A Bit of Excitement!!!

We continue to enjoy our time here in Uganda!!  Lots of people around to spend time with, so of course I am in my glory!!  Yes, this is Tracey writing:)

Our friends Tim and Debbie Kasten and their three children arrived here on Wednesday to spend about 10 days with us.  They are dear friends and it has been wonderful to share this experience with them.  As always, much of the time is spent laughing....especially during our evening card games!!!  Scott and Tim are two peas in a pod so you can only imagine!!!  Their kids have jumped right into life here and are enjoying themselves as they get to know the 52 kids!!  Tim is busy building things, putting in ceilings and digging!!  Deb is great, helping out wherever is needed.

Today began with "helping out the Mama's"!!!   The ladies did laundry with them (during which time I got demoted to 2nd rinse due to a need for "more effort"!!!  Hey, I thought I was rinsing, but apparently I was supposed to be scrubbing still).  All our kids filled the water bin and jugs which meant when the Ugandan children arrived home from school they didn't have this daily chore to complete!!  

Lunch was approaching....which is when our short span of excitement began!!  We wanted some pineapple for lunch so Deb, Riaja, Danika, Lydie and I hopped on Boda's and headed to town.  On the way we passed some a group of people cheering and a couple of nice cars that appeared to be carrying some important people.   It turned out that the lady in the car was an MP campaigning in Mpigi for the upcoming February election.  We got what we needed in town and decided to walk home, which turned out to be a good choice (or maybe not), as  along the way we came upon some men digging who had found a small snake (we think).  They weren't killing it, but they were not sure if it was dangerous or not.        After passing on his offer to put the snake in my bag so I could take it home to use as a decoration in my house we got some pictures as proof and headed the rest of the way home.  We arrived home to some pretty jealous boys who wanted to see the snake and a father who was happy to oblige them and walk back down the hill to see if it was still there.  The snake was nowhere to be found, however, there was a dog that decided it was not happy and began to chase Owen!!!  Pretty afraid, O ran and the dog ran after him.  Tim lined up to punt the dog and Scott yelled at Owen to stop running (which he did....not sure I would have listened to that advice myself).  Meanwhile, in the midst of the excitement Beckham turns to look and gets hit my a Boda (motorcycle), knocking him to the ground!!  In the moment there were tears and fear, but by the time they all got home it had become a GREAT story to tell their mom!!   Of course we are thankful that no one was hurt!!!  I truly don't ever think about safety when we are here as I feel 'watched over' by our Ugandan friends living here.  However, today was likely a good reminder to us that we do need to be careful.  The son of a lady from the church here was hit at the bottom of this same road two nights ago and is in critical condition in a Kampala hospital!!!  Please just continue to pray for safety while we are here.

Once we had polished off the 4th Pineapple in 24 hours we went up and gave the Mama's, Joyce and Rose all pedicures!!!  They of course love it and wanted LOTS of pictures taken!!  I will try to post them soon.  Our day ended with the youngest children doing a rendition of "The Macarena "...it was too funny!!!

Tomorrow there is a medical clinic running here for which people will begin to line up at 5am.  The Dr. will arrive at 7:30 am .  We will help with this by doing some education with people as they stand in line about how to prevent Malaria.  The rest of the day will be spent with the children here; playing, visiting, lots of soccer and maybe some beading!!! 

Soon I will start to introduce you to some of our friends here....until then I'm off to try to sleep with the little critters that insist on crawling on me and making me crazy!!!

Random Facts

It has been awhile since I have written and now I don’t even know where to begin.  I am thinking this is going to end up being a “random facts” blog!!!  One more day before visitors will start arriving in Uganda and while I am VERY excited to have everyone here, I am sad because it means that our time here is passing too quickly.  We are enjoying the deepening of our friendships with our Ugandan friends and I feel I am finally able to speak a tiny bit of Lugandan with them which is a major accomplishment.

On Saturday mornings I have been making my way down to Rose and Geoffrey’s home (He is the pastor at the church here).  It is now tradition that I will bring coffee for Rose and myself and we will visit while she does her laundry and her daughter Praise sits on my lap.   I have such respect for this woman…..she exudes strength and gentleness all wrapped in one!!  Each day she can be found down at the church with Mama Sophie praying for up to 2 hrs at a time.  Although we know very little of each others language, we visit for a nice long stretch on Saturday mornings and we learn from each other.  She is lovely.

