I can't believe another week has gone by since I last updated the blog. The days have included tutoring each morning at Amecet, helping put on a Christmas party for the street kids, a team pre-Christmas party of caroling and the Christmas story put on by the children, teaching bible school, eating a meal in the home of new Ugandan friends, Patrick and Naomi, stress over Nate's flights being cancelled due to bad weather in London, more stress regarding where we are staying in London on our way home from Uganda. But, as I know and have experienced time and time again, God is faithful and sees us through. I just need to remember to rely on His strength and not my own.
Nate arrived last night. It was so good to see him and finally be all together as a family in Uganda. His rescheduled flights were uneventful and we praise God that he is here. I am in the middle of getting a place to stay in London booked after water damage rendered the one we were going to stay in unusable. This has been a major undertaking as there is not much available right now. I think we have it worked out though, so please pray that it happens.
Also, if you could pray that Jake and I both get over being sick. We had about 2 hours with Nate last night after he arrived before we all headed to bed. During the night, I woke up with vomiting and diarrhea and Jake started vomiting this morning. Just when it seems we all get healthy, someone else gets hit. Hopefully the rest won't get this...it is not fun.
So, today Bob, Josh, Nate and Drew taught bible school without Jake and I. They said it went well but we were sad to miss it. This afternoon was Josh's going away party and Jake was so bummed to miss it. They were going to play American Football with the entire team, as well as with some Ugandan friends and it promised to be a lot of fun. Jake and I spent the afternoon in bed or on the couch. I'm praying that it lets up soon.
Bob made eggs this morning for the boys. Not chicken eggs, but ostrich egg. He had to drill a hole in the egg to get it open as they are amazingly thick. The boys liked it...all except Jake, but I think that might have been due to the fact he was about to start vomiting in a very short while. They couldn't eat it all and Bob brought the rest over to Tim and Angie's for their family. We hope to be able to take the egg shell home with us. I would think it is sturdy enough, but we'll see.
That's all for now. My stomach is acting up again and I think I'll head back to bed for awhile. Again, please pray for renewed health and strength for the remainder of our time here. It is frustrating to be stuck in bed when there is much we want to be doing.
Blessings,
Julie
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Update
Hello again,
I know it is time for an update. I remember checking our blog each day while Josh was here and we were still home, hoping he had posted :). I've posted a few pictures here but it takes awhile to upload each picture on the blog and it goes much faster on facebook so there are many more on my facebook if you want to see those. Look under photos; there are two albums: Ugandan Life Take One and Ugandan Life Take Two.
I'll start with last Saturday...we spent the morning around the guest house. I swept, dusted, cleaned and organized, basically just making our temporary home feel a little more like our own. Bob and the boys worked around here as well, and the boys worked on school homework. It was a nice morning.
In the afternoon we headed to a children's party at church, which was basically 4 hours of speeches and sermons, with the occasional singing or dancing by a group of children. We were protected from the sun by tarps for which I was very thankful. All the Ugandans sat on hard plastic chairs, while the guests of honor...the speakers and us...sat on couches they had brought outside from someone's home. I'm not sure how the people (including children and babies) managed to sit so quietly and politely listen to the speakers for that length of time, but they did. Josh and Drew provided some comic relief periodically (privately of course), but it did seem to go on and on. One of the politicians who spoke held up a poster with his name and a photo on it, something we at home might put up around town as campaign literature. He then stated that he was running for office, and kind of as a side note mentioned that the photo wasn't really him, it was his twin brother, but close enough. It was hilarious. I don't know if he couldn't make it to the photographer or if he thought his brother was better looking or what, but what a hoot! Livened it up for us a bit which was good. Then was lunch! When they serve food, all the adults go get their food first, while the children sit to the side and wait. They sat so patiently and quietly. Then when the adults are through, if there is food left, then the kids go up. Not quite sure what to make of that. I can tell you that when our kids were little, if we wanted to eat in peace, we fed them first, but these little kids are so patient! Once we were done eating, all the older kids headed out to the sports field to play football. Josh, Drew and Jake all played and had a great time. It was a good way to end the children's party after all those speeches and sermons.
Sunday morning we drove 2.5 hours to attend a church that has been started among the Karamajong people, a tribe in Northern Uganda. The pastor is a really neat young man, very passionate and animated. They were singing when we arrived and he was jumping up and down. leading the congregation. Could that man JUMP! His vertical jump had to be about 3 feet high. There was much energy and enthusiasm in praising our God and it was so fun to be part of their praise time. They asked us to introduce ourselves and say a few words. Josh introduced us and we told them how happy we were to be worshipping with them and that we brought greetings from our church in America. Tim Sliedrecht preached the sermon. Let me just say this...Josh, Jake and I had all taken motion sickness pills for the ride there as these were the roughest roads yet in our time here. We did fine on the ride as far as motion, but the pills make you sleepy. Like Josh said to Tim, nothing against your message or your preaching, but staying awake was a CHALLANGE! :)
After the service we were invited into a building made of cornstalks where we had lunch. The lunch was a tortilla like outside with fried ostrich egg inside. There were very good, but huge. We are always served soda with meals...I've never drank so much pop. Afterwards we headed outside for a tour of the village. Inside the building was very good, but outside it was SOOOOO hot...over 100 degrees! I think Jake was dehydrated and got overheated. He didn't feel good at all and just wanted to sit down. One thing when you visit a village here, you tend to draw a crowd just for the simple fact that you are a mazungu (white person). 
