WEEK 5

Friday - February 10

Now that we have water I spent the morning cleaning. It feels really good to once again have chased the dust away.

I went to Smile Africa in the afternoon. I had five people in the English class write their names on my white board. Now there are only 35 to go. Hopefully, they will all have accomplished this task by the time I leave. Actually, that class is a bit of a challenge as I have in tyhe class who were in the class the last time I was here, so there is a lot of repetition for them and I am sure they are a bit bored, BUT there are many new ones for whom is is all new. Unfortunately, I have not the time to divide them up.

Judging from the homework done by my writing class I did not make myself clear or explain well the concept of an adjective, so I went over all of that again. Plus, I had new people joining my class - always a bit of a struggle, but I can't keep starting over each class meeting to accommodate the new joiners.

I must say, I was exhausted by the time I got home at 5:30. I was glad I just had to warm up my dinner as it was waiting for me in the fridge. Fell asleep about 9 and slept soundly until 7.

Saturday - February 11

A rather slow day - I took care of household duties and went to Juba in the afternoon. There are a group of neighborhood people 2 or 3 women and twice as many men, who occasionally sit just ouside the gate of our compound under a lovely oleander-like tree who socialize and drink alcohol to the point of drunkeness. This disturbs Pastor Peter greatly. Today he said he wanted to talk to the supervisor of this area (politician?) to get these people to stop. My fear is if he complains they may take it out on us - harrass us. I left it to his judgement but let him know my concerns.

Classes went well. One was bigger, one was smaller but both went well and were fun.

Sunday - February 12

We have our first rain including some lovely thunder. It is just a gentle little rain, but nevertheless, it is rain.

We went with Alex (cabbie) to his church this morning, Sacred Heart Catholic Church. It was so nice to participate in a liturgy with responses, creed and prayers that were familiar. The second reader when finished, announced the gospel as "Let us welcome the gospel". I really liked that. When the offering was brought forward it was not only money but food as well, including a live chicken. It was brought forth with ceremony, singing and dancing.

We received a call from Peter this afternoon that one of the "elders" of his church in Juba was killed on the rad last night by a semi. So Peter's night was a difficult one, arranging transport of the body, finding $100 for the post-mortem, finding funds for and purchasing a coffin. The burial will be tomorrow. They have to get them in the ground as soon as possible. He sounded exhasuted.

Well the rain has gotten heavier with much thunder and a lovely wind. It is glorious!!

Monday - February 13

Lawrence picked us up this morning to take us to True Vine before he began his burial/funeral duties. He told us the man who was killed was riding a motorcycle with his sister and his neice. Three women were running across the road, one with a cell phone to her ear, so she was crossing with divided attention. The side mirror of the motorcycle hit her which threw the bike out of control and the 3 riders into the middle of the road in the oncoming path of a semi. People who saw the accident got one of the women off the road, the truck ran over the man, killing him, and the other woman was between the wheels of the truck which passed over her, leaving her with a few bruises from the fall. The man leaves 5 children, the oldest not yet in his teens.

I saw my boy Joseph this morning He was able to beg his way back into school and has begun Senior 2 on probation. We will see how he does. I told him he had better us this chance well.

My Bible study group did not come together this morning. I was saddened, but not surprised. I did see 5 people individually however. Sarah, who is reading "The Book of God" on my kindle brought a young friend whose schooling ended in P2. I worked with her a bit. I think she is quite bright.. Her English isn't good good but she caught on to alphabet sounds and was able to read "Hop on Pop". I found a ride home with Zach of True Vine as I didn't want to bother those at the funeral which was in Maguria, a bit away from Tororo.

Tuesday - February 14

Today is Valentine's Day. I have special projects planned for my classes all week.

I had a surprise this morning. When Peter picked Sue up, he had my girl, Elizabeth, with him who he was taking to True Vine on her way to school in Jinja so I got to see her, give her the gift I had brought plus a little jacket and a skirt and blousem that hopefully, she can use. Sarah seems bigger than Elizabeth who doesn't seem to have grown since the last time I saw her. I hope she does well and finds a good place for herself at school.

