Wednesday, July 8, 2009
CHANGE IN PLANS
FYI for anyone who has family or friends or coworkers on the Ugandan team. We are not coming home Sunday as planned. An itinerary mishap has occurred and we are coming home Monday morning instead -- same time
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Leave us a comment
A few people have asked how to leave a comment for us. After each blog entry there is a pencil icon. You can click that to leave a comment. You can also click on the title of any blog entry and you will just see that particular entry. At the bottom of an individual blog entry there is a comment form.
We are looking forward to hearing from you. As they say in Uganda, "You are most welcome".
We are looking forward to hearing from you. As they say in Uganda, "You are most welcome".
Church and Site Seeing
Today, we headed to Jinja for a church service - a four-hour church service, but it was very good. The Humble choir came and sang and there were several other choirs. They even invited anyone who wanted to sing to share a song. At one point, I remember finding the whole scene rather surreal. We were sitting in a church set high on a hill. Lake Victoria was visible from the open door and windows on my left. I had a little Ugandan child sitting in my lap. Behind me was the Bishop of Eastern Africa. In front of me, the Humble choir was dancing and singing in that incredibly uplifting way they have. To my right, I could see Drew and Kara feeding cookies to a little Ugandan boy, and out the window to my right a herd of Ugandan cattle, who have horns the size of Texas Longhorns that grow up instead of sideways, could be seen grazing.
About three hours into the service, Pastor Dave took the stage and gave a sermon, which was also translated into Lugandan, about love and included bubble blowing and a magic bubble, which really entertained the children. (By team vote, it has been decided that his new name on the trip will be Pastor Bubbles.)
After service, we went to eat at the Jinja Nile Resort, viewed Bujagali Falls on the Nile River, and went souvenier shopping in Jinja. Drew and I/Kara got shirts that say Mzungu (which basically means foreigner and is what everyone has been calling us, like when we all crossed the road and almost got hit by a car, and they yelled, "Mzungu! It's sort of the same way we yell "Tourists" in D.C. You know how it is.)
We also got to see the dam that separates the Nile River from Lake Victoria today. Then we drove back to the hotel straight into a traffic jam, which left many of us in a diesel-induced stupor. There apparently isn't the same kind of controls on pollution here as in the U.S. and traffic jams turn into the opposite of an oxygen bar. Smoke from fires burning alongside the road and cars and trucks belching gaseous fumes combine to form a pretty toxic cloud. So please forgive me for any nonsense on here (like the Pastor Bubbles comment *snicker*).
Anyway, we will not be able to access the internet for a couple of days, as we are heading to a hotel in Gulu that will more than likely not have internet. So Caio for now!
About three hours into the service, Pastor Dave took the stage and gave a sermon, which was also translated into Lugandan, about love and included bubble blowing and a magic bubble, which really entertained the children. (By team vote, it has been decided that his new name on the trip will be Pastor Bubbles.)
After service, we went to eat at the Jinja Nile Resort, viewed Bujagali Falls on the Nile River, and went souvenier shopping in Jinja. Drew and I/Kara got shirts that say Mzungu (which basically means foreigner and is what everyone has been calling us, like when we all crossed the road and almost got hit by a car, and they yelled, "Mzungu! It's sort of the same way we yell "Tourists" in D.C. You know how it is.)
We also got to see the dam that separates the Nile River from Lake Victoria today. Then we drove back to the hotel straight into a traffic jam, which left many of us in a diesel-induced stupor. There apparently isn't the same kind of controls on pollution here as in the U.S. and traffic jams turn into the opposite of an oxygen bar. Smoke from fires burning alongside the road and cars and trucks belching gaseous fumes combine to form a pretty toxic cloud. So please forgive me for any nonsense on here (like the Pastor Bubbles comment *snicker*).
Anyway, we will not be able to access the internet for a couple of days, as we are heading to a hotel in Gulu that will more than likely not have internet. So Caio for now!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Pictures!
Here is a link to a slideshow that shows the way the kids and workers had to retrieve water before the pump was fixed.