Now add the fact that you look like you don't feel well, you keep either bending down or kneeling down, and you draw an even bigger crowd. Needless to say, Jake wanted some space but didn't get any. At one point I thought Jake might be feeding the 5,000 and not feeding them anything they would want...aka...puke. Josh and Drew found it quite amusing which helped the situation even less. We kept trying to shoo the crowd away. They would back up for a few seconds, but would crowd right back in as soon as they could. At the time Jake didn't find amusing, but we've been able to laugh about it later. We need to remember to drink lots of water with meals they serve.
Now add the fact that you look like you don't feel well, you keep either bending down or kneeling down, and you draw an even bigger crowd. Needless to say, Jake wanted some space but didn't get any. At one point I thought Jake might be feeding the 5,000 and not feeding them anything they would want...aka...puke. Josh and Drew found it quite amusing which helped the situation even less. We kept trying to shoo the crowd away. They would back up for a few seconds, but would crowd right back in as soon as they could. At the time Jake didn't find amusing, but we've been able to laugh about it later. We need to remember to drink lots of water with meals they serve. The tour of the village was very interesting but sad in ways. Alcoholism is a big problem amongst the Karamajong people. They dry out seeds and brew alcohol (rum I believe). There were numerous drunk men roaming around, one of whom wanted me to take his picture. It wasn't until he came up to view it that I realized what was in his cup. The
Each morning this week we are going to Amecet to tutor the older children. They all speak English, as well as Ateso and most are just learning their ABCs so there is much work to be done. We review the letters with them, play games that deal with ABCs and try and help them with the sounds each letter makes. Today we played an video for them that reviewed each letter of the alphabet. They enjoyed that. We'll see tomorrow if they remember anything from it :).
ho are handicapped. They see it as a waste of resources to feed and care for them, but we want them to know how much God values each one of us, even those the world considered the least of value. This is why Jennifer brings food for the family and cares for Lazaro. He is valued and he is loved and we were able to show God's love through our visit. Jennifer also brought along a large storybook that told the story of Christmas. She asked if I would tell the Christmas story. One of the girls translated for me as I shared the story of Jesus birth with Lazaro and his family. It was so incredibly touching and emotional for me. I so badly want each of those children to know that God loves them so much that he sent his son as a baby to this broken and sinful world, that through Jesus they can have an eternal life that will be so much better than what they know here. It is such an amazing gift and I was blessed to be able to share the story of this special gift with them. It touched my heart deeply! The lunch of posha and beans was really quite good. Posha is a mashed potato like dish without much taste, but the beans and broth make it really good. You eat it with your fingers. Quite messy, but good and very filling. 
Tonight Josh is taking us out for supper in Soroti so that should be good. We are going to the Soroti Hotel, aka SoHo. Jake has been told they have chips (french fries) so he is looking forward to that.
I can't tell you how life changing this has been for us. We have seen and experienced things that have deeply touched our hearts. The emotion that wells up in me at times is overwhelming but good. God has used the people of Uganda to open my eyes, ears, heart and soul to the lost and hurting of this world, whether it be here in Africa or within our own community. I have never wanted so badly to share the saving message of Jesus Christ with all who either have not heard and don't know or have yet to accept it personally.
I am reading a book that friends gave us right before we left for Uganda. It is titled, True Religion and is written by Palmer Chinchen, PhD. It challenges each of us to get off the couch and give our life away to change what is broken in this world. In it, Chinchen says "Oppression, injustice, poverty, bigotry and abuse are real and present. But it doesn't have to be this way. God put you and me here to make this world a better place, a more beautiful place. When Jesus left, He asked that you and I continue to change and love the world. The mission and purpose of the local church was never intended to end at the edge of our community. So whatever the cost, go in the name of Jesus and love people who hurt. Tell them and show them that God has a better way, a more beautiful way, a life-giving way." Thank you to those of you who supported, encouraged, loved and prayed our family to Uganda. We are blessed beyond words and measure to be here, engaging with the lost and hurting. God is working in our hearts and changing our lives as we watch the team here love, care for and enfold the broken and abused in this country. We are BLESSED! Now we pray that we might be a blessing!
Please pray for Nathan as he finishes his exams at U of M and heads here this week. Please pray for focus as he finishes and safe travel as he comes to Uganda. We can't wait to see him and be together here in Uganda as a family. This will be a very special Christmas for our family; different from any other before. We hope that each of you has a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones.
Julie
Friday, December 10, 2010
Teaching a Village and Beyond
Hello again,
They had already started cooking the food by the time we got there. Cutting huge chunks of beef into small chunks. Everything is cooked over an open fire in really big pots. We thought lunch would be around noon, but it wasn't ready until about 4:30pm so we were extremely hungry. They served Josh, Drew, Jake and I, along with David, a former child soldier we knew prior to coming to the tournament, at a table with real plates and silverware. Everyone else had to eat sitting on the ground, eating with their hands. It was quite unsettling to be the only ones served like this, but we are definitely treated differently at times and it's actually quite uncomfortable to me. I want them to treat us as equals, and it seems like we are a novelty instead. Maybe that will change with time. The food was AWESOME! We had rice, beef, port, cabbage and a sauce that looked like broccoli soup. Even Jake liked everything. He was going to take a second helping of the pork until he saw the hair still on it...then he was pretty much done. Overall he had done very well. He has tried everything and been very polite and gracious. Maybe there is hope after all.
