10 pieces of candy, 2 candy canes and 2 toys. Every one went home very happy.

King of Kings - Florence's School

2010-12-17T09:39:00.000+03:00

Florence is a teacher with a loving heart to teach children: about letters and numbers, about Jesus, about tying shoes and washing hands and sharing toys. She and her two daughters, Miriam, 24, and Rachel, 23, work hard to make schooling interesting and fun for these children, ages 3 to 6. Sometimes they share their frustrations with me.

Some of the kids have health issues that haven't been recognized, i.e. one girl who finally had surgery to remove a piece of metal that was in her lung or a youngster with a serious ear infection. Some children are sent only intermittently by their families, especially when there is no money to pay the fees. There have been times when the child has no snack for mid-morning or even juice, so the teachers share out whatever they have brought.

This one room school, with a latrine behind, is full of kids having fun learning and playing. There is room outside for running around and kicking balls, or riding small bikes, when the tires work.

At the end of November, the end of last term for the year, there was a wonderful Christmas party for the children. Volunteers who have worked for the past 4 months brought pencils, exercise books, candy, and erasers. Another volunteer made carry bags to put things into. Because of generous donations from friends in the States, there were small toys for each child and foods to eat that they had only heard about but never eaten: pasta, sausage, watermelon, apples and ice cream.

Wow

2010-12-16T09:28:00.003+03:00

Oh My Gosh,
It is almost the end of the year! Where has the time gone??

Since Sept's blog, I've been to CA for 3 fun-filled weeks, hosted Tony v here coming and going from his trips to western Uganda, completed teaching the SAT preparation course at Heritage International School for a class of 11 students, and committed to continue the class with 1 hour a week beginning in Jan.

Recently it has been cookie making time. This is one of the Christmas traditions I really like, making a sharing fancy cookies with others. I've tried making some simple candy, but what a mess that usually comes out to be! That's one skill/talent that hasn't improved with age.

My friends from Ukiah United Methodist and from Redwood Coast Regional Center blessed my housemate Florence abundantly by buying the potholders, and other items that I "hawked" when we were hanging out together. Florence used all the raised funds to buy more teaching materials for her school, provide a great Christmas party (with the help of some of her volunteers here) and has enough savings to expand her school building to 2 rooms for the next term. God is very good, all the time.

This entry is more like a Christmas letter, as it brings my heartfelt wonder at what miracles still happen when we let God run our lives, all parts of our life, and the blessings that can be poured out for the good of others.

May this season and your next year be full of blessings, so that you can continue to bless others.

Shalom

termination

2010-09-28T21:26:00.001+03:00

That has such a final sound to it, doesn't it?

A few weeks ago, I declared one of my staff “redundant” a phrase used here to describe that the position is no longer needed. After giving the notice letter, paying out benefits and providing a reference letter, what more was there to do?

Speaking the truth, with love. This one is, like me, imperfect, a beloved child of God, and in need of healing and forgiveness. So surrounded by prayer, seeking God's heart, I opened to this one, the need for honesty in all parts of working, of serving faithfully and not giving in to temptation. The model we live is copied by our children, no words needed. If this one wants children to grow up, ethically and spiritually strong, then the daily life is the teaching tool.

After some time, it was clear that the surprise at being “caught” was replaced by wonder at forgiveness and finding a ready welcome to return for a visit or conversation. I do pray that a soft heart, ready to change into a more honest, trustworthy employee comes into being. This employee is smart, caring and loving. A great person, in need of continued growth and nurture....just like all of us. May God walk close and whisper frequently, showing the way to go.

Next generation in Tiika

2010-08-29T11:20:00.000+03:00

As we sat on the veranda one evening sheltered a bit from the wind and the showers, 3 teen girls passed by the side of the house, very surprised to find us there. One of the 3 greeted me in English, while the others greeted in the local language. As they moved away, Josephine and her niece, Daisylanda, chided them on their rudeness. Finally all three came and greeted “properly”. With some encouragement they began to talk with me answering my questions carefully.

I had to slow my speech and improve my enunciation of each letter in a word to be more readily understood. One girl hopes to study the raising of cattle, another, maize and the third, trees. They are all in P7, the last year of elementary school, although they were about 15 or 16 years of age. Whether they can continue will depend upon their families' ability to raise the required school fees.

Gold Mining III

2010-08-28T11:57:00.004+03:00

Once the dirt is removed the sand is washed with powdered white mercury.

The mercury adheres to gold dust and is also heavier than the sand or water, so all the stirring moves this to the bottom of the basin. When all the sand is washed away, only the gold and mercury are left.

This mixture is placed into a cloth and wrung out tightly, forcing most of the mercury thru the cloth, leaving the gold dust and some mercury behind.

These small balls are carefully gathered up and collected for sale to brokers in Busia.

The sand is collected and taken back for re-pounding to attempt to retrieve more gold dust.

The work would go easier if they had some equipment, like a pump for removing the ground water from the caves and a gold metal detector to trace the ore veins. But in the meantime, they do what they can do and work very hard at it.

Gold Mining II

2010-08-27T11:56:00.003+03:00

The rock pieces are bagged and carried by back or bicycle to a pounding place. There, with lead weighted metal poles the rocks are pulverized into fine sand, which is placed into large basins.

These basins are taken to the nearby “river”, actually a small stream this time of year, with pools of water. The basins are wetted with water, held just below the surface and the dirt is washed away. Gold particles and the sand it adheres to are heavier than the dust and dirt and water.

Gold Mining I

2010-08-26T11:56:00.003+03:00

One labor intensive industry that supports some families in the “off” season from agriculture is digging for gold. The process here is detailed with pictures as it is very different from what was initially used in CA 170 years back.
Rock is dug out of the ground by pick and hammer, sometimes creating 15' deep caves/tunnels. This cavern was made over a 2 year period. It curves to follow the band of rock containing the gold.

The ground water that comes in is removed by buckets or basins. The same containers are used to lift out the ore and rocks broken loose by the miners.

Family History

2010-08-25T11:49:00.001+03:00

Josephine, 58, and her brother Moses, 81, are the surviving children from a family that had only 4 kids. Their father was very progressive in that he gave land to his daughters as well as his sons. Moses has had 4 different wives, with 15 children altogether. His last wife left him with 4 kids and ran off to another man. The youngest and next youngest are with him. The 5 year old is very independent and has abilities beyond his age, able to make a fire and cook porridge. The 12 year old is learning to drive a boda-boda and makes 2-4,000/= a day when there is work.

Josephine has 3 daughters, one in the US, one in Norway and one in Uganda. She lives in Kampala, fairly near to the former eMi office, but her heart is clearly in this village and with her family here.

Karamoja

2010-08-23T11:44:00.002+03:00

Karamoja is a district in north eastern Uganda, bordering Kenya. The people there are famous for their love of cattle and their tendency to keep to old ways rather than adapt to more modern styles of living working, etc. Most people in Uganda fear them, for they are fierce warriors, even the women, and believe that all cattle not yet in their control are just waiting to come home to them. So their reputation also includes cattle rustling. They have picked up and use modern rifles, which has added to their infamy. (The rest of Uganda has strict gun control laws which are enforced.)

The lady staying in one of Josephine's rooms is from Karamoja. She wears clothes, greets in the local language and is learning to dig. Josephine explained that the lady does not pay rent, nor will she be asked to pay rent. It is common knowledge, that if one asks a Karamajong to pay rent, the one asking will be murdered. Now, Karamajong usually sleep outside, with or near their cattle, so the concept of house/home, rent, utilities, etc really is foreign to them.

One day this lady had visitors, including this cute baby and his older brother. I was allowed to hold the baby for a while, then the mom came and took him for a feeding.

Healing

2010-08-23T10:45:00.002+03:00

Thanks be to God for great medical care! Saturday I saw the doctor on-call for a sore on the back of my thigh that was getting sorer by the day. Turns out it wasn't a mango fly larva as I had assumed (not being able to see the spot at all), likely a spider bite that got infected.

Two days later, the area is improving, with twice daily antibiotics and wound care packing, even with honey!

Am so grateful that it happened when it did and should be all well before I begin my travels home.

PS The wound is only 4 mm deep and 7 mm wide!

Walking with Moses

2010-08-22T11:25:00.005+03:00

One morning when Josephine had gone visiting, Moses, her 81 year old brother, came to take me to see some land. He was not comfortable with his English, but was willing to try. We passed the school I'd been to previously and kept walking. He greeted every one who passed us on the road, all the people working in the fields near the roads and the people in the houses and compounds along the road. Good thing he did or I would have been left far behind. He is a fast walker.

After the first set of greetings, he laughed and said people said he was strong. After the next set of people, he said they said he was tough. These same comments were made by most of the adults he spoke with.

After 45 minutes of walking, we entered near another primary school. I resisted going further. I was hot, tired, thirsty ( having not brought a hat, or water or being in reasonable physical shape). I told Moses I would wait for him under a tree near a small shop. He said he'd be gone 5 minutes to talk with the Head Master at the school. Half an hour later I was taking photos of some beautiful children who were just hanging around.

Later Moses appeared and we began the walk back home. Along the way we were joined by many of the older students from yesterday's school, who wanted to keep us company, wanted to see the photos and in genereal were making a good sized parade with us. I was so glad to get back and find Josephine there who explained to the students that the photos were already at the school and that I needed a rest after all the walking.

When I told her of our adventure, she broke out into peals of laughter. People were assuming that I was Moses' new wife....thus all the comments about “tough” and “strong”. Now, I had suspicion that perhaps that was what was happening. There is just something about Moses, even at 81 years, that would make it possible for him to take another wife. Not me!

Local schooling

2010-08-21T11:19:00.002+03:00

A visit to the nearest elementary school was truly educational for me. The school, sponsored in part by World Vision and funded by the Ugandan government is an example of a free school. There is no tuition charged. However students have to buy the uniform, books and supplies, help with planting in the garden which supplies the food for the midday meal.

For grades P1 (age 5) to P7 (12+) there are 16 teachers, 1 head master, 1 asst head master and 1400 students!!!

They were in their last week of school before a 2 week break, so energy was high as was excitement over having a visitor with a camera. Prints were made later the same day and given to the Head Master to post. Not all students were in the photos as many were playing football in the field, or still taking exams in class.

Plowing

2010-08-21T11:14:00.001+03:00

While much work is done by hand, some fields are so large that other means of tilling have to be employed. The usual option is a team of oxen with a plow. This team passed us by one morning, pulling the plow inside an old tire. The tire keeps the plow from digging up the road. Also, in a different position on the tire, the field is more shallowly plowed than it would be otherwise.