On a different note, we had a visitor show up at our home today.  He was very intoxicated and insisted that Scott was “Joseph”.  Other than his motioning for something to drink, and his outstretched arms to hug me, we were understanding very little of what the man was saying.   He was also sporting a rather large Machete so I started to wander up to find someone who might be able to talk to him.  However, before I got even 10 steps Malumba (the man who manages this place) was on his way.  I think part of the reason I feel so safe here is that they ALWAYS seem to know what is going on for us and are looking out for us.  He was able to lead this man away and then we all had a good laugh as he told us the man had been speaking Swahili to Scott.   

Our kids continue to thrive here.  Owen is fully immersed in life here and has made some wonderful friendships.  Tonite, I found him walking arm in arm with his friend Kato.  Really, is this our Owen???  Whenever the kids are around, Owen is amongst them and we learned tonite that was he hasn’t been doing is getting clean underwear as he informed us he’d been wearing the same ones for 6 days!!!  And backwards at that!!!  What a kid!!!  Of course, his father was proud!!!  Beck continues to enjoy being the life of the party.  However, yesterday I found him at the older girls home teaching them songs!!!  There he was, surrounded by a group of girls singing his heart out.  He had come and gotten song sheets for them and I suppose was giving them Demo’s of the songs!!!  Pais is still sticking close to mom and dad, but is venturing out more and more!!!  She continues to kneel to greet the Mama’s, which they find so funny!!

I did two days of Counselling Training last week with 16 people.  We will continue to meet weekly for the duration of our time here.  I love teaching them and learning from them.   On Sunday Michael encouraged the whole church to come out, so we shall see what happens!!!  Just good to be able to share some of what I have learned with them.

We continue to be so thankful for the chance to be here and already I wonder how we will ever be able to leave!!!  

Malaria & Other Assorted Sicknesses

“I wonder if this is what it feels like to have malaria?” 

That’s what I was wondering last night at about 2am as my body ached.  10 minutes on my back, then 10 minutes on my side, then my front, then my other side…start the process again.

There’s no question I’m quite wimpy…and I’m sure dealing with malaria is much worse that what I was experiencing (thankfully, by the end of the next evening I was feeling much better).   But it got me thinking about all of the people around me who are suffering from malaria….it is literally everywhere you look at this time of year in Uganda.  But Uganda is not unique.

There are a reported 500 million cases of malaria each year resulting in 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths….many of these are children.  But death is just one negative aspect to this disease.  Parents & grandparents with malaria can’t work to provide for their family; students with malaria can’t study.

But it doesn’t have to be this way…there are medicines available that, when administered on a timely basis, can stop the progression of the disease.  Unfortunately, most of the people suffering from malaria are also the poorest of the poor and therefore cannot afford the medicine.

That’s where people like you and I come in.  It’s amazing how small of a donation (from our perspective) can actually change—if not save—another person’s life.

Since being here in Mpigi we’ve watched 6 of our kids head off to the hospital for malaria treatment….treatment that they otherwise would not have had if our church wasn’t financially invested here. 

Whether you’re involved in our church or not, you are able to give through Peace Portal Alliance so that kids continue to get the life-saving medicine they need.  It doesn’t have to be much to make a difference.   And here’s some good news for those of you who are a bit skeptical of giving to religious institutions (perhaps a bit too much of Jimmy Baker in your past!): 100% of your donation gets over to Uganda to make a difference.  I know, because I send it each month.

I know there’s lots of good causes to put your money towards—I’m not trying to guilt anyone.  It just might be that right now is the right time for you to get involved in something like this.  If so, I and the 54 other kids who depend on support from Canada say a big, ‘thank you!’

Kibaale Visit

It's been great having a few days to visit with the Dyck family down in Kibaale.  We drove about 3 hours south-west from Mpigi to Pacific Academy's school in Kibaale.  Here, about 750 kids get a great education.

Our accommodations were certainly a 'step up' from the Mpigi guesthouse, and Shannon cooked us great meals!  The kids played all day with the Dyck kids....we barely saw them!  Last night, we celebrated Sean's birthday with a delicious chocolate cake cooked by his wife Jamie (another missionary couple from PPAC).  All in all it's been a great 2.5 days.