We were able to hear David's story today. He is 17 years old and was abducted by the LRA at the age of 9. Later they took him back to his village and made him watch them kill his parents. They forced him to carry supplies for them and help raid villages and steal other children. He escaped at age 15 (I believe) by leaving during the night while the soldiers were sleeping. He has no home left to go to. People here look down on the abducted children when they are able to escape and believe them to be rebels from the LRA, when in fact they had no choice. They have tried to poison him through his drinking water and they burned down his home. Yet despite all this, he is an amazing young man who loves the Lord and believes God has a plan for his life. Andrew and Josh have really connected with him and have really been impacted by his story. He is less than 1 year older than Andrew and has been through so much. It really has made them both see how blessed they are. One young woman I spoke with had been abducted at age 16 and forced to marry one of the soldiers. After many years she finally escaped while out searching for firewood and now is a mother of a young baby. Such tragedy, yet hope resonates from them as they tell their stories. It is amazing to see and hear.
Well, it is late again and I still want to try and post some pictures on Facebook. Sorry this was so long, but we have much to share. So many people have supported and encouraged us as we prepared to go and we want them to be as much a part of our journey as possible.
Again, thank you so much for your emails and comments. It is so fun to open emails from friends and family back home. We miss you all but love it here! The team here is amazing and have been so kind and gracious to us. We've eaten with them, prayed together, gone on ministry tours with some of them and spent time in their homes. We feel blessed to be a part of Team Beyond on a temporary basis. They have been so good to Josh for these past months and we are thankful for each one of them!
Blessings from Soroti, Uganda.
Well, last night was interesting! Before I headed off to bed, I kept hearing all kinds of noises. It sounded like someone knocking on the walls or windows. I was honestly really freaked out. I was too scared to go to the window and look out and it is completely pitch black outside the house so you can't see anything anyway. I know we have a guard, but all kinds of things kept going though my mind like people climbing over the walls of the compound and overtaking the guard and trying to get at the muzungus (white people) inside. It was completely irrational, but I couldn't fall asleep and I kept hearing things. Bob made sure all the doors were locked and there are bars on the windows, but it made for a pretty sleepless night. Bad dreams and wierd noises were my companions. I admit I was not being very rational about it and I tried to pray through my fear, but morning was a long time in coming. Please pray that I rest easier tonight and going forward.
After the teaching we went back to the church office hut and had lunch, consisting of chicken, goat, rice and atopa, a unusual dish to say the least. It looks like bread dough that hasn't risen and has turned kind of brown/gray. It is sticky, gummy and gritty. You are supposed to pour meat juice over it and eat it with your hands. I tried a bite and could not make myself eat more. Jake struggled as well and Andrew didn't even try. Josh likes it and Bob didn't think it was too bad either. I honestly thought it was terrible. Fortunately I could hide it under the bones from the chicken and goat. The rest of the meal was good, although the goat meat was a little tough. It was an experience like none before and we thoroughly enjoyed the time of fellowship and conversation.
After lunch we headed back into the church where the pastors, elders and men played thumb pianos and sang for us. It was beautiful and the thumb piano is an amazing instrument they make and play with...you guessed it...their thumbs.
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| breakfast in Obule |
Today was incredible! We drove about 15 minutes away to Obule to a grass hut compound where Josh Shaarda, one of the missionaries, was doing some Timothy Leadership training on what God has to say about marriage. We were welcomed by Martin and John Peter, two pastors in the district of Soroti. They invited us into a brick, mud and grass hut that serves as their church office. We sat around and they shared with us their culture and traditions of courtship and marriage. It was very interesting to hear and they were interested to hear about our ways of marriage and dating. One of the women came in with a basin, soap and pitcher of water and knelt by each of us, allowing us to wash our hands before eating. They served us breakfast of biscuits and black tea. We could add some sugar to the tea and it was really good. After breakfast and fellowship with the pastors we headed into the church building, another hut, but this one open on one side and very large. We sang and then Josh began teaching from Song of Songs as it relates to marriage. It was so good to hear him tell the people exactly how God has designed marriage to be. Pastor Martin translated into Ateso for those who did not speak English. Josh had taught the first part yesterday and then finished up today. Many of the people had come from as far as 20-30 miles away to hear him teach. The goal is that they will take what they have learned and share it with others so that God's teachings and instructions may spread beyond just this village. It was such a blessing to be able to hear and see God's word being taught to those who have been brought up with a different view on marriage. It was interactive and some of the Ugandans opened up and shared as well which was fun to hear.
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| Josh Shaarda teaching and Pastor Martin translating. |
At one point Josh used the word emotion which translates as i-poop in Ateso. As soon as he said it I saw Josh, glance over at Jake and Jake glance over at Josh. Jake instantly started laughing. The pastor said it several more times and now not only were Jake and Josh laughing, but now Andrew, Bob and even Josh Shaarda were laughing. Josh Shaarda told Jake if he needed to head outside to compose himself he could. Jake and Drew were laughing so hard they were crying. In case you don't have boys, welcome to my world...this is my life and it is never dull. It was really comical and I'm sure it is a moment not to be forgotten real soon by either our family or Josh Shaarda. I'm not certain that the Ugandans knew what was so funny which was probably a good thing.
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| Church in Obule |
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| Lunch in Obule. The big brown mass on the right is atopa, (ah-top-ah),then goat meat and then chicken. The white bowls are the rice. |
After lunch we headed back into the church where the pastors, elders and men played thumb pianos and sang for us. It was beautiful and the thumb piano is an amazing instrument they make and play with...you guessed it...their thumbs.
