count down.......

It's almost impossible to think i have been in kampala for 3 months and that in 4 days i will be heading back to nashville (via nairobi, brussels, and newark). people said that the time would fly by and i doubted them...especially when i would go days without power or i longed for a hot shower or some hatch green chile salsa or just wanted to watch an hour of senseless tv. it's been an amazing three months..every day an adventure and every moment a miracle in the making. i think africa is not for everyone...yes , i know that sounds silly...but it's true. uganda can't be visited, it must be experienced...there has to be a predetermined acceptance that what you are about to see, to hear, to smell and to taste is unlike anything you have known before.... wow, i sound like rod serling on twilight zone.....

are you kidding me?

sometimes, i am told, people have the same recurring bad dream.....over and over. kind of like 'groundhog day' but minus bill murray and pauxatawny phil. (as you can probably tell, i did not google the correct spelling!).....since tony reid is here and i am heading back to the good ole God Bless America, USA, we all decided a trip to kiganda was in order. it was time to check on the progress of the piping, water tank, faucets, showers, etc now that an abundantly flowing well is capable of providing all the water needs. as you know, if you have followed this blog at all, we have had problems in the past with our van breaking down 3 out of 3 times we have driven it to kiganda. today, because it has a tire that prefers being flat, and i am sort of hesitant, because our track record is abysmal, we rdecided to pay the $40 and get a rental car. we left kampala at 9am, ready for our uneventful journey. we reached highway secondary school about 10:45 and as we were pulling into the driveway, tony and i looked at each other and said "what's that noise"? andrew said that it was a normal car sound....ok, i am not a mechanic, but that didn't seem 'normal'.

Easter day beach party!

i had never spent easter away from my natural family.....forever easter has been a day of celebrating the resurrection of our Lord, a huge family dinner and maybe a game of bocce or softball or croquet. this year was a first.....oh, i still celebrated the resurrection of our Lord, but here when you say "hallelujah, the Lord has risen", no one says "the Lord has risen indeed". or, maybe i just didn't say it to the right people! i did not spend the day with my natural family, but i was honored to spend the day with my african family....including andrew and illona, patrick, 30 kids from the safe house and of course, TONY.....though not african....part of my adopted family! we didn't have a huge dinner, instead we had sandwiches, chips, cookies, fruit juice and (thanks to george) the most delicious pink and blue peeps! the kids loved them....just knew they would! we didn't play bocce, or softball or croquet, but we did play a long, rousing game of duck, duck, goose introduced by tony. i seriously had to bow out early because i knew as the oldest, and definitely slowest, person sitting in the circle, i would get "goosed" way too often.....well i know THAT didn't sound right, but you gey my drift! andrew and illona didn't play so we paid andrew back by burying him in the sand....he was a good sport, but i'm reasonably certain he did not appreciate my wonderful idea.....the kids liked it though, and after he was buried we danced around him in a circle and i was reminded of that scene in Lord of the Flies, though not sure why.

tony's here !!!!

tony reid, missionary, from perfecting faith international in the nashville, tennessee area, arrived late thursday evening to spend a few months at from the heart house ministering to the children at the prisons and orphanages and the safe house. we, unfortunately were late picking him up from the airport because we had only allowed 4 hours to get to the airport....it is an hour and a half drive! traffic in kampala was ridiculous and entrance into the airport is tedious because passengers have to exit the vehicle and walk through a security check and then walk to the vehicle which has parked further up the road. hmmm, guess if i was toting explosives i would not be the passenger, but perhaps the driver!!!! tony was waiting for us with a huge smile. it was GREAT to see him and speak american english with someone who actually understood me. peter, my friend, says that no one actually understands me...everyone just smiles and nods because all they really hear is: "na-na-na--yip-yip-yip-wah-wah-wah"! i thought for sure he was teasing me until the other day when i asked a taxi driver if he was old enough to drive because he looked to be only 12.....and he smiled and nodded at me....well, maybe there is some truth in what peter said.

bandana day at raising up hope!

every time we go to the raising up hope safe house we try to bring a little something special....just a little something "fun"....we really didn't know what a big hit our bandanas would be! andrew and illona made juice in the morning, so we had a jerry can filled with fresh passion fruit/orange juice. then we decided to buy ready made lunches, so the kids got to eat chicken or beef with matooke and groundnut sauce and rice. this is their favorite meal and they always lick their containers! speaking of containers, the house did not have any plates and not enough cups, only bowls which served as both plates and cups.....this made eating a meal rather complicated as u can imagine. we bought enough plates and cups for everyone....funny how you don't appreciate a cup or a plate until you only have a bowl...they don't have silverware yet, maybe that will be our next investment.
my friend kathi had sent a box of clothing from goodwill, so after the meal we dove into the box to see what would fit who. patrick decided to put a blue floral skirt on...don't know why, but it was hilarious. i love the way he will be just as silly as can be to make the kids laugh....he is an amazing man of God. pastor william was there too and everyone danced and prayed and praised God...i think andrew and illona sneaked out so they didn't have to participate in what i call the "around and around up and down dance". i can't even describe 30 of us doing this dance in a 10 x 12 room in the intense heat! it is quite a workout! it is incredibly fun and there is always amazing drum music!