Yesterday, we piled all the kids into the back of a truck and did a few home visits.  This is the first significant 'perspective-building' opportunity for our kids as they met families in significant need.  The picture of the mud house is the new house that the family can now enjoy.  We could see the boys processing the fact that this home was an improvement for them....hoping for a few conversations in the next few days to hear how they are processing it all...

Today we head back up to Mpigi with Sean and Jamie.  Lydie (our French friend who is staying in Uganda with us) is not feeling well today and is staying here in Kibaale until Sunday.

Here's a few pics (hopefully) of our time in Kibaale...

More Pics

A Few More Pics for Those of You Not on Facebook...

A Visit to Kibaale

This morning Jeff drove up and picked us up to take us to Kibaale...the location that they have called home for the past three years. We're enjoying a few here with them before heading back up to Mpigi.

Sean & Jamie Davis, another couple from our church, also call this place home...so it's good to be here!

Another benefit of being here is quicker internet! So....Here's some pics of some of our friends in Mpigi....

New Pics on Tracey's Facebook

Sorry we can't post here...makes for a pretty boring blog, I know....but some new pics are on Tracey's Facebook for those of you who are interested.

We had a good day yesterday.

We took public transit into Kampala to do some grocery shopping. Wanted to do this at least once with the kids as it is often an 'experience' to be crammed into a van with numerous people and/or various animals. Our ride ended up pretty tame....18 of us in the van at one time...nowhere near the 22 people and 3 chickens that is Scott's personal record!

Had lunch with Jeff & Shannon at a nice restaurant that is unfortunately located in a parkade and then got a ride back to Mpigi with them.

That's all for now....

Construction Work

Those of you who know me know how handy I (Scott) am with my hands. Both Beckham and Paisley were having trouble staying in their beds (and mosquito nets) throughout the night...which equals me having trouble getting a good sleep. The bunk beds, which don't have a ladder on them, were pretty 'mobile' and squeaky too.

Enter Scott the handy man.

I don't want to bore you with the details......just a few quick points:

-Two six foot 1x4 pieces of wood purchased in Mpigi town

-One pen to measure the wood flush to the bed frame (didn't end up flush)

-Some duct tape (which was actually packaged and called Duck Tape!)

-One hand saw compliments of Pat Kenyon

-One hammer

-Eight nails

End result? Two new 'bed guards' on the lower beds to keep Beck & Pais where they should be and the bed frames that no longer move.

Or in other words: Problem solved.

I don't want to brag...It was nothing really.....no big deal....just another day in Uganda working with my hands.

Now off to deal with a plumbing issue...

Supplies needed: One screwdriver

Signing off,

Scott 'tool-time' Dickie

Ants, Opulence, and Amos

The Ants came marching in, and in and in!!! And then they crawl on you and bite you. One would think that something so little could not cause much of a problem, yet these little critters are becoming the bane of my existence!!! Doom (Insect killer) works for when they come en mass, but for those little one’s that escape and find your skin you must just endure the little bites and pray you don’t lose your sanity!!! The other night as we got into bed we discovered a couple hundred had made their way en route to a dead bug that we discovered under our bed!! I’m sure all the Doom we sprayed may destroy our lungs, but I will take the risk rather than share my bedJ

Opulence – This one was brought up this morning by Scott who is wrestling with the discrepancy between how we are living here, and those living so near to us. What would true solidarity look like for us here, if the truest act of love is indeed living in solidarity with others?? We can tell ourselves many things about this that make us feel better, such as “but look, we are really roughing it compared to our North American life”, or “at least we are here doing ‘something’”, but are we just deceiving ourselves?? It is a fine line that we will likely always struggle with, and to be honest, I am thankful really for the struggle and for a husband that seems to always push further than I might on my own. Scott wrestles with this from a theological and practical lifestyle point of view…..and both of us think about it from a parenting point of view: How much do we push them? How much do we make it comfortable for them so they like Uganda? How much is too much like home? Tough questions…but we feel like we’re striking an OK balance so far.