Yesterday was a busy day as well. Bob, Josh, Drew and Jake went to the school for the blind to repair beds in the girls dorms. Some were so broken they were unusable. They spent most of the day there working and some of the day goofing off as some of the pictures on my facebook will attest to, but it was enjoyable and productive and very much appreciated by the school. I went to Josh and Mandy Shaarda's home and spent the day helping Mandy homeschool their daughter Grace. I've never homeschooled before, so that was pretty fun. Gracie is a good student, just learning to sound out letters and read words. We also worked on some Christmas crafts which was another adventure. While I was stitching up some Christmas ornaments the girls, Lydia, Grace and their cousin Avelien decided they wanted to play church. It was amazing! You should have heard those girls preach! They would tell me to get out my Bible and turn to a particular passage and then they would pretend they could read it and they would quote scripture and preach it! Preach it sister, preach it! Then they would tell me to get out my song book and turn to page___ and they would start singing. It was incredible. My boys gave me grief about not spending the day working, and while Mandy attested to the fact that I did work, I must admit I enjoyed myself immensely and hope to go back to "church" again soon. Girl Preacher Power!!! I should have video taped it. Maybe next time.
Did I write about our day on Wednesday at the sports tournament? If I did, I don't think I wrote much. Bob stayed home sick in bed for the day. Bad stomach pains and needed to be near the bathroom. The rest of us went by van 2 hours away to a sports tournament for children affected by the rebels in the LRA. All 300 kids had all been kidnapped and either and forced to be child soldiers or child brides for the rebels or somehow traumatized by the LRA.The roads there were terrible, but Jake and I had taken our motion sickness pills and we did fine. Not too much for Jake and I to do there, but Josh and Drew were linesmen for the soccer games. It is sometimes hard to talk to the children here. They stare and stare at you, but when you try to talk to them, they either laugh and run away or they look down at the ground. They seem to be intimidated by us. Jake and I did start playing with a soccer ball and soon a lot of kids had gathered around. We started playing catch with some of the kids and that broke up the long day for Jake.
Did I write about our day on Wednesday at the sports tournament? If I did, I don't think I wrote much. Bob stayed home sick in bed for the day. Bad stomach pains and needed to be near the bathroom. The rest of us went by van 2 hours away to a sports tournament for children affected by the rebels in the LRA. All 300 kids had all been kidnapped and either and forced to be child soldiers or child brides for the rebels or somehow traumatized by the LRA.The roads there were terrible, but Jake and I had taken our motion sickness pills and we did fine. Not too much for Jake and I to do there, but Josh and Drew were linesmen for the soccer games. It is sometimes hard to talk to the children here. They stare and stare at you, but when you try to talk to them, they either laugh and run away or they look down at the ground. They seem to be intimidated by us. Jake and I did start playing with a soccer ball and soon a lot of kids had gathered around. We started playing catch with some of the kids and that broke up the long day for Jake.
They had already started cooking the food by the time we got there. Cutting huge chunks of beef into small chunks. Everything is cooked over an open fire in really big pots. We thought lunch would be around noon, but it wasn't ready until about 4:30pm so we were extremely hungry. They served Josh, Drew, Jake and I, along with David, a former child soldier we knew prior to coming to the tournament, at a table with real plates and silverware. Everyone else had to eat sitting on the ground, eating with their hands. It was quite unsettling to be the only ones served like this, but we are definitely treated differently at times and it's actually quite uncomfortable to me. I want them to treat us as equals, and it seems like we are a novelty instead. Maybe that will change with time. The food was AWESOME! We had rice, beef, port, cabbage and a sauce that looked like broccoli soup. Even Jake liked everything. He was going to take a second helping of the pork until he saw the hair still on it...then he was pretty much done. Overall he had done very well. He has tried everything and been very polite and gracious. Maybe there is hope after all. |
| Andrew with David, former abducted child soldier of the LRA |
We were able to hear David's story today. He is 17 years old and was abducted by the LRA at the age of 9. Later they took him back to his village and made him watch them kill his parents. They forced him to carry supplies for them and help raid villages and steal other children. He escaped at age 15 (I believe) by leaving during the night while the soldiers were sleeping. He has no home left to go to. People here look down on the abducted children when they are able to escape and believe them to be rebels from the LRA, when in fact they had no choice. They have tried to poison him through his drinking water and they burned down his home. Yet despite all this, he is an amazing young man who loves the Lord and believes God has a plan for his life. Andrew and Josh have really connected with him and have really been impacted by his story. He is less than 1 year older than Andrew and has been through so much. It really has made them both see how blessed they are. One young woman I spoke with had been abducted at age 16 and forced to marry one of the soldiers. After many years she finally escaped while out searching for firewood and now is a mother of a young baby. Such tragedy, yet hope resonates from them as they tell their stories. It is amazing to see and hear.
Well, it is late again and I still want to try and post some pictures on Facebook. Sorry this was so long, but we have much to share. So many people have supported and encouraged us as we prepared to go and we want them to be as much a part of our journey as possible.
Again, thank you so much for your emails and comments. It is so fun to open emails from friends and family back home. We miss you all but love it here! The team here is amazing and have been so kind and gracious to us. We've eaten with them, prayed together, gone on ministry tours with some of them and spent time in their homes. We feel blessed to be a part of Team Beyond on a temporary basis. They have been so good to Josh for these past months and we are thankful for each one of them!
Blessings from Soroti, Uganda.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Busy, Busy, Busy!
This is going to be short as it is getting late and I need to get to bed, but I know how much I looked forward to Josh blogging and how bummed I was when nothing appeared for a number of days, so I thought at least I would post something.