Greeting

2010-08-19T11:12:00.000+03:00

Greeting others is a way of life here in Africa. It is one of the customs that is difficult for many of us from the west to adapt to. But sitting with Josephine on the veranda of her house and watching the interactions, I learned a bit of the value of it.

Josephine greeted every person who passed by, whether they were footing, on a bicycle or boda. The person would always answer back. Sometimes there was a prolonged interchange as the mover continued on their journey. Sometimes Josephine went to the road and they stopped for a longer conversation. This happened all day long, with some people greeted numerous times as they passed by going to work, returning home for lunch, returning to work and then returning home in the evening. Even children passing by the house or on the road might stop to greet, some kneeling to greet as well, a custom for young ladies and children when greeting an old person (like me and Josephine).
One morning she greeted over 100 people, had conversations with more than 12 of them and showed off photos to more than 10 students – all this before 9:30, when she left to go visit a niece who was ill.

One day, her greeting brought into the yard a young woman selling chapatis, which we decided to purchase. Another morning, she learned the vendor with the big box on his bicycle has mandazi (like square heavy cake donuts). So she asked for the passerby to call the vendor back. He came and we purchased snacks for 2 days, a bag of mandazi and one of mahamri (my favorite Kenyan style yeasted snack bread).

Footwear

2010-08-18T10:52:00.000+03:00

Moses went barefoot every where we went. Josephine worn blue and yellow slippers/thongs. I wore ankle high hiking boots. Guess which one of us had a blister after all the walking?

Paul's Family home

2010-08-17T11:05:00.001+03:00

The family compound was spacious, with much room for playing, working and entertaining.

There was a raised shed that housed the goats

A mud and stick house for the older children, with a fruit bearing orange tree nearby.

A cook house/kitchen

The family banda, where the parents and the babies stay.

Pest control

2010-08-16T10:54:00.000+03:00

In the yard, there was evidence of the activity of moles, who love to eat the roots of mango and orange trees.
Silver was called in to set traps, a fine wire loop, baited with a potato and activated by a bent branch.

He set two traps one evening, but by the time we'd left there was no mole caught. They will keep after them, as poisons are too expensive and this will eventually work.

Josephine's Home

2010-08-15T10:47:00.002+03:00

With the gift from a former employer Josephine was able to buy the materials to build this house on a piece of land given her by her father just before he died. The house has cement floor, four rooms, each with an outside door. The front of the house has a wide, roofed veranda the length of the house. The walls are built from bricks and mortar, with iron sheeting for the roof. The doors are made of wooden planks and fastened on the outside with a metal hasp. There is no electricity or windows. Josephine is most embarrassed that the house is not plastered and painted inside and out. However, it was warm and dry during the night and the rains and free of bugs and vermin. So...all in all a great place to visit.

Fun is where you find it

2010-08-14T10:46:00.000+03:00

Two boys, about 7 and 8, went to untie the goats in the field and bring them to the shed, an evening routine. This time, only 2 of the 6 goats went in easily. Two others headed towards the shed and veered at the last minute running through the shrub fence into the neighbor's yard and cooking area, helping themselves to the water in the pots and some of the maize, etc lying around. One of the boys caught up with them, but couldn't catch hold of the trailing rope. The goats dashed off towards the field again. Meanwhile the other boy had chased the billy goat and a young through the kitchen area of the compound and back towards the shed. The baby when inside and the boy was quick to tie it in. However the black billy trotted smartly out past the laundry line into the scrub brush behind the clinic.

This merry chase must have lasted over 15 minutes, with all the goats finally in the shed and tied off. Lots of exercise for boys and goats and much laughter for the rest of us.

Busia area

2010-08-13T10:24:00.004+03:00

Recently I traveled with Josephine to her village near Busia, a border town with Kenya. She and her family have a large amount of land there and hope to find ways to develop it to benefit the community.

Only Josephine, her nephew and his wife spoke English,so I spent much of my time journaling observations and learning from them about life in this village area, Tiika.

The land has a bed rock of lava and sedimentary stone just below the surface. In some places the soil is only 6” thick, while in other places it may be as much as 4'. The soil is fertile and grows good crops of maize, groundnuts, sorghum, cassava, sweet potatoes, as well as other crops. Here, as around the world, the seasons and weather are changing. Many of the farmers are trying out crops that have not been grown previously.

The experimental plot behind the family compound now has seedlings for
mango,

orange,

and matooke trees,

along with starts for pineapple.

Because of the termites and moles, there are also kinds of trees planted to keep these pests at bay.

Paul, her nephew, has planted a kind of mango which produces fruits about 8” in diameter and are very sweet. The crops begin at the third year. He is hoping the revenue from these will cover school fees for his children for the remainder of their primary and secondary classes.

Welcome

2010-08-12T13:25:00.001+03:00

Here is the front door to my house.

Here is a buffet table set with lots of food to share with friends. When would you like to come?

front yard flowers

2010-08-10T12:58:00.000+03:00

These unusual flowers attract the small sunbirds, ones similar to the hummingbirds in your yards. The plants are broad leafed and very green, a wonderful contrast to the vibrant red-pink of these flowers which are beautiful for more than a month before fading. Sorry, I don't know their names, common or botanical.

Wickhams

2010-08-08T12:54:00.000+03:00

Here is Keely and her family on one of their last remaining nights in Uganda. She has been the Principal at Heritage for the last school year. She begins a new job in Sept in the UK as a special education instructor. What a great mom she is. And Andrew is so very loving, gentle and firm with all the kids. The 5 children couldn't be better behaved or respectful. They are still waiting for all the visa stuff to finalized through the British High Commission, but they know God's timing is the best(even if waiting is hard).

Andrew and Keely standing, left to right seated Robert, Annie, Christie, Charlie, Joseph (AKA BoBo)

pumpkin

2010-08-06T12:51:00.002+03:00

From compost often come strong, volunteer plants. This pumpkin vine was planted inside the yard at the foot of the bougainvillea. It promptly climbed up the vines and spread out along the wall and over onto the other side of the wall.

Hidden amidst the pumpkin leaves and the bougainvillea flowers is this medium sized pumpkin. We are waiting to see how big it will become. There is another smaller one hiding in a different location. Maybe this plant will make us a few more. Not all of the flowers are setting viable fruits.

My dogs

2010-08-04T12:49:00.000+03:00

Simba and Tiger were resting peacefully before I rudely whistled to them. They quickly jumped up to see if something exciting was going to happen. But no.....time to sleep again.

Hard to believe that Tiger is 6 and Simba soon to be 5 years old.

Uganda style wedding announcement

2010-08-02T12:27:00.000+03:00

Francis, our milkman, called recently to invite me to the wedding meeting happening between his family and the family of the young man who will marry his 2nd daughter. I said Yes and went to his home about 1:30 in the afternoon.

When I arrived, everyone there was cleaning in preparation except for one woman, and a girl about 3 years of age. Women and girls were cleaning the steps into the set of rooms where the family lives. The shade tents and chairs were already set up. I was invited to sit and relax. The little girl was curious about me, but very shy, initially at least.

About 15' beyond the sitting area two young scrawny puppies were given a thorough ear washing by their equally thin mom. All these dogs had the shape of greyhounds, tho not as large, and were the beautiful golden color of many of the African dogs around here. A clucking sound preceded the appearance of a mother hen and 5 chicks. They came through the middle of the area several times. One time the hen went under a coffee table that had been brought out. She found some bugs to her liking and knocked them down for the chicks to get. The next trips she and her brood made through the area all included another careful look at the under side of the tables.

The party finally began, about 3:30 or so, with the arrival of the prospective groom's father, spokesman, and other family members and friends. The first contingent was 9 people, later joined by 3 ladies in fine looking gomesi (traditional gowns) and then later by 2 more men. Of the men, only 3 were in suits, 2 of them with ties. The others were dressed in slacks and sports shirts.

The brides side had about 40 people, a bit more men than women. Among the men, the two eldest wore the traditional kanzu, a long cream colored tunic over trousers, with a dark jacket over the top. Some of the other men were in suits, no ties, with the rest dressed casually. Most of the women wore fancy dresses or outfits, but only one wore a gomesi. Neither the bride or groom were present for this initial meeting of the families.

The verbal exchanges were given by the spokesman for each side. Roughly translated it went something like this.
Brides side: Welcome to our humble home.
Grooms side: Thank you. It is very wonderful, spacious, well constructed. Thank you for the rest and the shade.
Brides side: Where are you from? Do we know people in common?
Grooms side: We are from the west and we have at least family members who know each other well.
B.S. Oh, who are they?
G.S. Our oldest son and your second daughter.
B.S. Aiii how can that be, since we do not know each other? What mischief is your son up to?
G.S. We were wondering the same thing? What is your daughter doing away from your sight that she has meetings we did not know about?

The conversation and exchanges went on for several hours, during which it was established that the fathers, while not having made the match, trusted the judgement of their offspring. However, since the young man bore more responsibility, a fine was levied on that family of one cow. Then began the negoitations for the price for the dowry. Finally that was settled as 4 cows and 500,000/=. When that is paid, there will be the formal introduction meeting, a much larger party and the wedding date will be set then.

There were sodas and beer given out twice during the negoiations, as it was hard work :). The affair ended with everyone being served a huge plate of food (matooke, rice, boiled potatoes and some meat) with another soda. By 9 pm I was ready to go home and they were just bringing out the music and entertainment!

What a blessing to have been included.

Amazing Delivery

2010-08-01T13:24:00.002+03:00

Boda- bodas are the most common transport here. Last week a visitor staying in the eMi duplex decided to purchase new mattresses for all 5 beds there. Robert, the boda guy, found the best price for good quality foam mattresses to fit the beds and then brought all (!) of them at once. It was definitely a Kodak moment.

Canals

2010-07-17T09:44:00.000+03:00

Not a routine medical checkup or just another visit to the dentist......a root canal! The words alone can make your knees weak. Good enough I was already sitting in my dentist's chair.

About 35 minutes later I was paying the bill (she had just put in a temp filling) and got another huge surprise! The total cost for the entire procedure is less than $125 American! My first root canal cost $500 about 10 years back. Go figure....

Did I tell you it was pain-free, during and after? It is no wonder that I love my Ugandan dentist. So this week we finish up the permanent filling and then do a cleaning. I'll be sparkly, smiley white when she is done. Well, the teeth will be. With all the dust here, I am just a gritty red-brown.

June fasting

2010-07-14T09:30:00.000+03:00

From June 3 Florence and I had been fasting. She ate only one meal a day, after 6 pm, little water between and no tea or coffee. I tried to do a fruit only fast. So I took fruits, fruit juice, water, tea and the occasional soda. We both ate on Sundays.