Lawrence drove me to Wikus. I had 3 sizes of plain white kid T-shirts with me for all of my classes to draw/design/write on for a child of their choice as a Valentine gift. The people were quite excited about it. Lawrence told me on the way home that he had overheard them talking and they were all pleased and happy about the project, When they had finished with the T-shirts I had a few little heart candies (the kind with sayings printed one) for each of them as their Valentine gifts. It was a good day.

Happy Birthday Don!!!

Wednesday - February 15

Every time I come here, whether it is for 2 weeks or for 3 months, I have a meltdown at some point - an overwhelming feeling of sadness, inadequacy and frustration. I have been staving one off for a few days now, but today came close,

This was my day for Smile Africa. My Reading class was very happy with their T-shirt project. I had my English class make a folded paper Valentine for someone they loved, They drew pictures, made designs and then Anna (my interpreter) and I helped them write a message At the end of the message we had them write their own names. What hit my meltdown button was watching Margret Aketch very carefully, painstakingly with much struggle and time write her name on the card for her grandson.

The other incident today was on my way to the office at Smile Africa with both of my arms full, I saw this small child standing by himself heaving left-over sobs of a really hard cry. I started to walk on but realized I couldn't and turned and just rubbed his back for a few minutes, trying to soothe him. He was filthy, with dried nose mucous smeared all over his face, his clothes in rags and the saddest eyes I have seen in a while.

Many of the children at Smile Africa come during the day from scavanging from the garbage piles in Tororo. They receive at least 1 meal a day, as stab at some small piece of education, and an enclosed safe place to run and play and be kids. Where they sleep at night is anyone's guess, some outside and if lucky, under a tree. Many of these children are tribal Karamajong who are looked down upon by the other tribes and are refugees from the intermittent fighting in the north They flee from The Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group that raids villagesm captures women to use as slaves and makes "boy soldiers" of the children.

Thursday - February 16

Today, my Roy would have been 73. This has been a really strange day. Peter's car broke down taking Sue to True Vine, so he called and canceled my trip to Busowa,

WEEK 4

Friday - February 3

The power continues to be out for all of Tororo. There seems to be a problem at the sub-station.

The chairs had been returned at Smile Africa so my classes could sit more comfortably. It also made it easier to do the "stand up/sit down" exercise. I have all ages - an 80+ to young mothers. We worked on colors today and reviewed body parts. Next time we will work on more verbs.

The Writing class is doing quite well - catching on. There is a woman in that class who has a special needs granddaughter for whom she is responsible. She has asked me for help for school fees and supplies. I told her she should speak to Pstr. Ruth. She said she is fearful to do so and asks me to do so for her. I will and I am sure will learn more from Ruth.

I will soon be up to 20 in number of those who have approached me for funds. Again, I say this has not happened before in such numbers. People are hurting.

Good news! The power is back on,

Saturday - February 4

A day to sleep in for a bit and here I am awake at 6:30 - oh well.

There is a sizeable population of Muslims in Busowa and also in Juba. In Juba many are refugees from the war in Sudan. The pastors at Juba were talking about the countries that have been sending money here to build mosques and schools: Libya (before the end of Quadaffi sp?), Saudi Arabi and Pakistan. They said that young boys are invited in with the promise of 50,000 shillings (roughly $25.00) if they stay for three months. They stay in the compound of the mosque and schoof\l for those 3 months, being fed and sheltered and, I imagine, indoctrinated in the Muslim faith without being able to leave. At the end of 3 months they are given new clothes, 50,000 shillings (alot of money here) and sent home to convert their families

Well a new wrinkle tonight - no water. We thought with tanks in the yard we were protected from this problemm but the flow valve has not been working properly. However, there has been no water flowing into Tororo for 3 days we have learned so now our reserve tanks are empty. It is 9:00 at night and Pstr. Lawrence just brought us two jerricans fulll of water from the well in Juba so we can flush the toilet. He said he would bring more in the morning. It is a mistake to take anything for granted here..

Sunday - February 5

Still no water - we are flushing from the filled jerricans Lawrence brought last night.