Our days are busy, that's for sure. I'll try to post more in detail tomorrow. I think we'll be home in the afternoon and evening and may have some time then.
We spent the day yesterday with former child soldiers at a sports tournament. It was a long, hot, dusty, dirty day, but wonderful! We were able to hear some of their stories and realize how blessed we are, yet they are able to go on, believing God has a plan for their lives. It is wonderful to talk with those who have a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and hear the hope they have.
Ugandan food is very different from ours, but also very good...at least most things. The hair still on some of the pork and the fish served whole, bones, tail, head and all has messed with Jake a little, but he has been really good about trying it all and for the most part we all like it.
The roads are BAD! I know I've said it before, but truly, they are the pits. I've taken to keeping motion sickness pills on me at all times because you never know when your going to need them. The ride to the sports tournament was 1.5 to 2 hours each way and on the way back, there were vehicles blocking the road and we had to go a different route, turning around after a while because we had gone the wrong way. The drive home was endless. Huge potholes, rough roads...no, paths really. It was dark for a good share of the way. I was VERY glad to see our house after 2.5 hours.
Tomorrow we are headed out for the morning with Josh Shaarda, one of the missionaries to hear him teach. Looking forward to that. We will be served a Ugandan breakfast and lunch I think, so that should be fun.
Off to bed. Hope to post more tomorrow and pictures too.
Thanks for the prayers. Bob is feeling better today and our whole family was able to get out and about today so that was a definite answer to prayer. Please keep praying for good health.
Blessings,
Julie
Our days are busy, that's for sure. I'll try to post more in detail tomorrow. I think we'll be home in the afternoon and evening and may have some time then.
We spent the day yesterday with former child soldiers at a sports tournament. It was a long, hot, dusty, dirty day, but wonderful! We were able to hear some of their stories and realize how blessed we are, yet they are able to go on, believing God has a plan for their lives. It is wonderful to talk with those who have a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and hear the hope they have.
Ugandan food is very different from ours, but also very good...at least most things. The hair still on some of the pork and the fish served whole, bones, tail, head and all has messed with Jake a little, but he has been really good about trying it all and for the most part we all like it.
The roads are BAD! I know I've said it before, but truly, they are the pits. I've taken to keeping motion sickness pills on me at all times because you never know when your going to need them. The ride to the sports tournament was 1.5 to 2 hours each way and on the way back, there were vehicles blocking the road and we had to go a different route, turning around after a while because we had gone the wrong way. The drive home was endless. Huge potholes, rough roads...no, paths really. It was dark for a good share of the way. I was VERY glad to see our house after 2.5 hours.
Tomorrow we are headed out for the morning with Josh Shaarda, one of the missionaries to hear him teach. Looking forward to that. We will be served a Ugandan breakfast and lunch I think, so that should be fun.
Off to bed. Hope to post more tomorrow and pictures too.
Thanks for the prayers. Bob is feeling better today and our whole family was able to get out and about today so that was a definite answer to prayer. Please keep praying for good health.
Blessings,
Julie
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Settling In
Road to Soroti. Most of the pavement is gone and there are just giant potholes everywhere. Seriously, driving is an intense game of chicken. Everyone tries to avoid potholes, even if it means coming straight at the vehicle coming in the opposite direction. At the last possible moment they veer off and collision is avoided. Makes for some interesting driving to say the least.
Well, It's Tuesday and we've had a few days to get settled. So far, Bob and Josh have been sick with stomach issues and Andrew and Jake just said they didn't think they felt so good. Jake just climbed in bed with a bucket next to him just in case, but Andrew is still hanging in there. Bob and Josh are already in bed and it is only 9pm. Bob started with it Sunday night and Josh last night. We think it is a virus as some of the team here have it. We've been really careful about drinking only safe water, so I don't think it is that. So far, I feel fine. Let's hope it stays that way!
We went to town yesterday to go to the fresh air market, the grocery store, the bank and to get some lunch. We took 2 pedal bikes and hired two bodas (bikes pedaled by a driver with a seat on the back for a passenger). Bob wasn't feeling too well but he thought he would try it. We walked a short way from the house and he decided he didn't dare get too far from the bathroom so he turned back. The ride to town is only about 10 minutes by bike and I got to ride the boda and be pedaled around so it wasn't bad at all even though it was 95 degrees out. We walked the streets, went to the ATM which according to Josh is the only air conditioned place in all of Soroti. We did our banking business and then Jake and I stayed as long as we could in the ATM before someone else came along. Then we went into the market and bought fresh produce. Very overwhelming, crowded and hot, but tons of spices, vegetables (some of which I've never seen before), produce, beans and nuts. It was fun. Josh knew exactly what he was doing, who to buy from, what to ask, how much to pay, etc. He is a pro and I am very much a novice. He really doesn't like to shop, especially at the market, so he was in and out as fast as possible. I would have liked to browse a little, but not to be. Hopefully I can go back again with one of the ladies on the team. Josh said none of the guys on the team like market. We then headed to get groceries at OM Supermarket. Quite small by American standards, but quite large by Ugandan standards. Could find most of what we needed, although couldn't find kidney beans or tomato sauce. I want to make chili for dinner sometime so I'll have to keep looking. No carts as the store aisles aren't wide enough; just baskets. It went fairly well overall. Had to haul all our purchases back on the bikes/bodas but that too went well. Had lunch in a restaurant there. The food was good although they did not have syrup for french toast. Not sure what, if anything, they put on french toast. Jake added sugar and thought it was good. The food has been good here. A bit interesting at times, but overall we've done well. Tonight we had pork and potatoes all done together and it was delicious. We all liked it, although I don't think Bob or Josh ate much.