The fast ended June 30. There were 3-4 times when I lapsed from the goal in front of me. Not because I was hungry, for that has never been the case, but because I wanted something that looked good. It is humbling to learn the limits of my will power, and put myself back into God's hands. Who would have guessed that eating one seeded roll, hot from the oven, would have led to eating 3 more, with margarine and then some bread and beans and rice? Or that simply tasting the batter for a cake I was making would lead to eating a piece of cake and 2 handfuls of ground nuts? Give my appetite a bit and it wants everything in sight. Humbling for sure.

Still, this time of fasting was wonderful. Picked up and memorized 2 scriptures, Rom 8:37-38 and Phil 4:8. Memorization is something I have not done since I was 5 or 6. Maybe this is a new season in my life. We'll see.

Neighborhood news

2010-07-01T11:13:00.000+03:00

A lot has happened in the past month.

The building on the big lot across from me and down a bit was halted while people went to court. A family member, aunt to one of my boda guys, had stolen the land title and sold off the land to the man who wanted to put in an apartment house. For a while, there was no building at all, but now the sounds of cement mixer and hammers are going all day..

After the Judge decided that the man who purchased had acted in good faith, but the aunt had no authority to sell, he rendered a reasonable decision. The buyer was allowed to keep and continue building on the back part of the lot. The front part was returned to the rightful owners, who are now preparing to erect a perimeter wall to define their property and keep any others out who might claim it was for sale.

The apartment building walls are going up fast. The front plot is ready for building, if Martin and his sisters decide to do something with it after they get the title re-issued.

Buying land here is a very tricky thing as there are few land titles and most property is not surveyed or handled in clear ways.

Be thankful if you buy or sell land in the States that there are safeguards and things like deeds and title insurance.!

Breezes and other good things

2010-06-27T10:59:00.000+03:00

I love the church I attend. This 300+ church meets in the Heritage International School cafeteria. This is a large, roofed space with cement floors and cement block walls at either end. On the long sides, there are large openings about 6'x8' high, beginning around 4' from the floor. There are roof supports along the sides, with the wall stopping just below the roof line.

There are no doors, windows or ceiling to this room. If a wind-driven rain storm comes, we pull together more closely, away from the sprinkles that come in. Most of the time there are gentle breezes that come through and the place is pretty comfortable. Sometimes a butterfly will wander in one window and out another, or birds might walk on the tin sheet roof and make a bit of a scratchy sound.

Out any window one can see fields of green, with many types of trees past the edge of the school property line. In the field you might see crested cranes, ibis, ground eagles or kites (who like to eat baby chicks)....or maybe a family of monkeys will come and play while we are worshiping.

When we sing praise songs and the breeze comes across my skin, I feel as if God is touching me and reminding me of how much He cares about each of us. I love my church family...and the space where we worship together.

Special Day

2010-06-26T11:08:00.001+03:00

Birthdays.....just another day or cause for celebration?

In the States, I experienced both ways. Some times, when family was away, my birthday would be just another day. Often, with family and or friends around, it was an excuse for a party or bigger celebration. Like the time Ananda and Shanthi through me a surprise party after work. All the guests came and “got” to clean up the house and the dishes in the kitchen! Was I embarrassed! But the party ws great fun.

Here in Uganda, hardly anyone pays attention to their birthday, or the birthday of a loved one. Many people over 40 don't know their birth date and the records for many old people are gone, if they ever existed.

One of the things I have done is have parties with those closest to me to celebrate their special day and give them appreciation for all they contribute to me and to others. Soon it will be Rachel's birthday, she turns 21!! We are hoping to surprise her with some gifts, time with friends and of course a cake.

Florence is really great at decorating, with flowers, signs and banners. She loves making the place look special and creating something for the person to remember.

What is surprising to me is that people continue to remember celebrating birthdays, even after they are no longer in my immediate connection. Life is precious and definitely worth making a big deal over.

Hope your next birthday is a special one, where others let you know how much you are cared about and appreciated.

Babies

2010-06-23T10:58:00.000+03:00

Last year two of my staff, Ruth and Ali, each had a baby. This year is Samuel's turn. He and Scovia will have their second child sometime next month. I just finished a baby blanket to give him. Janet, from eMi and his church, will give him some baby clothes. Samuel's oldest child is about 2 ½ years now.

Samuel can hardly wait to go home and see them. He will be there for 2 weeks and likely will begin his small business, a bicycle shop in his village. His dad will run it for him when he is working here.

Pray for a safe delivery for mom and a healthy baby, safe travels for Samuel home and a good beginning for this new set of relationships.

What is flexibility?

2010-06-21T10:54:00.002+03:00

What does it mean to be flexible?

Adjusting the time of a meal so that the whole family can be present?
Stopping your work to help another person with theirs or to fill a request from your boss?
Giving way at an intersection so another vehicle can move?

What about changing your plans for the family 4-5 times in a space of 5 months? Not just where you would vacation, but travel, work and living arrangements? There is a family here who have 3 children of their own, are adopting another and are guardians of a 5th. They thought, a while back, that they would return to their home country and each find work there. Then the legal process for the kids hit a snag, so they then decided to stay on, even up to a year, till it all got resolved. A few weeks later, the way cleared again for returning and the job here became very difficult.

One parent went home for a short break and to be with aging parents. The day of arrival, a job advert jumped at them, a call was made and interview held. Now a new job, with good benefits became available in August. Upon return to Uganda, the family decided that they could leave 1 June, wrapping up the loose ends with work here.

Shortly afterward, they learned the process of getting visas for the two Ugandan children was going to take more time than planned, so now the departure date is the end of July, God willing.

This family has lived through all the changes, uncertainties and drama that is common to missionary families. "One day a time" is wisdom. Leaning on the Lord for everything, in all circumstances is great wisdom.

No amount of worry, planning or support from others makes much difference in the actual course of events. I know I like to believe that all my planning, preparation, etc. will make things go smoothly. When it doesn't work out that way, I try to see what I could have done differently. But at the end of the day, trusting God to be in control, make things come out His way is the best stress reducer there is.

Flexibility is something I am learning here and seeing in the lives of others.

Celebration

2010-06-13T12:06:00.000+03:00

Last month there was a huge ice cream celebration of the final receipt of passports for Moses and Miriam Gamble. A group of us, Nasser, Robert, Florence, Miriam Rachel and I went to the local Chow Chow to celebrate in spirit with the Gamble family and friends in CA.

Of course, we had to make it a Ugandan experience too, by adding wonderful samosas to the feast.

Red Bananas

2010-06-11T11:07:00.008+03:00

Just a few feet from my front door is the most beautiful banana tree. Its trunk is red, a deep mahagony red, striated with some dark green, brown and black. It grew to about 12 feet and a one point a few weeks ago made a cone that came up from the center of the tree, just like the big leaves.

The cone totally emerged within a week. After it came into the sun and dropped over, the real miracle began. The outside layer of the cone lifted up and rolled upward. Before anything was visible, bees began flying around and under the cover. They found the small white flowers at the tip of each banana finger. When the layer rolled up more, the entire cluster appeared. Once the layer/covering dropped away, the cluster widened the space between the 2 rows of banana fingers.

This process is repeated for each cluster, until the last one, a small cluster with only a few fingers in the group.

The banana skins at this stage are a darker red than even the trunk of the tree. I can hardly wait to see what comes next.

What time is it?

2010-05-25T10:03:00.000+03:00

There are many ways to tell, approximately, what time it is, without a clock. For instance, if one hears roosters crowing and it is still dark, then the time is somewhere after 4 am but before 6 am, when it begins to get light.
If a certain little bird is making their morning calls to friends, it is likely just 6 am.....unless it is raining. When it rains this bird is a sleepy head and doesn't bother its friends at all.

If it is getting dark outside, then it is likely about 7:15 pm, as the sun rises and sets about the same time each day, every day. I think there might be a 15 minute variation during the year, but that is all.

Are you......

2010-05-20T09:57:00.000+03:00

This last week I meet Pat and Cara Aylard, a couple just moved to Kampala to work with eMi EA for the next 2 years. Cara asked “Are you Shanthi's mom?” I was really surprised, until she explained that they had traveled here over a year ago to see about the possibility of coming on staff. As part of that time, they had spent an evening with Shanthi and Chad.

This may be the last time I hear that question here in Africa. Soon eMi EA will have its 3rd director and all the incoming staff and interns will have likely not met Chad or Shanthi.

Changes....just part of everyday living. You just never know when will be the last time for any given thing. The last time to see an old friend, the last time to shop at a store or eat at a certain restaurant or kiss a friend. Makes each moment potentially more precious.

Potatoes

2010-05-18T09:44:00.000+03:00

We have real potatoes in the house now. Rachel was at Owino market downtown and bought us honest-to-goodness potatoes....like the Idahos or Russets from home. Most of the potatoes here have thin red skins and are like very large new potatoes.

Now these real potatoes are great for baking, making fries and potato salad, all sorts of dishes. I like them a lot, and only have them about twice a year as they are a bit hard to find.

Count your blessings if you have the kind of spuds you want just by going shopping.

Neighborhood update

2010-05-14T09:52:00.000+03:00

The neighbor across the street fixed up their place with the proceeds from the sale of land next door totheir plot. First, one of the brick houses got plastered and a wide veranda added to the front. Then a new brick house was built,with an iron sheet roof. The man who will live there, Martin, will park his boda in my compound. We will trade for boda rides I think.

They dug out an area and planted grass. I don't know if they will put in flowers or not. Guess we'll know later.

The big building project adjacent to them is going steadily. Workers come 6 days a week,often even in the rain. The foundations have been dug and flooring in part poured. It looks as if it will be a large apartment house.

AND our main road, Kiwafu, has been graded from the busy Ggaba Road (which is tarmaced) all the way around past the quarry and up to Tank Hill Road where the tarmac ends! There is a rumor out that Kiwafu will also get tarmac on it soon, after the water pipes have been dug up and replaced and the electric poles moved that are in the road right-of-way. Since the pipes are in place from Ggaba Road past my place now and they have already been working up the hill by the quarry, perhaps the paving will happen by the end of August.

Tough love

2010-05-11T09:59:00.000+03:00

Erna was very upset when she picked us up and had been crying. A few hours earlier she had taken a baby boy for a doctor's checkup. The tests found that he was healthy and negative for many common diseases here. At about 5 months of age, he was well nourished and sought out adult contact, with eyes and hands.

He lives, for the the past 10 days, at Nsambya Babies Home, where Probation had taken him in the middle of the night. The baby was “found on the street” in downtown Kampala after midnight by a pedestrian and turned over to police, who called in Probation.