Amos is the grounds keeper here at the 10 Acres. Early this morning he was out raking the grass, which the kids then picked up behind him. He was barely done before we heard a knock at our door…he wanted to help us with our laundry. Had he seen our poor results from the first time around? Or just feeling sorry for us poor Mzungus? We had been planning to do laundry today and had actually been gathering up towels and clothes that needed washing so we headed outside and acquired MANY new tips to help us along. First; we should soak our clothes overnight before washing them, Second; When the wash water gets dirty you move all the tubs down the line and only need new water for the final rinse – this was revolutionary to us in our water use. Third,; there is a strategy to ringing things out (very different from the haphazard way we had been using; Fourth; Hang your clothes inside out so that if they fall off the line they don’t get dirty again; and Fifth; he asked if we could do laundry every second day (apparently it was a lot to washJ). Amos did not come wanting to be paid…..he simply came to help. We have a lot to learn!

June 7: Monday's Musings

After a fun weekend with the 52 kids playing soccer, teaching them American Football, reading books and just hanging out, we arrived at today: Monday. The weekend was great….but it left the two younger kids over-tired which led to a bit of a rough Sunday evening….it is not all utopia in Uganda…just pretty close!

This was our first day in Uganda on ‘our own’, meaning Jeff & Shannon (and their three kids…and our kids playmates) were back in Kibaale and the 52 children here were at school for the day. We wondered what our kids would do with this time and would not have been surprised if they were asking us “What can we do? When will the kids be home?” etc…throughout the day. Once again we’ve been pleasantly surprised. We began our day with a bit of school work (our dumbed down version of homeschooling), then headed out for a walk around the property to deliver cards, pictures and quilts that people from home gave us to hand out. All was received with incredible gratitude (the moms LOVED the pictures Cheryl!!).

We then hopped on 3 Boda Boda’s (motorcycles) and headed to town for the first time. To say the kids loved it would be an understatement. Beckham, who last night had told us he wasn’t going with us because he was afraid he would fall off, rode the whole way waving to everyone we passed by (never one to shy away from some attention). We had a coke, picked up a few groceries, the boys got smacked on the bum by a man passing by in the market, and then we were back home, just in time for a Ugandan downpour.

Enter our Water Engineer/Conservationist: Owen Dickie. Scott and I were up helping Mama Rose rescue the clothing out of the rain and putting it away (and having lessons in Lungandan, which Mama seems determined that I am going to speak ). When we returned we found our kids, headed up by their big brother, collecting water off the roof. Since arriving Owen has been heard to say things like “Mom, it’s going to be strange going home and seeing people waste water” and “Paisley/Beckham is letting the water run too long”. During our brief but intense rainfall the three of them ended up collecting 35 litres of water that they plan to use to bath in later today or tomorrow. It’s impossible to determine what lessons the kids will pick up from being here—and the importance of water, which is the primary challenge/concern of life for billions of people—was not one that would have been on Scott’s or my ‘radar’. But these are the things we delight in as parents - the learning that leads to taking responsibility. We can see that Owen is taking everything in, processing it and trying to find a place for it in his life. He is SO happy here and is the one to try everything -this morning the mama’s gave him some Jack Fruit to try which he loved.

Myself, I am enjoying a quiet day. I spent most of it thus far sitting and talking with Aunt Harriet and the mom’s, feeding my family and now writing…..Life is good….I feel blessed. Thank you God!

At last a quiet moment to sit and write - where to begin...?? Three days into our time in Uganda and I feel like I've lived here forever. It is so very comfortable to be here, which I attribute to the incredible hospitality and love of the people here.

We have just finished dinner - rice, corn and cucumber!! At this point we don't have a refrigerator which makes keeping meat difficult, but amazingly the kids are not complaining - they simply grab a spoon and dig into the peanut butter when they get hungry!! Having Lydie (our friend from France who lived with us a few years back) here to help with the cooking is truly a blessing - much less responsibility for me and I'm happy to be the dish washer!

Our kids have been the biggest surprise - I have barely seen them!! They rush through meals in order to get back outside to play with the kids. Owen has played I don't know how many hours of soccer in the past three days - he should be in the shape of his life come football season this Fall. Beckham, well he makes his rounds - soccer with the big boys, games with the younger kids, joining into games with the older girls (I'm not sure invites were given), really he is in his glory here!!! For those of you who have been here, Beck is often found hanging out with Cissy....they are very cute!!! Paisley is having a blast as well - she is shy to speak with the older kids who try desperately to make conversation with her, but she has found 3 young boys who she loves to play with - she taught them 'Ring around the Rosie' today, they tickle each other with grass, and basically have a blast together!! Those who know these kids will not be surprised that these buddies of hers are Martyn, Wasswa, and Kato!!