We went to Juba for church this morning Hope 4 Kids purchased a tent to be used until they can get a building up. It was really a wonderful service. We got there about 9:30 and left at 1:00. The adults were on plastic chairs and the kids on grass mats on the ground. Even the littlest (2 & 3 years old) know to take their shoes off and leave them on the edge of the mat. They sit quietly or sing and clap when appropriate and sometimes curl up in a ball and go to sleep. There were 4 choirs, 2 young people and 2 adult. The music was all a capella with just drum with alot of dancing and clapping. When an anthem llike piece was sung which moved ito a prayer period it conjured images in my mind of Christians all around the world doing the same thing as the world slowly turns for the sun to shine in each time zone moving to the west. There were announcements, "testamonies" of how God had worked in their lives (5 people), welcome to visitors with time for them to introduce themselves, 2 sermons and much prayer and praise. It really was a wonderful way to start the Lord's day.

I met a friend, Ikibo, for lunch. It gave me time to hear where he was in his life and then Alex and his wife, Harriet, brought their estimates for household expenses and details for starting a business. They didn't come right out and ask, but I, unfortunately, had to let them now I did not have the kind of money they needed, either to invest or lend them.

When I got home, I swept up all the red dust that had blown into the house on this very windy day. I could have filled a sandbox - perhaps that is a slight exaggeration.

Monday - February 6

Still no water. We both went to True Vine. I went back to the Orphan Office to speak about Obbo Joseph, my sponsored boy. He failed all his classes, was caught drinking and forged his report card to turn into the Orphan Office. As it turned out, Joseph came, his uncle guardian came, the Director of the orphan program, his assistant and Joseph's field officer and I. We met for 2 hours to hear what Josehp had to say for himself, and for him to hear that we all agree as to our expectations of him.

Following this meeting, I met with the field officer of the 4 other children I have in boarding school. They are 2 brothers and their 2 sisters. The boys and oldest girl were all number one in their class at the end of last term. This new term they all advanced a grade. The younger sister was 6th in her class so she is doing well also. She is now in Primary 7. The two boys are in P6 and P5. The oldest girl will be leaving True Vine boarding school and going to Senior 1 in a good school in Jinja (about 5 hour drive from where she lives). Everyon here is very excited about this family and the possibilities for their future. I was able to meet with the 3 younger ones today.

After that I met with the gentleman who is trying to learn to read. That was all I got accomplished today. I was not able to see any other adults because my schedule got all turned around because of my meetings with, for and about my sponsored kids.

We do have power now, but our fridge is not working. What next?

Tuesday - February 7

We had power during the night enough to get the fridge working so that was good BUT it is off again this morning. Still no water. For the town of Tororo now this is 6 days without water. For us it is 3 as we had our reserve tanks for 3 days. Thank goodness for the few boreholes scattered around. They give people water to drink.

What a strange day this has turned out to be - no water, intermittent power and the car broke down and was at the mechanic's all day so I never got to Wikus. This evening I will have a sponge bath like I used to have at my grandmother's who never had running water in the house. Hopefully, our faithful Ugandan friends will refill our jerricans as we will be needing the water.

Wednesday - February 8

Still no water though Peter says his reserve tank has been filled. However we do have lovely fresh morning air coming in the windows. It is always refreshing in the morning. By early to mid-afternoon, it is HOT everyday, in the 90's. Getting to sleep is a bit tryng as we must shut the house up against the mosquitos, so the house is stuffy. It is always a relief in the morning to let in th fresh air.

It seems incongruous that I can sit with my laptop and communicate with people across the ocean but I turn the water tap on and nothing comes out. These people here live with this unreliability all of the time. I think often we in the United States forget how truly blessed we are to have been born there.

I met with my classes at Smile Africa. I now have over 40 in the English class so I have split it in half. Half will meet on Wednesday and half will meet on Friday. I look at those women and know how hard they work every day: up early morning to "dig" in their garden, cook food over an open fire, struggle to keep their children and grandchildren in clothes and shelter and then walk long distances of an hour or more to come to learn English and how to write their names, and for the Reading class struggling to remember the sounds of the alphabet to help them read "Hop on Pop", or the Writing class learning to construct a proper, meaningful sentence. They are simply amaziing! They encourage one another, clap and sing for one another. It is a humbling experience to know them.

Thursday - February 9

It appears we have WATER in our reserve tanks - don't know how much BUT the toilet flushes and WATER comes out of the taps. WOW!!!! I had a real shower tonight. It felt wonderful. So far our water seems to be working.