So why was Erna crying? This baby had been well cared for and loved by someone, who was likely missing him very much. Erna had hoped to begin to foster him, but with the doctor's findings, now was having to place radio ads, in addition to the newspaper ad already running, to try to find this little guy's real mom. She couldn't imagine the mom voluntarily giving him away and hopes that some how, through God's grace, that baby and mom can be re-united.

While she and her husband have 2 kids of their own and have an adopted one as well, they have room in their hearts and lives for more. If no parents surface for this little guy, she is hoping he will join their family too. In the meantime, she has to pray that God opens a way for the real mom to hear the ads or read the paper and know that her son is safe and waiting for her to come.

Half Done

2010-05-10T09:53:00.002+03:00

On 9 May we are half way through the performances of Sound of Music. The audiences are loving it and each seating is more than 80% sold out!! For each of the 40+ actors there are at least 2 others behind the scenes working to ensure it all comes together smoothly and on time. With the intermission, it runs about 3 hours each performance.

My job now is repairing what gets torn or broken. I sit in the back hallway near a changing room. I am the only one not running around, in a hurry or practicing lines or music. It seems that I offer a moment of calm in the midst of the storms, and the occasional neck and shoulder massage.

Since no 2 productions are the same, there is lots to learn, and to pay attention to. The actors work hard at remembering their lines, timing and positioning on the stage. I expect by the last performance we will have it all organized and smooth.

This has been a good way to meet and get to know people I wouldn't meet otherwise. Miriam and Rachel are helping with the costume changing for the girls. Eric helps out when he can, but his classes on Sat. come at times when we have performances.

Some cast members live out our way so we are able to have rides to and from the theatre. This is a huge blessing since going by matatu would involve about an hour each way and at least 2 route changes, if we could even find one after 10:30 at night when we are done.

As a treat on Saturday the girls and I went to eat Indian food between the performances. The food was fast and very tasty. We will do it again next week. Have to try out some other dishes. But we know the chicken curry and chicken and goat byranis were excellent.

My Neighborhood

2010-04-07T12:31:00.000+03:00

This 2 bedroom house shares a compound wall, which is about 8' tall with the house next door, owned by the same landlord. That house sets at the corner of Kiwafu Road and Kansang Hill Primary School Road. At present, both roads are dirt and marrum. Traffic includes pedestrians, bicycles, bodas (motorcycles for hire), cars, taxis (mini vans carrying 14+ people), pickups and lorries (big dump trucks, charcoal trucks, etc). There is a lot of dust when it's been dry for more than 2 days. Lots of mud if it has rained in the past hour or so.

Kiwafu Road is 2 lane, and carries a great deal of traffic. When it is tarmacked, which may happen next month, there will be very little easement on either side, and no side walks at all. Most of the property owners have their compound walls built right at the edge of the right of way.

The road in front of my house is one lane, with several 90 degree turns in its 300 yd length. There is a water drainage ditch along one side, but much of the water drains down the middle of the road making deep ruts and ridges. This road, about 10' from edge to edge, is a connector to Lower Kiwafu Road, and is used as a short-cut by commuters headed to the large, developed area on Tank Hill. The distance from my wall to the road is less than 18 inches. I have fantasized about selling hot coffee and donuts to the communters who often have to wait a few minutes to make the turn onto Kiwafu at the corner.

The plot directly across from me has 4 mud and stick houses, a cooking room, a bath house and a large open compound where the little ones play and the firewood is chopped up each morning. I'm not sure where they find firewood, as there is little dead wood on their plot and not much around. One of the women living there has a small table near the edge of Kiwafu Road where she displays some fruits and vegetables for sale, with tins of charcoal near by. They make a little money, but their prices are higher than the man with the small kiosk who is selling about 50' away.

There is a walkway behind our compound wall that leads to two small houses. The family there keeps chickens, goats and recently added some ducks. So we have all the barnyard noises and none of the work or worry.

About 150 feet towards Heritage School stage there is a small shop where we buy staples when we run out. Christine's shop has flour, sugar, bread, margarine, rice, potatoes, soap, matches, cooking oil, sodas and beer, eggs, along with a few other staples. She used to sell airtime for the cell phones, but found her losses for that item too high. Guess her kids were using and not paying for the airtime cards. She is a great source of information about the goings on in the neighborhood as she has been in that location over 10 years. She and her family live in a house about 20' from the store, which also has a sleeping room in the shop. This past year or so they plastered the house, put on an iron sheet roof and painted it all. It looks very nice from the outside. Christine also has a water tap and sells water to those who don't have one, like my neighbors across the road.

It takes about 10 minutes for me to walk from here down to Heritage School. The eMi office is also close, but takes me a bit longer to walk as it is uphill, instead of down. Of course, given the chance I take a boda to either place, especially if the movement is uphillor rain is threatening.

There is a herd of native cattle (raw boned, big horned, beautiful animals) that sometimes move through the neighbor when being shepherded to new pastures. There are about 20 in the herd, young ones, the moms and a bull. But it is hard to tell the bull from the cows (for me anyway) as they are all about the same size.

Almost all compounds have trees of various kinds. We just have 2 kinds of banana trees. The plot across the road has several paypaya trees, some shade tree and a few bananas. My former neighbor, Petonella, has many bananas, jackfruit as well as some trees with bright yellow flowers that the birds like to eat. There are mango trees in the neighborhood too. Too bad they don't hang over my wall.

Anyway, that is my neighborhood....a good place to live.

PS All three places I have lived in the past 4+ years are within 250 meters of each other.

Where ever you go there you are

2010-04-07T12:30:00.000+03:00

Last year, about this time, a neighbor had begun to build on the plot adjacent to the one I rented. The noise, materials deliveries, and sacrifices made late at night, etc were more than I liked and a way opened for me to move out.

This new house has been a wonderful blessing for all of us, even though there is no barnyard to keep everyone entertained and busy. Last week the sound of heavy equipment was heard and felt. It turns out that the plot across my road and down hill about 50 meters has been sold.

In one 12 hour day the bull dozer removed the banana plantation and other shrubs clear to the property lines. A group of 3 dump trucks hauled it all away almost as fast as the loader could pile it on.

On Monday this week the plot was escatvated down about 8 feet or so and a container/office set up. Wednesday poles were driven into place marking the building boundaries. Later in the week, the men dug out the foundation lines and some evenly spaced deep holes.It appears there will be an apartment house built there over the next period of time. Let's hope this one is done legally. So far it seems OK.

Working in a play

2010-04-05T12:28:00.000+03:00

The Kampala Amatuer Dramatic Society, KADS, is performing Sound of Music this May. There are about 45 actors with at least 2, if not 5, costume changes. In the KADS wardrobe are some pieces that will do for for perhaps 20% of the necessary items of clothing. Some of the actors have clothes that will do.

Between now and the dress rehersal in early May, all the remaining items have to be found or made, fitted to actor/ress and labeled, washed, pressed, etc. Since this is amatuer theatre, sometimes the actors take their pieces and do the laundry, pressing, etc themselves, which helps out a lot.

They have a budget for purchasing clothes, cloth and tailoring. What is needed is someone to track it all and ensure that all the bits and pieces get to the right person for them to use. I've helped with 2 pantomine performances previously. Now is my chance to help with a real play.

The actors have been working since 25 February on rehearsals, with the Music Director, Stage Director and Production Manager beginning before that. Rehearsals occur 4 times a week, following a schedule that allows actors to work together for their different scenes at different times. Of course there is lots of time for practicing all the wonderful songs that we all love.

My friend Melody has a singing part as one of the nuns. This was the first play she ever saw live as a child and she is delighted to be part of it now. Learning to do the chant-style singing is a good challenge for her. She has a great singing voice and will do well I'm sure.

I have begun taking measurements for actors and listed out their costume needs, etc, which begins the journey into the world of theatre. There is a chance we can rent the 12 nun habits from a local nunnery! That would save a lot of work and sewing time! We'll see what happens.

Play Time

2010-04-03T12:27:00.000+03:00

If you have never been in a play production, you may not know what all goes into the few hours of entertainment that is enjoyed by all in the audience.

Before living in Uganda I had only once ventured into a play rehearsal setting. It was not my idea of a good time and I never did it again. But 2 years back I thought I might help out with fixing up costumes for a pantomime. The cast and crew were great fun, the work was easy once I found a tailor to do most of the sewing, but the wardrobe room was dank, full of mold and mildew and a hazard to one's health just to be there for 5 minutes. I decided to not do that again.

Last November the director for the 2009 pantomime asked if I would help with the costumes. I had forgotten at that moment what I had decided 2 years earlier, so said yes. Shortly thereafter, I realized the error of my way but before I could get out of it, learned there was no one else doing costumes!! I met the producer, Mary Kinney, who worked closely with me. She did much of the work, including shopping at Owino Market, something not high on my list of fun things to do. By the end of the production I'd enjoyed working with her so much that I told her, rashly, that I'd work with her again anytime she wanted help.

Well....here we are in the beginning stages of Sound of Music. In the on-line research I found a web site that listed all the costume changes, by scene for each actor in SOM. The children have 9 or 10 different outfits, some worn twice! There are 7 children (and 2 sets of actor/esses). Thank goodness the 12 nuns only have 2 outfits as they are also dancers at the Ball. Maria and the Capt. Have 8 or 9 apiece.

This is just the costume side of things. There is set design and construction, props, publicity, music, and of course all the practicing of lines, songs, movements, etc. We don't practice in the Theatre itseld untill the week prior to opening. In the meantime, there are 4 practices a week for the actors. The Music Director, Play Director and Production Manager are all very busy people in their real lives, and now are moving at the speed of sound to bring this together for 8 performances beginning May 6. Can we do it??!! YES, WE CAN. (to paraphrase Bob the Builder)

Fasting Again

2010-04-02T12:26:00.001+03:00

There ae so many types of fasting!! Did you know that you can fast totally, without food or liquids? This fast is a short one, and has to be really led by the Lord.

There is fasting from all food and liquids, except for water. Maybe this is what Jesus did when he went into the wilderness. The Bible isn't specific on the details.

There is fasting from food, but taking water, juice, etc.

There is partial fasting, with no eating or drinking during daylight hours, then having a meal after dark and/or before dawn.

And, not related to food, but to the addictions that creep up on us, there is fasting from almost any and all human activities: negative talk, TV, movies, sports, reading, media of various types, etc.

The duration of fasting is up to the person doing it. There are articles that say it takes a minimum of 3 days to fully experience the impact. Some are for one day a week, but for many weeks.

When food and drink are involved, categories of people are recommended not to do this activity: pregnant and nursing women, children, the ill and elderly.