This morning we (minus Bob and Josh) got up really early, about 5:20am, and climbed Soroti Rock to watch the sunrise and spend some quiet time with God. It was awesome, once we got to the top. I'm not sure how high this rock it, but it is mammoth. I didn't really know what to expect and was not dressed appropriately. Should have worn pants and hiking/tennis shoes and instead had on a skirt and flipflops. Halfway up I thought I was going to die! Seriously, I started getting motion sick...and I was walking?!?!?!?!!! Nauseous, dizzy, lightheaded and weak. What a wimp! Sat down for a 5 minute rest and that helped, but honestly I felt rotten. Once I got to the top though and was able to sit quietly and look out over Soroti, I forgot about how rotten I felt and it was an awesome way to begin my day with God. I was able to take some neat pictures overlooking Soroti. On the way back home, we stopped at a Hindu Temple in town. They dress up gods like dolls, feed them, put them down to sleep, etc. The temple itself is quite dumpy with trash piled in the corner of the same room many of the gods are. Honestly, I found it really disturbing! So many people missing out on knowing the only one, true God. The courtyard of the temple had all kinds of signs nailed to trees. One sign said "Avoid dark corners and lonely places". Not quite sure the purpose of the signs, but made for some interesting conversation :). Tim and Angie (missionaries we are staying with) said they had made friends with some of the Indian Hindus and who knows how God will use those friendships. My prayer is that their Hindu friends will someday come to know the God who created them and loves them.
Our laundry was done in our backyard this morning, by hand, by a sweet lady named Martha. I felt so guilty making her do our laundry, standing up, bent over to the ground, washing each item of clothing by hand in a wash tub! Laundry for 5!! I hate to do laundry at home in my amazing LG frontload washer and dryer, let alone by hand in the hot Ugandan sun, but Martha is glad to have the income we pay her and this is a way we can bless her. Still, it was hard for me to watch and not help, even though I had no real desire to work that hard out in the sun. Wasn't all that thrilled to see all my underwear hanging out on the line for all to see either :). Scooped that up as quick as it dried you can be sure, but I guess that is life in Uganda. I have lots to learn!
We then headed to Beyond Centre, located across the street from where we are staying. Team Beyond (that is the name for our missionary team here in Uganda) has a center of books, bibles, magazines and resources available for local pastors to use. It was really neat to see and here about their plans for equipping local pastors for biblical teaching.
We headed back home to work on a craft project one of the teammates is going to use with some of the local children. You should have seen our three boys. The 5 of us, along with a Ugandan friend, had an assembly line around the dining room table, cutting and gluing paper. Not any of our three boy's "gifts", but they were agreeable and we got it done in short order.
Then off to see the ministries devoted to the blind. We picked up Francis, a blind man from Soroti and went to the local school for the blind. School is not in session right now and there is much repair work to be done in the dorms so we wanted to see what areas our family could help out in. Many of the bunks need to be restrung with wire so on Thursday Bob and the boys are heading there with tools and wire to fix all the bed. There is also a fair amount of wooden furniture in need of repair so that is something we might also get a chance to work on.
We drove about 45 minutes or so on some village roads to meet up with a blind man and his wife who have been given orange trees by Team Beyond to plant as a way to supplement their meager wages. The roads were just paths really...very bumpy, rough, broken paths I might add :). Even sitting in the front seat, I got car sick and Jake, sitting in the back of a van didn't do so well either. By the time we arrived, both he and I were not feeling so good. Unfortunately the couple had gone away from their home so we were not able to meet them. They had recently accepted Jesus and I would have loved to hear their story. We were able to see their orange grove though. Really impressive. The trees were planted only two years ago and already were bearing fruit. They had also planted pineapple and tomatoes. I think I'll start keeping some drugs for motion sickness in my camera case so I have it with me. You just never know where exactly you will be going and what the roads will be like. I'm starting to figure it out, but apparently I am a slow learner!
Our housemates, Stephanie and her two children, Alibina and Julius, are leaving to go back home to Germany so there was a going away party for them this afternoon/evening. Many Ugandan friends, as well as the entire team came to our house for dinner and fellowship. We had a really good Ugandan main course meal of pork and potatoes. I hope all Ugandan food tastes this good! It was fun listening to the Ugandan women singing farewell songs to Stephanie. They sounded beautiful!
Well, it has been a long, busy, dusty, dirty day! Tomorrow we are supposed to be up and out by 8am for the sports tournament and will be gone for most of the day I think. After getting up @ 5:20am this morning I think I should head to bed shortly. I'll try and post pics tomorrow, some on the blog and the rest on my facebook. Please pray that the Feenstras shake whatever sickness/virus we have contracted. As of right now, I think only Andrew and I will be up to going, but hopefully by morning things will look better.
Prayer concerns:
Health for our family
Effective ministry tomorrow with the kids at the sports tournament
Safe travel to Germany for Stephanie and her newly adopted children
Open hearts to be changed and used in whatever way God has for us
Praises:
Good news for Tim and Angie in regards to the adoption of Moses and Zulea
For safe travel from Michigan to Uganda with very little motion sickness
For good bonding and connections with the team here in Uganda
For opportunties to get to know and build relationships with Ugandans we have met
Again, thanks for your thoughts and prayers. It is so fun to read your posts and comments. Blessings from Uganda and I'll "talk" to you soon.