The Ugandan children are such a joy....I am sure I could sit with them and never tire of their company. Today my friend Rebecca came to me with a piece of sugar cane for Paisley and I to share. I figured this had been found on the property, but asked anyways where she had gotten it from. My heart melted when her friend spoke for her saying that she had bought it with money she had been given by her grandmother. These children do not get money often, nor is she likely to being seeing her again anytime soon. I have much to learn about generosity from these children. My heart is full when I am here. Tonight we will go to the girls home to hear them sing and dance - they love to perform!!

A highlight for me is spending time with Pastor Geoffrey and his wife Rose. Geoffrey wanders up for coffee and cookies most days and I SO love to sit and talk about books, God and life in Uganda with him. Today he shared with us that his family has been struggling with a lot of sickness. He had just spent last night at the clinic with his eldest son who is very ill with Malaria and was admitted to receive IV Malaria medication. As well, shortly before we arrived his wife Rose ended up with complications from medications she was given for Malaria and almost died. I had a short visit with her today and she is doing much better. One of the things I most look forward to this summer is developing my friendship with her.

For the young boys who are interested, we found a LARGE spider in our home today which Beckham packed up and took outside to show off. He returned awhile later with a millipede and many other critters he had caught. Owen on the other hand is our gecko/chameleon guy, for which I am thankful as I'm not really excited when they are walking around my feet while I am cooking dinner. I did learn tonight that they drop their tails to divert their predators........Owen was the predator and stood holding a flapping tail, it was lovely!!!

We are so VERY THANKFUL for this time in our lives and all who have helped to make it possible. Loud singing has just begun to drift through our window which calls to me so I must go join in for the post-dinner singing/dancing.........

June 4: We Made It!

It’s 6:45 in the morning as I write (though this won’t be posted until later). The sun has just come up, the 52 children are spread out over the property picking up the leaves that have fallen off the trees during the night, roosters are telling us it is time to get up, an assortment of insects are completing their symphony that goes on throughout the night, and here I sit with a cup of coffee from our French press. Those of you who have been here know how awesome the mornings are in Uganda.

After lots of flights, layovers, and security checks….we made it to Uganda! The kids did totally amazing! Their great attitudes, your prayers for us, and some Melatonin (sp?) all combined to make the trip here as good as we could have hoped for….thanks for remembering us!

We were picked up by Jeff & Shannon Dyck (missionaries here in Uganda that are from our Church) at 7:30pm on Wednesday evening and began the two hour drive to the 10 acres. We got in about 10:15pm because of heavy traffic and quickly unpacked our 10 bags of luggage. As we unpacked, Beckham walked around the little guesthouse that we will call home for the next two months and asked me, “Is there just one level on this home?” The adjustments to a new culture began quite soon!

We all had great sleeps and enjoyed our first day in Uganda on Thursday. One bonus for us was that our 52 kids (in the three Children’s Homes on the property) were off school for a holiday so it was a day filled with introductions and lots of playing!

The highlight for Tracey and I so far has been watching our kids engage here. You never know how the change of culture etc…. will affect your children….but it was incredible to watch each of them jump in with both feet—initiating games, starting conversations, playing soccer, joining the Ugandan children’s crafts—we are so proud of them! The four Dyck kids—Joel, Avin, Finn, & Mazzy helped with that transition a lot too….thanks!

Our internet is not working in Mpigi at present…..thus the lack of posts. We’re in Kampala today and hopefully will be able to solve the problem.

For those of you haven’t seen it yet…..here’s a few pics of our house in Uganda and some of the kids on day one.

(editors note: sorry....tried to upload pics and couldn't do it here at Mpigi....will keep attempting to over the next day)

And for you praying-types….here’s some specific requests:

-Beckham has an infection (that started the day before we left) that needs to be dealt with. We have just started him on antibiotics…please pray for a quick restoration of health.

-Paisley is struggling to adjust to the time change (the boys have had no problem) so she’s been up a couple of hours each night between 3am-5am….please pray for her internal clock to adjust!

-For open hearts and minds to soak this all in, to learn the lessons we are meant to learn, and to serve here in whatever way God designs.