The main reasons for fasting are to learn more about who we are now, and who we can become. God really likes to talk with us but we get so busy, caught up in our habits and trapped by the things of this world, it is difficult to hear Him. Fasting is one means to open up the communication and put other things on hold so there can be quality time......unless other addictions interfere.

For me, the total fasting from food was easier than this time of taking one meal a day. But for each of these periods, one of the things coming to light is my addiction to computer solitaire. Friends and family already knew that this is an issue for me. But now I can't gloss it over so much. Good thing there are lots of demands on my time for now.

If you haven't tried something like this, you might want to try it out and discover something new about yourself.

Education and Business

2010-03-26T10:30:00.000+03:00

GOD IS GOOD.....ALL THE TIME....GOD IS GOOD

Here are some notes about life here in Uganda this past 4 ½ years.

Unlike my life in CA, here I have been led into helping individuals move on in their education or business. Here are the biggest things that have been facilitated, and many friends have made it possible.

Peter – completed his O level education, received a certificate and then finished a year of tailoring training at a local university. He is, in this past year, a real Christian (as opposed to saying he was). He now seeks spiritual wisdom from me (how funny is that?) instead of asking for money, help with fixing all the problems life brings his way, etc.

Stephen – completed a 2 year diploma in Community Development. He did this while working full time, attending school nights and week ends and had a 2 month internship in his home area in western Uganda.

He still works at EMI and recently was promoted to supervisor for all the local staff. He and Harriet experienced the death of their first child, Comfort, in this past year and the birth of a second daughter, Consolate. Their son, Blessou, is 2 now and running all over the place.

Ruth – completed her 3 year degree in Public Administration and hopes to go on for her master's degree in a year or two. She attended Saturdays and Sundays and had 2 one month internships, which she had to find for herself.

She had a baby last year also and is considering marrying the father, Isaac, who seems very interested and willing. But her first marriage was such a disaster, she is being very cautious. In the meantime, she in now in a 2 month training course which may lead to a really good job for her.

Ali – he first completed driver's training for a car and received his driver's permit. He began English classes with a tutor, later switching to Adult Education classes at a local university. He took and passed his O level exam this past November, the first person of his generation in his family to do so.

When Ali had been to school at the University for 2 days, he came to work and told me this amazing thing: He had had a dream in the night a few years before of walking around a campus and going in to a classroom building. He knew he would never have a chance to further his education, so dismissed the dream as just fantasy. He had only finished P7 when the war broke out and never was able to go back to school after that. When he arrived at Makerere University, it was EXACTLY like what he had seen in his dream, years before. God is just amazing how he lets us know little hints of what is to come.

Wilson – bought two hectacres of hillside land and tools to begin coffee farming near the home of his parents in western Uganda. He has also gotten married in this past year and wants to expand his business by marketing some of his coffee directly.

Nasser – I bought 2 motorcycles and then sold them to Nasser so he could develop his boda boda business. His goal is to save money and buy a car to hire out as a taxi. Then his girlfriend will marry him. She thinks a boda driver isn't responsible enough to be a husband. She and their daughter, Rhona, live just across the street from me.

This last week Nasser sold his main boda and bought a new one. He knows that at the end of this year he will get more for the new boda than he would have for the older one. He is saving regularly now and keeps track of all his business expenses and plans.

Hassan – With a loan he purchased his first car to hire out (a private taxi). He is now working full time for an organization and does the hire work on the side. He later bought a new car on his own. Good thing he has steady work, for he has 5 kids to put thru school, and there are 2 sets of twins! School fees will be big expenses for him.

About a year ago I told God that I was done with paying for school fees, as people still couldn't get good paying jobs after investing all that time and effort, He decided I wasn't done and told me to sponsor Eric and Miriam in their accounting certificate courses!! And if that wasn't enough He nudged me into promising Rachel that she could start this next August, for a certificate or a degree. What is God thinking??!!! I guess he knows where all the resources will come from as well as the plans He has for each one of these dear ones.

Good enough, schooling costs here are no where near as expensive as in the States. One year at the university for Ruth was about $1700. Ali's transportation to and from his home to school and back was more than the school fees, books and materials, with the full 2 years costing about $1800, as he went 5 days a week, 12 months a year for the 2 years. The small business starts are more in the range of $500 to $1500 and are more time limited.

Spiritual life

2010-03-24T10:28:00.000+03:00

Spiritual growth is one of the wonderful benefits to being here. There are so many less than wonderful things that can happen in the search for a connection to God, that you have to give thanks for all the wonders He still creates today. There are self-proclaimed pastors who teach that if you tithe, or give big money to the church (themselves), you will get blessed even bigger. If it doesn't happen, then you didn't give enough! There are many people willing to sit in judgment on the denomination that someone chooses to follow. Generally speaking, Roman Catholics are not considered to be Christians!! And the bolocoli (the born again, rabid Pentecostals) think everyone else is wrong. If that all isn't enough, there are the witchdoctors who sell potions, spells and charms to people willing to part with money. Of course, the person might have to go back several times for someone else may have cast a spell to counter the one that was paid for. However the dark side of this is the human sacrifice that sometimes accompanies the practice. There are several instances each year of children being stolen and murdered to become part of the spell/curse. Usually the children are under six years and without blemish or scar. The belief in witchcraft runs deep in the population and many fear that it has been used against them when live takes a turn for the worse.

So, finding time to pray, to read the Bible and to worship is a really important part of life. On Sunday mornings probably 60% of the population are headed to church. The trouble is, not all of us live our faith through the week, showing by our language, actions, and service that we are different from the ones who turn to witchdoctors.

Someone told me after I came that God's voice is clearer in Africa than elsewhere. What I know is that there are fewer distractions created by advertising, media, etc than in the States. I don't have a radio or TV by personal choice. Sometimes I play music on my computer or one of the young ones will play on their phone or iPod. But it does seem easier to hear God's voice, to discern what He may be wanting me to do, or not do. I can tell now which of the people who come to me presenting problems are mine to assist and which are to be sent on to others for assistance. Of course prayer is always a good option, but it doesn't directly put food on the table or pay the rent or school fees (usually, although God can do that too).

People here in Uganda

2010-03-22T10:26:00.000+03:00

I wish you could meet some of the wonderful people that I have come to know and appreciate here.

There are Ugandans who think nothing of walking for 45 minutes each way to work for 9-12 hours to earn $1 to $3 each day. They do this as a matter of course, without complaining or whining.

Many households have one parent (or grand parent) caring for up to 8 kids orphaned by the deaths due to HIV/AIDS. These adults attempt to provide shelther, food, clothing, education as well as instructions and training. When a family is blessed enough to have both parents present, frequently extended family need them to take in some of the little ones without parents. When either parent can find work to do, they jump at the chance to earn money.

There are preachers, real ones, who have left home and maybe family in obedience to God, to come and share with those here who have no hope in a better life. Some people are ex-pats who work with organizations trying to improve water, health, education, accountability, or prevent AIDS/HIV, air and soil pollution, etc. They may come, like missionaries for 2 years at a time, or it may be their life career. Each one comes with a hope of improving life for others in some way, making a difference now and in the generation to come.

And then there is the occasional retiree like my friend Melody who came to visit and liked it so much she stayed on. Now she teaches a values curriculum to young adults and young marrieds through the Church of Uganda. She is a dynamic, funny Brit, a retired pre-school teacher and one of my best friends here now.

My other best friend is Florence, sister of my heart, whom God sent to me about 2 ½ years ago. We visited back and forth. She attended house group at my place for a while and we prayed together. I have learned so much about Ugandan culture and values from her. She is a modern woman, single parent and bridges the old values from her parents generation while opening a more expanded life view for her kids. She is simply the most amazing woman I've had the pleasure to share space with in a long time.

My daily life

2010-03-20T10:26:00.000+03:00

My day to day life is a bit different from life in Ukiah, but not radically so, as I live in the country's capitol city, where many of the international companies and organizations are based. I have electricity and water in my house. The electricity is on most of the time. The planned brown-outs happen only a few hours a month now (it was every other day when I first arrived). The water lines are 20-30 years old and frequently break or get leaks. So we stock-pile water in 5 gallon size containers outside and have eight 1 gallon containers inside. That way we can make drinking water, clean up, etc whenever the water is off. This happens every few day, with the periods lasting from 2 to 36 hours. Boy, do we learn to conserve water!

One of my usual daily chores is adding water to the tank of the water filter and drawing off the filtered drinking water, putting it into bottles and then into the fridge. People really appreciate cold water when it is hot outside. We also use an electric pot for boiling water rather than just boiling it on the stove all the time. The pot makes about a quart at a time, so maybe is not the best use for large amounts of water. We use thermos flasks daily to share hot water for tea and coffee with any who want it.

My time is spent doing “anything I please” as I like to tell those who ask. A retired person here is still very rare, be it Ugandan or expatriate. One morning a week I go to Heritage International School and do copy work for the teachers. Sometimes there are other small jobs that I can do to help the principal or the administrative secretary. I have even “taught” a class for the juniors and seniors in SAT preparation. Teaching isn't my real strength, but it has helped out the school these past 2 years.

I have been doing housing management for EMI which will be as big or little a job as I want. The hours and days are flexible and so far it seems that there is an improvement in the identified areas. God's sense of humor really comes to light here when I am the one to teach the cleaning ladies how to do “deep cleaning”. Since I haven't really cleaned my house at all for many years, I found it more than funny that I was the one insisting on cleaning the light fixtures, washing the invisible places, scrubbing grout between all the tiles, etc. Too funny...

Houses I have had here

2010-03-19T10:13:00.000+03:00

Here are some notes about life here in Uganda this past 4 ½ years.

God continues to use me in interesting ways, some just like when I lived in Ukiah and some different. I have continued to shelter the “homeless”. Since coming here, there have been at least 19 different people sheltered with the housing God has provided for me. Each location (I'm now in my 3rd house) has been smaller than the previous one and still there is room to share with others.

My current house has 2 bedrooms, one bath, a sitting room, kitchen and attached garage. As of last month, there are 4 young adults in the garage, while Florence and I each have a bedroom. Not a fair division of space, but it works. The 2 sisters, their brother and a female cousin are all in their early 20's and enjoy having their own space to hang out. Little by little some of their friends come to visit, albeit for only a few hours at a time. Culturally, youth and young adults do not have their friends at their parents' home. Often there is a separate house or sleeping quarters for the young adults so just being in the same space with a parent all the time is very different for them.