Julie
Sunday, December 5, 2010
We have arrived!
Blessings from Uganda! We arrived here in Soroti last night around 8pm. The travel from Kampala to Soroti was interesting. Trucks, bicycles and motor scooters ladened with absolutely everything are everywhere. At one point we passed a motor scooter with tons of water jugs hooked on the back of it. I could see the driver and the water jugs, but upon looking closer, I saw a second pair of knees, ankles and feet. That is literally all you could see of the second person. I still don't know how the passenger was able to get on the scooter...before or after the jugs? Either way...it didn't look like a way I would enjoy traveling, especially on the roads we were on. They hook livestock to the side, front and back of vehicles. We saw vehicles go past with bunches of live chickens hanging upside down off the side. Josh says he has seen a bicycle with 100 chickens on it.
The roads are/were paved, but they make Michigan roads after a long, hard winter look perfect! And don't forget the speed bumps...they are continuous. There is no way our vehicles back home could withstand these roads. Our tires would blow left and right. We hit some potholes so hard I literally thought we had to have broken something, but we made it here to Soroti just fine other than overheating the van. We had 22 boxes weighing 50 lbs a piece plus 10 people, plus we were running the air conditioning...it's no wonder it overheated. We stopped on the side of the road and Tim went over to a hut across the street to get water. When Angie and I went to return the water jugs, we thanked the woman and paid her 2,000 shillings, the equivalent of $1.00. She was so overjoyed and made us stop and wait while she went into her hut, returning with 2 large Jack fruits. Tim had just shown us Jack fruit earlier in the day hanging on a tree and told us it wasn't very good, so it was actually quite funny when she returned with them for us. We graciously accepted and giggled all the way back to the van. We will give them away to someone here in Soroti.
Stopping alongside the road to buy produce was amazing. The children all want you to buy from them and they surround you all talking at once. I wish I could buy from each one of them.
We slept well last night and woke up to go to church this morning. The service was awesome. It was long, but so incredible to worship with fellow believers. The preaching was incredibly animated and passionate, as well as funny in spots...never a dull moment. The singing was incredible although sometimes in Ateso, a language also spoken in Uganda. It took me awhile to realize that some of what they were singing was in English, but it was good to be able to join in some of the time. It is awesome to experience the love of Jesus among believers...it doesn't matter what language you are worshipping in, the love is universal and absolutely amazing.
This afternoon we went back to the church's "sports field". Josh, Bob, Drew and Jake all played football (soccer) with a bunch of kids. I laid out a mat on the side of the field and motioned some of the girls and younger boys over to sit with me. They all had to make sure they shook my hand. They were so sweet! I asked if I could take their photo and you should have seen them clamor to be in the pictures. Then I showed them on the LCD display and they just laughed and laughed. Once they had all calmed down and sat around me, we started talking. I asked their names, told them mine and spent about 1/2 hour just talking and having fun together. Then one of the girls asked if I would like to go to church with them. We walked over to the church and they started singing "Shine on Me". I was so excited that I knew the song they were singing. There was a young man playing the keyboard and could these kids sing!! It was so much fun. They asked me to teach them a song. Imagine coming up with a tune in your head while someone is "going to town" on the keyboard on a different song. The only one I could come up with was "This little light of mine" and thankfully one 10 year old little girl named Avelien knew it. We sang together and the other kids joined in. I wish you could have heard these ids sing. There were absolutely amazing. I had so much fun and was so blessed to be a part of it! I was sad to have to leave. I hope I will be able to go back again. I can't begin to explain how much love I felt from and for these little kids. Like I said before, it doesn't matter where in the world you are worshipping, giving praise to God with people of another nation is absolutely amazing. The God we serve is the God of all nations! How blessed we are to be able to be a part of it!!
Tonight we had a team meeting which was so special. We had dinner together and then had a time of singing. Afterwards they had our family sit together in a circle of chairs and the team surrounded us and prayed for our family, asking for blessings on our time here, open hearts, safety and God's plans to be accomplished. It was incredibly special and made me weep. We have already experienced such love and blessings from the team and we couldn't be more blessed!
Watching Josh interact with the team, the people of Uganda and the children here has been amazing. He is SO GOOD with all of them! The kids absolutely love him and you can see he loves them. I never knew how good he was with little kids. It is so much fun to watch!
Tomorrow Josh is taking us to town to the market to shop for groceries. We need food as bringing 4 more people has put a strain on his limited amount of groceries. He will bring us to the bank, the farmers market and them to dinner at one of the team's homes. This week will be a week of visiting all the different ministries the team is involved in. Hopefully I'll be able to keep you posted on what we see and experience.
Please pray for the team. Tomorrow is a big day for Tim and Angie as they head to court to finalize the adoption of Moses and sign papers relating to the adoption of Zulea. Also please pray for Stephanie. She is from Germany and has been in the process of adopting 2 children from Uganda. The process has been long and drawn out due to many issues with the Ugandan government, officials not showing up for court, asking for bribes, etc. Josh has been staying in the guest house with her and her two children for the past 4 months. She is scheduled to leave for Germany this Weds so pray that all goes well.
Please pray that our hearts will be open to all God has to teach us. There is much opportunity to show the love of Jesus here. Pray that we will see the opportuntities and be used in whatever way God has planned for us. I have been asked to share my testimony as it regards to my life in foster care and my adoption story. There are so many older children in Uganda who need to be adopted and maybe sharing my story of adoption at an older age will be part of how God will use us here. I pray that I can do this effectively and share the words God lays on my heart. I have been blessed to be adopted... maybe I can bless another child through my story.