Happy Anniversary & Happy Fourth of July
What a fantastic evening. Dave Bennett arranged for the hotel to have a 4th of July Ugandan-style BBQ waiting for us when we got back from our trips to the school. We had grilled corn on the cob, steak, chicken, pork and lamb and corn and veggies and assorted other Ugandan stuff. The highlight of the evening was the celebration of Rhett and Jillian's 7th Anniversary. Doug and Dave Norman had made a foray into town earlier in the day to bring back a Ugandan cake and card. Let's just say the cake was unique. Because Dave and Doug could not find an anniversary cake, they bought a birthday cake and then duct taped over the word birthday and wrote anniversary on it. Thanks to the cake's exceptionally hard frosting, the duct tape did not stick. We all wish we could have shared a piece of this "interesting" cake with the congregation. If you run into the Breedens at church you will have to ask them how much fun they had cutting it.
High School Musical
Today we spent the morning at St. Henry's Secondary School where some of the Humble students have moved on to. Secondary School is roughly the equivalent of 8th grade and up and starts at Senior 1. After what they call their Senior 4 tests, they either go to Senior 5 and 6 or to vocational school. While at St. Henry's, we got to watch a drama/musical competition the different houses were having against each other. We got to see a play, a mime (karaoke basically), and two folk songs. Some of it was in English and what we didn't understand, we pestered a seminary student, Henry, who was with us (also known as Pastor Dave's second son), to translate. The kids were extremely talented.
Next we drove to Namogongo Secondary and vocational school, which is where some other Humble Student graduates have moved onto. This was a long and interesting drive past memorable Ugandan landscape. At the school, we were taken on a tour by an former Humble Student named Blessed. She was truly a blessing, sweet and without a shy bone in her body. While at the school, Drew got to play basketball with some of the students. It was a beautiful, very large school.
Next we drove to Namogongo Secondary and vocational school, which is where some other Humble Student graduates have moved onto. This was a long and interesting drive past memorable Ugandan landscape. At the school, we were taken on a tour by an former Humble Student named Blessed. She was truly a blessing, sweet and without a shy bone in her body. While at the school, Drew got to play basketball with some of the students. It was a beautiful, very large school.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Pump it Up
Yay! The pump is now working. The company hired to fix the pump was able to do the work today and water is flowing to a rain-catching tank at this point. All the kids, workers and staff were very excited. The head mistress of the school said she even let the kids use extra water today in celebration. Next week, we will be running the plumbing from the school grounds to a water tower that will feed the plumbing for the school infrastructure. Doug got some excellent video of the pump being fixed that he hopes to share with the congregation.
Before it was fixed, several of the Crossroads team, led by Pastor Dave, took turns pushing the bike-water-mobile up the hill. Rhett carried two water holders up by himself. The kids were so happy when they found out they no longer had to lug water up the hill for washing and cooking anymore.
Others of us set off to throw more bricks. Sadly, I was kicked off the brick throwing line to prevent further injuries to myself and others -- actually, I think it was a mutual agreement since I somehow lost my brick throwing mojo and was wreaking havoc. I tried mortar-ing instead. In my defense, these bricks are not dainty US bricks. They are more like the size of a kleenex box.
After lunch, we had a three-hour meeting with the Uganda/East Africa school management team and Bishop Daniel. Dave made a casual comment at the end that American meetings are normally one hour :o)
Before it was fixed, several of the Crossroads team, led by Pastor Dave, took turns pushing the bike-water-mobile up the hill. Rhett carried two water holders up by himself. The kids were so happy when they found out they no longer had to lug water up the hill for washing and cooking anymore.
Others of us set off to throw more bricks. Sadly, I was kicked off the brick throwing line to prevent further injuries to myself and others -- actually, I think it was a mutual agreement since I somehow lost my brick throwing mojo and was wreaking havoc. I tried mortar-ing instead. In my defense, these bricks are not dainty US bricks. They are more like the size of a kleenex box.
After lunch, we had a three-hour meeting with the Uganda/East Africa school management team and Bishop Daniel. Dave made a casual comment at the end that American meetings are normally one hour :o)
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