Whenever anyone is using the bathroom for showering, a query to all present is made, to be sure no one needs to use the toilet in the next bit of time. There is a pit latrine in the back yard (small building, cement floor with a hole in it, built over a large pit), but it isn't first choice for toilet use for me....or others. (Well, except some of the guards would rather use that than learn to use a fancy toilet. Yes, the inside toilet flushes, is white and looks just like the one at your house.)

Fasting Part 3

2010-03-18T10:11:00.000+03:00

It is March and I'm fasting again. This time my fasting is only partial, which still gives me lots of time for prayer and being.

Total fasting is usually from all food and liquid, and done for 2 or 3 days for those in good health. Partial fasting has lots of variations, with the goal always to change up our activities/habits so as to move closer to God.

This time I am taking water, tea,etc and one meal after sunset. This will continue till Easter. The only effects so far are :learning, once again, that I get crabby when I don't drink enough water ;and waking up at 5 am full of prayers to pray.

Writing down my prayers lets me see later which were answered and allows more prayers to come. The sequence of who or what comes to mind to pray for is just from God, and some of the details too. Sometimes I know enough of that person's life or circumstances to be specfic, but when I don't usually I find myself praying for health, deep joy and spiritual protection or discernment. Any one of us could use more of those things in our lives!

Fasting notes at the end

2010-02-05T10:43:00.000+03:00

Well, my total fasting from foods lasted until Saturday 23 January when I took some vegetable soup broth. That day and the day before I was so weak I could hardly get out of bed and certainly didn't have much energy at all.

Then I began to have flu symtoms of sore throat, coughing, fever, etc. On Tuesday am I went to the clinic, fearing that perhaps I was coming down with pneumonia, not something I ever want to have again. The doctor checked me over closely and declared no pneumonia, but rather the flu. I weighed myself on the scales, 84 kg, down 3 from last week. Not likely the best way to go about losing weight, but a good benefit for me.

Now, I just have to get my energy back and begin walking again.

PS Florence has switched to a partial fast and is doing very well. She is simply amazing.

First Fasting entry

2010-02-04T10:41:00.000+03:00

Why Fast?

What an usual thing to do. But when God puts something on your heart to do, how can you say "No"?

In October God began to nudge me to fast for the month of Jan, just as my housemate, Florence, does (and has done for over 10 years). I did want to fast again, after last year, to see what else I might learn and experience.

20 days on, this is what I have learned:
with the support of the Holy Spirit, anything is possible
using sugar with tea leaves a really bad taste in my mouth
we don't need to eat every day, never mind 3 square meals a day
freeing up all the shopping/prep/eating/clean up time leaves a lot of room to explor other things
my prayer life has increased radically
I can still work, albeit more slowly and thoughtfully than before
getting enough liquids each day can help me keep my temper

and maybe God wants me to do 40 days, not just 31.

We will see how it all turns out. I am healthy, working each day (combination of eMi and Heritage School) and feel fine. I sleep well at night and have enough energy to walk some each day.

Florence told me of a testimony she heard from a person who had been used as a child with parents who practiced witchcraft. She was taught to intercept prayers and quash them or redirect them. She reported that prayers from fasting believers could not be touched, nor could the answers to prayers. This isn't Biblical, but, if true, just gives one more reason to prayer.

Maybe fasting is worth a try??? I certainly think so.

Dreams

2010-01-05T08:04:00.000+03:00

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.......

Christmas 2009

2010-01-02T08:13:00.002+03:00

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.

New Year in Kampala

2010-01-02T08:00:00.002+03:00

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?

Spiritual Discipline

2010-01-02T07:55:00.002+03:00

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.

Why do I have staff?

2009-11-24T12:00:00.000+03:00

Good question. When I moved here, I was determined to not hire staff to cook and clean for me although that is very common here. But, when I looked at the house I first rented, there were 3 staff there, recommended by the family who were moving back to the States. If those 3 staff didn't have jobs to earn money, it would be difficult to find work and feed their families. So...I entered into new territory, being an employer and supervisor. The second part wasn't new to me, but being responsible for payroll, determining benefits, making decisions about hiring and firing (which visibly affected people I knew) was a new area.

The positions were cook/cleaner, day guard/gardener and night guard. When I moved into that house, the guards were working 12 hour shifts, 7 days a week and the cook worked 3-4 days a week. What a shock! Coming from a time and place when work hours and conditions were prescribed by law, to this place where people needed work so badly that they would take almost any work just to take care of their families. And the conditions they had with the family before me was so much better than other places around, they were happy with what they had.

For my last 20 years in California people who had lived with me had provided cooking, cleaning and gardening services in exchange for rent. This was the first time that I'd had to pay for the work to be done. First we changed the work hours to include days off, and shortened shifts. I figured out how to budget for it and developed the habit of setting aside the wages for the next payroll as soon as I received by retirement monies. Slowly other benefits of vacation, sick time, meals during the work shift and education were added. I had to go back to 12 hour shifts for the guards when my "farm" got so big that I needed help with it. Once the animals all left, the guards went back to 8 hour work shifts for night and 6 hours for days.

Today, Grannie Mc's Ministries has 5 employees, with a payroll of close to $500 per month. In this next year there will be one more business start-up and another employee going for university level schooling. 4 people have completed their education plans. In addition, 3 others have begun their small businesses with assistance or support from GMM. Not too bad for just a short time. Wonder what else God wants to happen here?

Everything old is new again

2009-11-22T11:58:00.000+03:00

When I was 6 years old, my grandmother walked to the neighborhood market to get some staples for the kitchen, had milk, butter and cheese delivered to the front door and was on a first name basis with her neighbors and the people who ran the local businesses. When I left CA 4 ½ years ago, the neighborhood markets were a thing of the past, home delivery didn't happen for food, unless you ordered from Safeway over the internet, and I didn't know most of my neighbors or the people who waited on me at the bank, the market, etc.

Here, I shop at a neighborhood store, Christine's, for household staples, have milk and fresh fish delivered each week to my gate and know many (not all) of the people around me. However, my staff and housemates do know all the neighbors and what is going on in the neighborhood. It is a very good way to live.

What I love about living in Uganda

2009-11-21T11:54:00.000+03:00

The friends I'm making, the new foods that come my way, life in the villages, time to talk with people and get to know them and their heart for God, the ability to pass along blessings received from God to people He wants to bless.

If life is about adventure and new experiences, living in a different part of the world certainly helps with that. If life is about service and making a difference in the lives of people, you can do that where ever you live. It is just much easier here than in CA for instance. (Well, once you learn to really listen to your heart and ask lots of questions, so that you do no harm in the interest of doing good.)

Here, an adult can attend university for about $1000/yr for tuition, fees, books and transportation. A small business can be set up for anywhere from $500 to $1000, depending on the business and its location. It can also be done for $200, if the person is working on the street or out of their home (e.g. Selling air time for cell phones).

Cooking in the "rough"

2009-11-19T11:51:00.000+03:00

Came home for lunch on Tuesday, the day Ruth is here to cook for me. She was outside cooking on the small propane cylinder (it has a burner and grill). Usually I have a back up gas cylinder for when the current one is empty, a once a month occurance She didn't know where the spare was kept, so simply moved to the outside one. Better than cooking over the small charcoal stoves, but still not convenient.

When we checked, it turned out that I had not refilled the backup, so no gas in the house at all. Problem solved with the assistance of one of my boda guys who took the empty to the store and exchanged it (along with some money of course) for a new full one. Now just have to remember to fill the backup the next chance I get.

Spiritual Disciplines: Forgiveness

2009-11-17T11:47:00.000+03:00

How do we learn to forgive others completely? To understand more of God's forgiveness?

This past 18 months there have been money thefts from my home 3 different times: from an ATM connected to an account for Nasser; from an ATM for my VISA card; and most recently from the Church's Charity box which is kept here.

Now the thefts could have only happened because of my carelessness, leaving PIN numbers with the cards, leaving the extra key to the lock box with the box. So, the blame goes to me first. Since I do have the resources, thanks be to God, to make up the replacement funds, no harm comes to others by the thefts.

But what is the best response to the one who steals? I know in my heart who it is. I can't prove anything that would stand up in court. And the thefts would not have happened if I had been prudent.

So now I struggle and find that I begin to glimpse some tiny bit of what God goes through with us. I steal, lie, fornicate, lust, worship idols, turn from others and their needs....all of which are sins and put distance between me and God. God wants to hold me close, in love, but I have to confess my wrong doing in order to begin to believe how loved I am. There is much in my life I have confessed to God and some things still not given over. God is always patient and loving towards me, knowing all I have done and quick to forgive when I ask.

With this one, who has taken money, I am trying to act as God would want: to be patient, to forgive in my heart before it is asked for but waiting for the confession, continuing to bless and not punish. It is difficult, but Spirit is assisting. Also the lessons learned during the fasting time help too as the material things of this world are not as important as they used to be in my life.

The journey continues. Someday I will be the person God made me to be, until then may Grace and Mercy surround me and all those who are in my life, near and far.

Spiritual Disciplines: Fasting

2009-11-16T11:42:00.000+03:00

So what is so wonderful about fasting??? And why would anyone want to do it?

If you read my short blogs from Sept 2008, you read about my beginning with fasting one day a week. The fasting I did was in response to a direction from God. I had been praying about where to live as the landlord was boosting the rent to a level i couldn't afford. God's answer, in part, was to tell me to fast until I was in the new house for 2 weeks. I was also to read 3 chapters a day of Isiah. When Isiah was finished, I got to continue at 2 chapters a day of Daniel, Ezekiel, and some other books.

Now fasting is a decision, and different from missing a meal because of work, forgetfulness, etc. It is meant to provide more time with God. My version of fasting was this: eat Monday dinner, skip all day Tuesday and then eat Wednesday breakfast. I took water, tea and sometimes fruit juice during the Tuesday time. I read the Bible chapters some mornings before I got out of bed (wasn't as routine with this as I might have been).

There were a few times that I would do well, and then take a snack and have to begin the fast all over again. Also there were a few days that I skipped altogether. After a time I noticed that some fast days were very easy to do and lightened my load a lot. Some days were a struggle, not helped by some books I was reading which had extended feast descriptions!

The landlord recanted his rent increase in Nov, but I felt that the fasting and reading was to continue. In March there were rumors he was going to build another small house in the compound where I was staying, a very unsettling situation. So the fasting continued.

In May I negotiated for a new place to rent, but couldn't move in. So the fasting continued. August 1 saw us in the new house, but I needed to continue for a bit. Then we were to go to Kenya in early Sept. I realized that it was almost a year since I'd started the fasting. So I added extra days to make up for the missed ones and a few more to cover the two weeks of our trip.

By the end of September I had averaged one day a week of fasting for an entire year. Not a bad start.