Thank you for all who have sent their prayers and well wishes over the past few days. It is such a blessing to know that you are praying for us. The team here has been absolutely amazing and we feel blessed beyond words.
I hope to upload some pictures tonight. We'll see if I can get it figured out.
Blessings,
Julie
The roads are/were paved, but they make Michigan roads after a long, hard winter look perfect! And don't forget the speed bumps...they are continuous. There is no way our vehicles back home could withstand these roads. Our tires would blow left and right. We hit some potholes so hard I literally thought we had to have broken something, but we made it here to Soroti just fine other than overheating the van. We had 22 boxes weighing 50 lbs a piece plus 10 people, plus we were running the air conditioning...it's no wonder it overheated. We stopped on the side of the road and Tim went over to a hut across the street to get water. When Angie and I went to return the water jugs, we thanked the woman and paid her 2,000 shillings, the equivalent of $1.00. She was so overjoyed and made us stop and wait while she went into her hut, returning with 2 large Jack fruits. Tim had just shown us Jack fruit earlier in the day hanging on a tree and told us it wasn't very good, so it was actually quite funny when she returned with them for us. We graciously accepted and giggled all the way back to the van. We will give them away to someone here in Soroti.
Stopping alongside the road to buy produce was amazing. The children all want you to buy from them and they surround you all talking at once. I wish I could buy from each one of them.
We slept well last night and woke up to go to church this morning. The service was awesome. It was long, but so incredible to worship with fellow believers. The preaching was incredibly animated and passionate, as well as funny in spots...never a dull moment. The singing was incredible although sometimes in Ateso, a language also spoken in Uganda. It took me awhile to realize that some of what they were singing was in English, but it was good to be able to join in some of the time. It is awesome to experience the love of Jesus among believers...it doesn't matter what language you are worshipping in, the love is universal and absolutely amazing.
This afternoon we went back to the church's "sports field". Josh, Bob, Drew and Jake all played football (soccer) with a bunch of kids. I laid out a mat on the side of the field and motioned some of the girls and younger boys over to sit with me. They all had to make sure they shook my hand. They were so sweet! I asked if I could take their photo and you should have seen them clamor to be in the pictures. Then I showed them on the LCD display and they just laughed and laughed. Once they had all calmed down and sat around me, we started talking. I asked their names, told them mine and spent about 1/2 hour just talking and having fun together. Then one of the girls asked if I would like to go to church with them. We walked over to the church and they started singing "Shine on Me". I was so excited that I knew the song they were singing. There was a young man playing the keyboard and could these kids sing!! It was so much fun. They asked me to teach them a song. Imagine coming up with a tune in your head while someone is "going to town" on the keyboard on a different song. The only one I could come up with was "This little light of mine" and thankfully one 10 year old little girl named Avelien knew it. We sang together and the other kids joined in. I wish you could have heard these ids sing. There were absolutely amazing. I had so much fun and was so blessed to be a part of it! I was sad to have to leave. I hope I will be able to go back again. I can't begin to explain how much love I felt from and for these little kids. Like I said before, it doesn't matter where in the world you are worshipping, giving praise to God with people of another nation is absolutely amazing. The God we serve is the God of all nations! How blessed we are to be able to be a part of it!!
Tonight we had a team meeting which was so special. We had dinner together and then had a time of singing. Afterwards they had our family sit together in a circle of chairs and the team surrounded us and prayed for our family, asking for blessings on our time here, open hearts, safety and God's plans to be accomplished. It was incredibly special and made me weep. We have already experienced such love and blessings from the team and we couldn't be more blessed!
Watching Josh interact with the team, the people of Uganda and the children here has been amazing. He is SO GOOD with all of them! The kids absolutely love him and you can see he loves them. I never knew how good he was with little kids. It is so much fun to watch!
Tomorrow Josh is taking us to town to the market to shop for groceries. We need food as bringing 4 more people has put a strain on his limited amount of groceries. He will bring us to the bank, the farmers market and them to dinner at one of the team's homes. This week will be a week of visiting all the different ministries the team is involved in. Hopefully I'll be able to keep you posted on what we see and experience.
Please pray for the team. Tomorrow is a big day for Tim and Angie as they head to court to finalize the adoption of Moses and sign papers relating to the adoption of Zulea. Also please pray for Stephanie. She is from Germany and has been in the process of adopting 2 children from Uganda. The process has been long and drawn out due to many issues with the Ugandan government, officials not showing up for court, asking for bribes, etc. Josh has been staying in the guest house with her and her two children for the past 4 months. She is scheduled to leave for Germany this Weds so pray that all goes well.
Please pray that our hearts will be open to all God has to teach us. There is much opportunity to show the love of Jesus here. Pray that we will see the opportuntities and be used in whatever way God has planned for us. I have been asked to share my testimony as it regards to my life in foster care and my adoption story. There are so many older children in Uganda who need to be adopted and maybe sharing my story of adoption at an older age will be part of how God will use us here. I pray that I can do this effectively and share the words God lays on my heart. I have been blessed to be adopted... maybe I can bless another child through my story.
Thank you for all who have sent their prayers and well wishes over the past few days. It is such a blessing to know that you are praying for us. The team here has been absolutely amazing and we feel blessed beyond words.
I hope to upload some pictures tonight. We'll see if I can get it figured out.
Blessings,
Julie
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