Had a fun time with my students in Busowa. Lots of laughing, learning and doing verbs. Lots of clapping and encouragement for those who can write their names, which was most of them. Lastly, Lillian INTERRUPTION - I kept smelling something bad - not out of the ordinary here and all of a sudden I remembered I had beans cooking on the stove - now they have been BURNED on the stove - PUDDLEDUP!!!! Okay, back to Lillian, who read from my kindle. Two other women stayed and read with her. They were all fascinated by the "gadget". What impressed me most is that when we came to a stopping place, Lillian went back and found all of the words she din't know the meanings of and asked for their definitions. It wass a good day - a real shower and intellectual curiosity!!!

Week 3

Thursday - January 26

First, I was mistaken in my posting re the videotaping women - they were not BRR but BFR, Be Free Revolution. If you are interested, check out their website.

I have been having some very intense dreams - this could be a side effect of the malaria meds I am taking. Anyway, last night's dream was about the loss of childhood innocence and my part in that loss. I woke with a great sadness and the realization once again of how grateful I am for the forgiveness given me by the Grace of God. It also brought to mind the story I heard yesterday from one of the pastors. His wife's mother was the first wife of her husband with whom she had 5 children. The husband took another wife who proved to be barren. This 2nd wife became fearful of being abandoned and was very jealous. One day she prepared food for the children while their mother was away. The youngest child was playing in the banana plantation. When the youngest child and the mother returned home they found the other 4 children laying on the ground vomiting - they all died of the poison they had ingested in their food. The extended family derided the husband so the point that after the burial, he took his 2nd wife and went to Kenya, abondoning his 1st wife and only surviving child. That child is now the wife of this pastor. Recently, this woman's father and his 2nd wife returned to Tororo. The father had a bicycle accident and needed to be taken to the hospital. The pastor counseled his wife that as they are Christians they needed to forgive the father and his 2nd wife and come to their aid - to care for them in their old age. I ask myself, could I live my faith the way these people do?

Friday - January 27

Spent the a.m. waiting for my internet connection to send 2 emails to the 2 people who will be joining us in March. Also worked on lesson plans. Getting the emails sent took 2 hours. Anyway by the time I left at 1:30, they were on their way and my lesson plans were ready.

It took a while, when I reached Smile Africa, to get all of the ladies sorted out so thay they were in the correct class at the correct time. We got off to a rocky start as we had children disturbing us with much noise and running in and out. The English class is huge so to give everyone the attention they need will be a challenge. I am going to use an interpreter this time in that class as it is too hard with so many. We got through a greeting, "God bless you" and "please" and "thank you".

I made the same mistake with the writing class that I did the last time when I started teaching. I didn't plan enough. Also, it really is a challenge not to have a chalkboard. I borrowed a white board from my daughter-in-law which works but not half so well as a blackboard would. The white board is small and I need to keep erasing AND it is hard for all to see. Oh well - we will make do with what we have.

Saturday - January 28

Spent the morning housekeeping: cooking, laundry, cleaning the floor, emails and also did some lesson plans for Juba.

Juba is undergoing a flurry of activity to prepare for the opening of the new school term on Monday. Rooms are being repaired, repainted, blackboards are being painted - their blackboards are concrete with blackboard paintm all over a cross between adobe and kiln-fired bricks, which they use for construction. The boys' dormitory is being constructed along with the kitchen. The girls' dormitory has been enlarged with new beds. It will be a small miracle if all is ready by Monday morning.

Pstr. Alex and I will team teach the women at Juba. He has an English class and combined Reading & Writing class. I worked on alphabet names and sounds with both classes. The English class is doing very well. They all wrote their names and he has them doing written homework every class period. When it was time for the Reading & Writing lass to end they wanted to continue and were disappointed I would not be there Wednesday when Alex holds his next classesm but I can only be there Saturdays as the rest of my schedule is filled. Working with those women and Alex put a smile on my face and most especially in my heart.

Sundaty - January 29

In my nine visits to Uganda, this morning I experienced a first - a Ugandan had to wait for me, a muzungu (what we foreign whites are called). We were supposed to be ready at 8:00 to with with Pstr. Peter to Buwendo where he was going for the first time to a newly planted church. When he knocked on our gate my clock read 5 minutes to 8:00. He came in and had to wait those 5 minutes. We were ready at 8:00 but his clock was 5 minutes ahead of ours. Anyway, it was a first and we all had a good laugh.