What did I learn?
First that I wasn't "starving" during the fasting time. The struggle was with my mind and expectations and habits, not my body.

Second, that food had a huge hold on me, my time and thoughts. (yes, from my size others might have seen that, but it is different knowing it for yourself).

Third, and most important, that fasting set me free in a big way from the hold the material things of this world have in my life. Now, there is room more for people than ever before. I have given all my possessions in the US, except the house, to my daughters. There is much more appreciation for beauty of the natural world and less covetedness in my heart.

Next steps: my housemate fasts the entire month of January. This year I will join her. I doubt I'll do the all night prayer sessions with her at her church, but I really don't know what God will lead me into. I trust Him completely to show me what I need to do and when to do it.

And the house I am now living in......is so much better than what I had before, it could only have been found by God. The rent is affordable, the landlord's easy to work with and life is very very good.

Pantomime: A play like no other

2009-11-15T11:39:00.000+03:00

This very British form of drama held early in the Christmas season is beloved by most of my friends from the UK and leaves Americans a bit bemused.

Usually loosely based on a commonly known children's story, the play reflects on local culture, politics, and business foibles, has the male lead played by a young woman and a main female character enacted by a man. Plays include roles for many children and teens as well as offering beginning parts for persons wanting to try out their acting skills.

The interaction with the audience includes line-and-response i.e. "Oh no you don't." "Oh yes you do!" or "Behind you." With the audience giving one or more of the lines at the "proper" time with some guidence from one of the characters. Usually there is a time in the play where candy is thrown to the crowd, or audience volunteers participate in the action, only to get a pie in the face.

Frequently there are singing solos, to showcase real talent, lots of plays on words/phrases and puns along with slapstick kinds of humor enjoyed by children of all ages. The political satire keeps the adults focused while the children wait to see what will happen with their hero.

Of course, there are all the behind the scenes jobs and tasks as well: setting and managing the lighting, costume design and fitting, props creation, location and management, publicity, stage direction, orchestra and choreography practices, painting of backdrops and more.

The spoken lines of the play and the gestures or pranks of the actors are enhanced almost daily to incorporate local events and news, with each performance being somewhat different from the one before. On the last night, the actors begin to improvise, in keeping with the play of course, as part of the fun.

All in all, it is great fun. If you have a chance to see this part of British culture, grab the opportunity (but don't volunteer to go on stage unless you are dressed for it).

Organized Chaos

2009-11-14T11:53:00.000+03:00

My bedroom is filling up with cloaks, fabric, trims, "rat tails", masks, assorted fabric pieces. Every week we are closer to having all the costumes for the Pantomime play completed. Hopefully, we can find/borrow or make everything for the 40+ member cast, at least 10 of whom have 2 costume changes. The play begins the second week of December so there is a little time still to make sure all the pieces are there, and fit the players who have to wear them. Now, if I can just figure out footwear for mid-1700's England we'll be OK.

Red Bananas

2009-11-09T10:15:00.003+03:00

Here are my 2 red bananas. The first photo shows them in August, two stalk-looking things with a small leafy plant (Bird of Paradise) in between. The yard looks pretty open at this point.

This shot was taken in late October. The red bananas are now over 3' tall, with corn in the background against the wall topped with a yellow bouganvillia. You can also see the Bird of Paradise has also grown.

It may be as long as 2 years befor we harvest any. These are my favorite of all the bananas and are not readily available here in Kampala.

2009-11-09T10:13:00.001+03:00

How do you know when rainy season has arrived?
Thunder and lightning, big fat rain drops, heavy rain squalls that drop 2" in less than 90 minutes....all that with sunshine again within a few hours.
The rains often come in the night, leaving the days wide open for gardening, walking, whatever you have planned.

Temperatures range from low 60's to high 70's. Everything is green and growing.

working again

2009-11-09T10:05:00.002+03:00

I thought my days were full and busy. I had discovered on-line gaming (Travian first, then FarmLife) and facebook and the new-to-me used bookshop was getting some business too.

Then, Janet, a friend from eMi, asked if I would consider being House Manager for them. The full time staff are more than busy and there was no one available to fill this position. I said yes, of course. It is through eMi EA that I am able to obtain my visa to stay in Uganda. I met with the management team, and we agreed that I would take over all the issues with the rentals (an apartment with 4 interns and a duplex unit with 3 interns and 2 Heritage teachers). The initial work has been to smooth out the relationships among the people and clarify the basic work standards.

It has evolved into connecting the repair persons to the jobs quickly, i.e. Stopped up sink in the kitchen, non-functioning hot water heaters, etc. We have also labeled shelves and drawers in communal use areas so everyone can put things back into the same spot. We have also created a clear job list for the workers, so they know what all to do, and the tenants know what to expect.

It is fun! And I am at eMi EA at least part of each day, 3-4 days a week. The people are wonderful to work with, and sometimes I am able to do some of the repairs myself. All that home ownership comes in handy.

Safari

2009-09-25T13:00:00.005+03:00

Safari is a Ki Swahili word meaning to drive/travel around. On our way back home, still in Kenya near Nkuru, we passed these animals who were along the road.

In addition there were warthogs, but I wasn't fast enough with the camera. On the way into Kenya, one of our party spotted elephants at a distance. I snapped a quick photo, but didn't see them. Only with the photo really expanded did the rough, pixelated shaped of elephants appear.

all of the bird photos I took will have to wait for posting for another time. Sorry:(

Kenya Part 6 Odds and Ends

2009-09-24T13:17:00.004+03:00

Language picked up (Ki Swahili and Kikuyu?)

A san ti thank you
a san ti san a thank you very much
kar ib bu welcome
en ney ok
a re te what! You don't say!
jam bo hello
mis su li fine

Already we want to make plans to return, maybe to see Mombassa and Fort Jesus?

The only gift I gave to our hosts was the mending of some 8 year old couch doilies that were coming unraveled. They did not know these could be mended and were well pleased with having them repaired. Little enough for all the hospitality shown.

Hope to have visits from Joseph and Sophia, our Kenyan hosts, and maybe from James and Margaret, our links,too??

Kenya Culture Today Part 5

2009-09-24T13:13:00.007+03:00

Current Practices
Dowry payment happens when possible, even after 3 kids. Attended a celebration where the groom's parents were away getting medical care in the states and the grandfather stood in for them. Over 200 people at the event to witness the cutting of the shoulder (of a leg of goat), an act that made the marriage finally, completely legal.

Smog, traffic jams morning and night, highway expansion, traffic control...signs and symptoms of big city life anywhere. True too of Nairobi, the capitol, which is clean with beautiful buildings in center, and has a game preserve within city limits

House construction evolved from building with mud and sticks, to wood planks, then iron sheets. Now commonly cut stone, usually one story with fireplace, or multistory with fire place, floor plan often English style. Roof lines on older homes much like in Uganda, roof in one plane, raised at the front to drain to the back. As in many places in the world, owners build in stages, often beginning with the foundation, stock-piling materials for the next push a bit at a time.

People are buried in cemeteries when they don't have their own land. All bodies are taken to the mortuary in the local hospital with burial about a week after death so people/family can come. Long car procession=well known and liked.

Children named: first boy after paternal father, second boy after mother's father, 3rd boy after paternal oldest brother, 4th boy after mother's oldest brother. Girls in same sequence, first girl after maternal mother, etc.

face me taxi : bench. Seats 10 (legally) in back of small pickup, bell system used to let driver know when to stop and go Matatus like the ones in Kampala are small vans that legally seat 14 passengers and a driver (often with more than that)

Traveling for over 10 hours with christian music on mp3 player hooked to the car sound system, no repeat music and all in English (day trip to Nairobi). This made being caught in evening commute traffic for 3 hours bearable.

Traveled miles in the back of a pickup seeing the country side and towns around

Kenya Part 4

2009-09-24T13:04:00.003+03:00

Where we stayed

Large house with 2 bedrooms, 3 inside storage rooms, large living room, a cleaning/cooking room, mud room, outside cookhouse, with storage on the back side. Chicken houses, 4 holding 500 each, plus cow pens, bull pen, shower/bath house. Compound also contains gardens, 2 other houses, another cattle pen with 4 cows. pit toilet next to shower room and cows. They have electricity and water from a tap (faucet) and from a cistern (when there is rain)

On the same property in other houses live one of Joseph and Sophia's sons, with his wife and 3 kids; in another live the 2 men hired to help with all the work. Joseph was born and raised on this land. His mother is buried here as well.

Neighbors on two sides are separated by hedge fences and also house mutiple generations in close proximity.

Kenya Part 3 People

2009-09-24T11:44:00.000+03:00

Learnings/Thoughts/Reflections Sept '09 Kenya trip to land of Kikuyu in Rift Valley

The People

Friendliness of all the people: 4-7 visitors a day, many brought food gifts to share. They weren't shy even with no English language and me with no Kikuyu or Ki Swahili. Frequently they stopped by on their way to work or shop.

grandkids all around playing, running and yelling joined by neighbor kids who wanted to see the visitors.

Sophia, our hostess, cooking all the time! And making my bed when I wasn't looking.

Politics dominates from 5:30 am to late at night, by radio and TV source of much conversation among educated people.

Kenya is struggling to weather multiple problems – drought, famine, impending El Nino, - and long parlimentary sessions attempting to find out if the President can reappointment a special investigator without going through the required processes.

Power off only on Wednesday mornings.Water off occasionally due to line breaks.

Poverty level in this area, Thika and Nairobi, seems much better than in Uganda, even Kampala. Kids look well fed, well dressed by comparison. Kenyans seem productively energetic, with good initiative for multiple businesses and practical education.

Kenya Part 2 The land

2009-09-24T11:17:00.005+03:00

The Land

5 water towers create the rivers and streams that make water for Kenya. Drought of 2 years is dwindling the water supply. Most of the country is dry, herds in many areas dying, no forage, little feed to be bought. Water level is very low in all rivers, streams barely running. Large dammed lake is only half full to serve Nairobi and environs.

Dust/dirt is mostly red. Found lots of lava rock, and obsidian near 14 falls. Kenya has lots of stone, which is mostly used for building, even 3 and 4 story houses, buildings, etc. Some soil is yellowish red.

Many wild forests, and some planted ones in the area near to us. The Amadeus is grand, has some resident elephants whose sign we saw, but not them. The signs were poop along the road and bark shredded from trees by the tusks of the elephants. The "God Help Me" forest, so named because if one has a car break down or other problem there, the available help is little and rare. Only God can help. The forest had a real name, but this is what the locals called it.

Volcanic signs all over, and the escarpment and Great Rift Valley: what a wonder-filled place to take a geology class! Even saw boulders of obsidian near one place, just lying by the road.

Kenya Part 1

2009-09-24T11:10:00.008+03:00

Learnings/Thoughts/Reflections Sept '09 Kenya trip to land of Kikuyu in Rift Valley

Agriculture
tea and coffee planations

100's of acres of coffee picked bean by bean, outer husk removed; bean washed, graded, dried, covering removed, roasted, marketed.

tea - 2 leaves and a bud picked, into large sacks taken and dried. lots of fire wood used

intense farming: 3000 chickens, large rooms of 500, eggs collected 3xday, 7 days a week, watering on automatic systems; all sweepings taken up and sold for manure;

cows fed corn stalks, matooke trees, cut by panga or machine ( hand operated or electric)
Freisan cows for milk are common. Most are black and white, some brown.

Other cash crops: avacados, macadamea nuts, while cabbages, greens, maize are common crops for home

recycling manure into coffee fields robusta likes shade and arabaca likes sun. Large old plantations near Thika now sold and converted into fancy houses and subdivisions

Patience

2009-07-29T20:39:00.004+03:00

How does one get/learn patience?
Easy way is to come to Africa. There is little hurry, minimal time concern and the focus is on helping others, not offending them and being polite, all tools to maintain relationships.

When I was working in CA I frequently was frustrated by how slowly agreements were reached, activities accomplished afterwards and hated to be kept waiting for an appointment. I did learn to take a book with me to the doctor's office to keep occupied in the case s/he was running late. But I still hated it.

Imagine how it was to find that standing in a queue (line) that is 20 people long, standing about 4" apart and moving at the rate of one foot every 20 minutes was standard in order to pay bills for water, electricity. There is not home mail delivery and checks are still a new service with banks so many places won't accept them.

I did the standing in line thing for a while, but found as many ways to avoid it as possible. I paid bills every other month, sent Nasser, Ruth, or anyone else willing to go, to stand for me. Eventually I found that if I paid early in the morning at a local office for the water, only 3 people were usually there. The electric I pay through my bank, but sometimes the line there is almost as long as at the office downtown.

Mail from CA takes 3 weeks to get here. So...I go to the Post Office only 2x month. I don't get much snail mail, mostly stuff from AARP. At least there is no waiting to get into my p.o. box :)

Waits at the doctor's and dentist's office are surprisingly short, less than 15 minutes usually. I like that a lot.

Internet users are highly excited, for fiber optics have just arrived in Kampala. Now there is hope of connection speeds much better than the 2Kb/sec that are average here on the dial type connections transmitted over the cell phone towers. The broadband likely won't be in my price range, but enough businesses and "big" people will switch that the speeds for us plebes should get better.

Any thing that you are looking for, a new office supply, specific piece of apparel, car part, etc, requires you to go looking (or send some one) in several places. I haven't yet found the equivalent of the yellow pages that we can use. Once you do find the source, you are determined to remember where they are located for the next time the need arises. You may seek them again and find they have moved, are no longer in business, etc. And it definitely is Buyer Beware for all sales, purchases. There generally isn't a return policy. If you have a good relationship with the business owner, it may turn out OK.

After 4 years, I am still learning, and learning to appreciate more and more about the importance of taking time with people. This is where my shift in values away from the focus on time, from the quick, correct outcome to being with and listening to people's stories has developed much more patience in me than I ever imagined. (I didn't realize I needed it so much!) In the greater scheme of things, whether someone is on time, 2 hours or a day late, doesn't matter as much as what is happening in the life of that person now. People who work for me are willing to talk about their lives, kids, hopes, etc, but only if I ask and sit with them.

So patience just comes from practice and perseverance. It is a good thing to have an abundance of.

Family

2009-07-29T20:28:00.003+03:00

Here in Uganda, and maybe for most of Africa, family relationships are the heart of one's thinking, choices, life. It is unthinkable to be away from the village with all the grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters. People save money, even not eating, so they can go home, not just for Christmas, but any long week-end. They go home, too, for each and every funeral, wedding, and many births (this more for sisters I think).

The fact that I have chosen to stay on in Uganda while my family moves back to the States is amazing to them. They comment that it must be God calling me to be here for what else could separate one from loved ones?

It is God's calling into this time in my life. But I haven't lost a family, I gained an even bigger one. People from church, especially those working here who are single, have called me and given me extra hugs. Melody even came by one afternoon, just to make sure I was alright. Nasser, my adopted son here, made a point of saying he was here for me. Florence, Rachel and Miriam are all keeping an eye on me and ensuring that laughter continues in my life.

Several families have agreed to share their children with me. I believe that couples have to have "date" time together and that is hard to come by here. Leaving kids with househelp isn't the best solution for an all day or an overnight, for the home rhythmns between Ugandan and western are very different. So I will have youngsters in my life sometimes, have many friends and allies to play and dine with.

Life is an adventure. I am always amazed at who God puts into my life and all the blessings that flow from that. It doesn't always come just from having people share my home either. There are so many ways of being, doing and seeing in this world. We never have to be bored. I look around around me and see such beautiful variety of people, of ways of being loving and caring. I am hungry to learn more.

Change changes

2009-07-09T19:18:00.002+03:00

July 8th the judge for the High Court of Uganda granted the petition for finalizing the adoption of Miriam and Moses by Chad and Shanthi Gamble. They are officially ours!!

Now the US Embassy needs the paperwork to process the papers that allows the kids to become US citizens when they land on US soil. As soon as that is accomplished the Gambles will leave for their new life in the States: meeting with friends and family, debriefing on 6 years here with eMi, locating a place to live, job, school, church, etc.

My life will change too. No more grandkids of my own to spend time with, play with and listen to. Also happening: the goat babies go to be with the other goats; a move, sometime in the next 4-6 weeks, to a slightly larger house about 3 blocks from this one; a trip to Kenya, to a village for 7 days; and perhaps "teaching" a class on taking the SAT at Heritage next year (1 hour/day, 2 days/wk).

I have offered to be surrogate "grannie" for kids whose families attend my church, and for eMi families as well. Got to keep up with the latest thing important to little ones or I won't know quite how to stay up with the 4 going to the States.

Life is full of changes. I think God must really, really like change and variety, for that is reflected in the natural world all around us, all the time. An African saying is "Change changes". At first I didn't understand what it meant. But after 4 years here, I think I finally have at least a small handle on it. Each new adventure in my life begins with some kind of change, big or small. All I have to do is go along for the ride.

Typical morning

2009-07-03T14:29:00.002+03:00

Here is what my morning was like:

8:45 milk man arrived. bought 10 cups (about 1 1/2 gal) and boiled it for later use.
9:30 called my boda, Nasser, and went to an ATM about 10 min from here. No ATM card in my purse, so went back home, purchaseing sausages from the butchery and some passion fruit from the sidewalk vendor along the way.
10:15 found my card inside my passport! How did it get there?? This card is my only link to getting funds from the US. Without it, I'd be really sunk...
Take Nasser, go back to ATM, get funds. Ride to town. park on the street near a large mall, Garden City, so I can walk down to the store that sells the DVDs that I have to return. Then back to find Nasser. We went next to a shop to have the 5 staff ID cards laminated. While that was happening, we dashed to the fabric row of small shops for fabric for new table cloths and napkins. (Tomorrow is the 4th and I did want some red, white and blue decor.)
After buying the fabric, back to pick up the cards, then to the post office to check mail (the first of 2 checks i'll do this month), then to the supermarket for items for the breakast for 12 I'm making tomorrow. While I was busy, Nasser went across the street to pay my electric bill for me [about $70 for 2 months].

On the way home, we stop to purchase 4 large mangos for 2000/= (about $1) Finally we get back to the house about 12;15. What a great day. All the errands done, no accidents, and everything done on my list.

I love going places with Nasser. He is a safe driver, helpful with shopping and considerate of others need.

Random thoughts

2009-06-19T10:40:00.004+03:00

Random thoughts

2009-06-19T10:40:00.003+03:00

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.

Prayer power needed

2009-06-11T17:11:00.002+03:00

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.

The More things change, the more...

2009-06-11T17:02:00.003+03:00

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.

God Bless farmers

2009-05-23T14:29:00.003+03:00

For the past 4 years or a bit less I have been "farming". Started out with one rooster, added 4 hens and one goat. The highest number I ever had was 32 chickens, 8 turkeys, 7 goats. Today another of my goats died, from eating plastic. Goat herd now is 2 almost grown males, 1 7 month old female and the twins who are 2 1/2 weeks. The turkeys number 7, the chickens 13. All will be given away in the next two to three weeks to people who can care for them maybe better than I have.

Chicken mortality with me has been about 90%, not counting the ones given away to be dinner for someone. Turkey mortality has been about 50%, but I wasn't trying to raise them either. The goats were OK. Lost 1/year to disease and plastic. My favorite one died early this week and another this am.

Farmers, who grow good food for their families and communities see the ups and downs of having livestock all the time. They lose crops to drought, to hail, to too much water or a bug invasion. The herds and flocks can do well, but then can be suddenly cleaned out.

I come from a long, long line of farmers, but I think I am not as good at it as those from a long time back. Good thing my family doesn't have to depend on what I raise to feed us. Maybe my upcoming move is a good thing, to take me away from farming for a season and consider if buying 20 acres and setting up a farm is really what I want to do in my old-age.

Fresh fish

2009-04-19T11:42:00.001+03:00

Moses is a fishmonger who has been selling fish to EMI, to Shanthi and to me for many years now. On most of his weekly visits, he has fresh tilapia from Lake Victoria. Last week he came with a huge catfish. For 10,000/= shillings, about $5, I had 1 to 1.5 kg of fresh catfish, one of the best tasting fish around.

This fish cooks up well in a stew, no bones and has a texture almost like meat. As Moses describes it ..."so de-li-ci-ous". It is his favorite of all the fish that he sells.

African daily routine

2009-04-18T11:25:00.001+03:00

Here, if one has some kind of home or shelter, the first daily activity is cleaning. This may involve just sweeping the dirt floor of the hut and the compound/yard area in front of the house.

If there are cement or tile floors, then sweeping is following by hand moping and general cleanup. After this then a fire is made and tea or other breakfast items started.

Keeping the home neat, tidy and ready to receive visitors at any time is the expectation and the norm. In Africa, visitors come without invitation and stay as long as they like, hours or days, depending on the depth of the connection and relationship with the host.

This is likely one area where I will continue my western ways: make an appt if you want to visit and hospitality is limited unless planned in advance. Also, as long as there are people around who like to clean, or clearly don't mind it, I am likely to find other activities to engage my time and energy.