The village is to the east of Bugiri on the Kampala road. The dirt road into this village was very bad. It will be impassable during the rainy season. This poor village is without a school, any medical care and most importantlym a clean water source. They have put up a frame structure for their church, roofed with a plastic tarp, with walls of the same. However, it was lovely to hear the druming, singing, praying and preaching with no sound system hurting one's ears. As this was Peter's first visit (the "overseer") he was dressed ceremoniously in a kanzo (a long white dress, long sleevedm with some embroidery at the neck and down the front; under were his suit pants and he wore his suit coat over the top. He was the guest preacher of the day. The whole premise of his sermon was so simple and yet deeply profound: What is worship? Worship is loviing God above all things and living accordingly. I love listening to him preach for the homely little examples he uses. He pokes fun at himself and also at his listeners in such a gentle, non-judgemental way, that they laugh and agree, "yes, it is true" and understand how they are asked to improve in responses to God's great love for all of us.

After the service was over, Sue and I, with the help of the men present, fitted the little girls with pillow case dresses from Hope 4 Kids' Dress a Girl Around the World program. It was crowded, hot and little ones cried, but all were joyful and anxious to have their photos taken. We had a small bag full of matchbox cars which the littlest boys received with happy smiles.

Finally, we were served a meal of rice, chicken, beef, soda and kalo (a soft, dough-like bread made of cassava flour, millet and a little sorghum). I don't like the texture and the flavor is very bland. They pinch a piece off and use it for dipping in their other food. Finally we bid them all good-bye and started the long, dusty, HOT journey to Tororo.

The road between Bugiri and Tororo goes through an area where a fairly large troop of baboons live. They appear to be ranging over a much larger area and many are seen along the road. They are coming closer to the villages. Peter says this is because there is no food in this dry time of no rain - they will start raiding the villages for food. This is very scarey! I would hate to fight a baboon over food - they are viscious and could easily kill a man let alone a child.

Peter forgot to get gas in Bugiri, so the next small town we came to, he purchased gas by the liter - literally 2 plastic bottles of a liter each which got emptied into the gas tank.

We arrived home about 4:30, ready for a shower and something cool to drink. Altogether a really great day!!

Monday - January 30

Both Sue and I went to True Vine - the first day of the new school term. Lots of confusion, small attendance (no school fees probably being the reason) and long meetiings of adults. Sue ended up working with 3 teachers of the "baby" classes (3 and 4 year olds).

I met my group whivh had a new personm one who did not show up, one that came late, and 2 that arrived after we had finished our Bible Study/Prayer time. I then proceeded to work with individuals who had made appointments. The first was Margret who is struggling to learn to speak English. I was able to get her to understand using some Swahili phrases and then added learning the names for body parts (this is helpfu when they go to the clinic when no one speaks their tribal language). Next I worked with a man whose spoken English is quite good but he can't read at all so we started with the ABC's. Then a young man who reads fairly well, but who needs help to improve his writing came and finally Sarah arrived. She is a well-educated woman. I let her read the Wangerin book on my kindle for an hour while I went outside and discussed the map I had brought along with Pstr. Aggrey. Pretty soon, Rita arrived, overseer for the True Vine widows, to take me to see Jaja (grandmother) Andera. However, she had failed to arrange transport so we never got there before our ride home arrived.

Just finished dinner when the power went off so said "lala salama" (good sleep) early.

Tuesday - January 31

Washed all the floors in the a.m. after Sue left at 8:00 for her return to True Vine. Then got a call from Pstr. Peter who wanted to leave for Wikus 2 hours early as he and 2 others had some things to attend to there

When we arrived in the small village of Sonim the children were about to be fed their porridge (gruel of posho, finely ground corn) as part of their being at school. So many of the little villages struggle to educate the children. There were several adults of varying ages helping, trying to make a difference in the lives of these children.

My classes at Wikus went well. We are still getting acquainted - getting used to each other's accents, style of teaching, etc. James insists on all the formal classroom politeness. I believe we are all adults togetherm learning together so our styles are very different. I told the students they did not have to stand to answer questions and to please call me Bonnie and not Madam. After the 5th person still called me Madam, I said it made me feel old. The reaction to that was general laughter which was good. I think we can have fun while learning. I want them to feel equality and not be in a one-down position just because there is a student/teacher dynamic.

Wednesday - February 1

Here we are already in February. Went to Smile Africa early to save Peter some gas. As Ruth had let a church borrow her chairs, which were not yet returned, the ladies had to sit on the floor. I was very pleased with the Reading class. They understood the exercise I had given them for their homework. I now have over 30 for the English class. It really is too big. To give all the ladies an opportunity to speak takes a long time to get around the class. I did think of dividing them into 2 groups of 15, one on Wednesday and one on Friday but that would create problems for Jane who is teaching Mission Character Development during the same time slots. Each lady has 2 classes to attend each day she comes. Finally, my Writing class - some did not understand the homework assignment. It is hard to get them to tell me when they don't understand and get them to ask questions. To them it is very impolite to say no, and to ask - so it is a bit of frustration I have not yet discovered how to overcome.

We had Alex (the cabbie) take us to the Prime Hotel for dinner this evening. What a treat!! I had some dry white wine and fish tika masala and chips masala. Both were delicious. They usually do a nice job with their Indian dishes.

There is a sizeable Indian population in Uganda. They were orginally brought in by the British to build the railroad in the 1800's so their ancestry in Uganda is quite old - like min in the US. Some of the Indian food has become standard fare for all of Uganda such as samosa (deep fried pastry filled with a variety of meat and vegetables) and chapati (a flat bread).

Thursday - February 2

Sue reminded me it is Groundhog Day - I doubt whether the shadow/winter connection works here. The other problem is I don't believe there are any groundhogs. It is also the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.

We drove to Busowa. In the countryside they are preparing their fields for planting by the long-discarded method in the US of "slash and burn", so there is much smoke mixed with all the red dust. In Tororo the dust from the cement factory is also added to that mix so that the air is really thick.

I had new students in Busowa which I had expected so it was a lot of review for the first students who joined the class. I was delighted to see one of my former students, Lillian, my African madonna. In 2010 I had taken a photo of Lillian and her baby that turned out to be one of my favorite photos

Just a side note - once again we have been without power about 22 hours.

Week 2 Continued

The dust was so thick in the air on the road to Wikus today that it was like fog. We spent a long time (4 hours) getting all of the students sorted out into 3 classes: Speaking, Reading and Writing. I did a little sample teaching in each. Hopefully, James, will follow through when he meets the classes on Friday. I don't go back until next Tuesday.

Wednesday - January 25

We have been without power almost 24 hours now. This becomes a problem for food stored in the refrigerator. There are very strong, gusty winds this morning. A couple of buildings behind our compound may lose their roofs in this wind - they flap alot, making much noise. They are metal sheet roofs.

Went to Smile Africa and sorted 69 women into 3 class levels by interview. Oh my - a long, drawn-out process.

There were 3 young women there from BRR video-taping testamonies of the women. Don't know the organization or what they were doing. Will look them up on the internet. I have some concerns regarding exploitation.

On my first trip to Romania we met the matron of a House for Children whose parents suffered from TB. She didn't want any cameras because a group had come in and taken many photos, went home and raise funds from those photos and the House of Children never saw any of the money.

Will leave off for this week and start next week with Thursday's activities. Blessings to all of my readers.

Week Two

Friday - January 20

Spent the morning getting email answeredm cooking beans, cleaning veggies, and doing dishes. Then tried to publish my first posting on my blog. Frustration!! Had to get ready to go to Wikus to observe the teacher there. However, Pastor Peter called - he would be late so decided to use the time to once again work on the blog - I got it figured it out. I was so excited to have posted my first report that I felt like ululating like the Ugandan women do when welcoming visitors.''

There has been no rain for over a month so the red dirt roads have loose dirt an inch thick which, when vehicles traverse, creates huge clouds of dust covering all the roadsie plants in a thick layer. To drive with the windows closed is stifling, so the interior of the car and its contents (us) are also covered with red dust. When my hair looks pink I know it is bad.

Observing the classes went well. Greeting each student individually gave me an opportunity to do a little evaluatiing. Following the class I met with James, who is a trained teacher (he has also been a policeman).

INTERRUPTION/ANNOUNCEMENT!!!! The power just came back on! I am now writing with electric light rather than by flashlight! Whoopee!!

Anyway, getting back to James - we will try to team teach for the next two months. I have a few ideas I would like to gently introduce that could benefit the students. Fortunately, when I asked Pstr. Peter for his thoughts (before sharing mine), I discovered we were in agreement in our assessment.

The really exciting thing today was seeing all of the documentation and the resultant actions taking place regarding the "Tyler Dirks Savings and Credit Co-Operation Wikus" - a savings and micro finance organization - my grandson, Tyler's 21st birthday gift. I received copies of everything - saw the ledger and saw people making their deposits under a tree, which happens every Friday. I have to shout with the Ugandansm "God is good" and the response "All the time!"

Saturday - January 21

The day started really well. I was able to send all the emails with the blog info. Hopefully, they all got through. I do have one "little" problem with the computer - I can't open any of my documents on the Word application. I will need help with that - but think I will wait until I get home. Next, I got all of Sue's and my expenditures figured out and balanced. Two big jobs done. Really good.

In the afternoon I had a request to meet Pstr. Godfrey from True Vine for a private talk. The story he shared with me was so difficult to hear when one is not able to help. His second son (young man in Senior 4, like high school) was killed in a car accident in March. Following this event there were major issues with his wife's emotional stability and very severe financial problems. He had to leave his phobne with a shop keeper to get food for his family as he had no money. And on top of all that he now has the new school term starting and school fees and supplies for 5 children to pay for.

Here in Uganda, among these people, this is one of many stories. At the meeting in Smile Africa, the women were sharing their "testamonies". One woman told how her husband tried to sell her to a wealthy man who would use her for a sacrifice, to gain more wealth, so she ran away from her husband.

The really wonderful thing today was observing the classes Pstr. Alex of Juba is teaching in English, Reading & Writing. He has the English class talking. Also, they can write their names. He teaches with lots of visuals, demonstration, much speaking and encouragement. He has the students supporting one another - all very positive. The other class of Reading & Writing is also very good - expanding correct useage. I was so very pleased!

Sunday - January 22

We went to church at Tororo Pentacostal Church - Pastor Ruth's church. Got there around 9:45 and left after the service at 1:45. Their services are looooong. As usually happens, visitors are invited forward to introduce themselves and make a short address to the gathered. This is the 4th time I have been to this church but the first time it had a roof. I often wondered what they did during the rainy season. It was a fine experince except the sound system was so loud I left feeling there had been damage done to my hearing.

I had a lunch date with Babra (a young woman who has been a special friend since my first visit in 2004) to hear how she is doing - no answer on her phone alll morning - checked at True Vine following church (where she is a member), went to her home - finally gave up and switched my evening appointment to noon. What a surprise! My young friend, Alex, brought a wife along. He got married last April. I heard another difficult story. He is the sole support of his mother, 3 sisters and his wife, plus 4 school age children whose father died and whose mother abandoned them. He drives a taxi for a living and with gas prices so high there are many days he has no fares at all but still must pay a weekly rental for the car he uses. The poor world economy has really hurt the people here. They just have no wiggle room when things get tough - they are living so close to the edge all of the time. This is my 9th time here and I have never seen people in such dire straits except for natural disastor or war. I have been here just a little over a week and have already had 4 requests for financial help. It is difficult for people to be "begging" to feed their families.

Finally connected with Babra for dinner and heard of her relationship difficulties over the last year. Got home to a cool shower - how wonderful, even with the power out again.

Monday - January 23

Sitting down to dinner was another bit of Africa. I had cut up a cucumber for a salad, made some rice and beans, took a plate from our open-to-the-air trolley where they are stored. When I sat down to eat, I noticed what looked like dirt under my wet cucumber and thought "where did that come from?" Then I looked more closely at the plate and realized the whole plate on which my food was sitting was covered with a fine layer of red dust - so I ingested some of Uganda with my dinner. We now know to store all of the dishes upside down and cover the cuttlery with a towel.

This morning I went to True Vine for my Bible Study/Prayer/Support Group. I had 6 people. Four of them have requested other services. One wants English, one wants to learn to read, and one wants to improve his writing. One is well educated and requested a novel to read about God. I had loaded Walt Wangerin's book "Book of God" on my kindle so will bring that for her to read. It is a truncated version of the Bible written in a novel format. So she can have an hour to read it each week.

Pstr. Aggrey and I had a long conversation about divorce, marriage customs in the US and Uganda. He was trying to convince me the bride price (they call dowry or appreciation) was a good thing. If there is trouble in the marriage the woman will stay or her family has to repay the money (or cows, etc.) which may have already been used - so she will think twice before abandoning the marriage. I was not convinced.

Got home late afternoon, cooked and tried to get my computer to work. The internet seems very slow that time of day. I will try again in the morning.

Tuesday - January 24

Our "town Crier" just went by - he is my alarm clock. In this neighborhood where we are situated, there is a mentally disturbed man who wanders around the area "preaching" in a very loud voice. He usually walks by our compound at around 7 every morning - one morning it was 6.

Within our compound is an unfinished 2 unit building and there is our 2 unit building. The compound is enclosed by a high wall. Grass has been planted but so far has not grown much, so there is much red dust constantly being tracked in or blowing into our unit when the windows are open for a little cool, fresh air in the morning.

The air is so dry right now that my nose is reacting like it does when I go the higher elevationns in Colorado - dry to the point of some little blood.

Teaching in Uganda

January 10 to January 19, 2012 - Journey to Uganda

Tuesday,

Left home at dark o'clock. My grandson, Jesse, took me to the bus station and helped me load my bags onto the bus to take me to O'Hare. Following a sleepy ride to Chicago, I arrived at the KLM/Delta terminal. When trying to check in my bags I found I was overweight on both of them. Anything over 50# has an added fee of $75.00. On top of that the maximum weight the airlines allow is 70#. One bag was 78 and one was 65, so I had to repack to balance each bag at 70# and the rest I had to try to shove in my backpack. Unfortunately, one of the things I stuck in my packback was a jar of peanut butter they would not let me take through security - it was a "jell". However, after all of that fuss all I lost was a jar of peanut butter. Pretty good!!

My plane left Chicago at noon and arrived in Detroit at 2:30 where I met my mission partner, Sue Miller, a teacher from Ohio. Our plane took off for an overnight flight to Amsterdam at 3:30. No sleep all during the 8 hour flight. We then spent 4 hours on the ground in Amsterdam and left on Wednesday morning at 10:00 for another 8 hour flight to Entebbe to arrive there at 10:30 p.m. No Sleep!!! We were picked up by the hotel shuttle - very light sleep. Thursday morning my friend Pastor Peter Obbo arrived to drive us to Tororo - a five hour drive. On the way to Tororo we stopped to change money, buy Sue's phone, and some household items: a 2-burner gas plate for cooking, bed linens, bath towels, dishes, cuttlery, and a few odd kitchen utensils and most importantly, PILLOWS. The pillows in Tororo are as if they are stuffed with cotton batting (or is it batten?).

We stopped in Mukono to deliver a small package to a bee keeper from a member of McFarland Lutheran. We finally arrived in Tororo and had our first viewing of our new home. Pstr. Peter had some of his church members there cleaning up for us as it is new construction. Sooooo we found 2 beds with mattresses and an overstuffed chair. We had the few things we had purchased so we put sheets on the bed. Then went to town to purchase our internet service. Got back home - the power went out, we had little water pressure and a high wind. That first night we slep lightly because of so many unfamiliar noises.

This whole first week as been trying to set up a household so that all necessities are working, meetings here, there and everywhere with directors of the ministries we will be working with, their pastors, head masters and teachers. Meeting old friends with much joy and excitement and meeting also many new people - all a bit overwhelming, especially for Sue. This is her first time in Africa.

Pstr. Peter used the Genesis creation story to describe "beginnings": the earth was without form and empty and gradually God added all of the details to make life good JUST LIKE our new house. Oh Fun!!!!

Talking with Pstr. Charles of Busowa yesterday, another lesson was learned by this muzungu (white person). This congregation has 5 treadles sewing machines sitting, gathering dust, literally. Why? Some good-hearted muzungu raised the funds, bought the machines and had them delivered to Busowa. What he/she failed to understand is that no one knows how to use them and no one knows "tailoring". They have to make their own patterns to make any garment. SO the machines are sitting unused because no one can afford to pay a teacher to teach the women/men who might be interested to learn. Thus, we muzungus need to ask questions and listen carefully to the answers to learn how best to help AND how to best spend the money we have to share.

Next week we will finally begin setting up classes for adults. Sue will be meeting teachers as the children are on holiday until the new term begins January 30th.