Sunday, Sunday

Sorry we missed updating you yesterday. We access the internet via a mobile “stick” which we prepay to have loaded- we were nearing the end so weren’t sure if we would have enough to complete a post.
On Friday we told you that we were planning an adventure for Saturday. We had thought about leaving the city and going out to explore somewhere, but we didn’t do that.
Our friend Christine (who lives in Regina) has family here and we had an envelope to deliver to them. We contacted her sister and met up with her in the morning- turns out that we live very close to each other. That is great since we will be working on a project together while I am here- don’t worry you will be hearing more about that in the future!
We then took our first solo trip to the mall. Did a little shopping and then had lunch together- the first meal out we have had together since we arrived. It was nice, but not such a big adventure as we had originally planned.
Greg has been busy planning for what needs to be done at the Watoto churches. There is much work to be done and much excitement about all the growth at each of the church sites. People are coming to know the Lord every week at each of these churches and the size of the buildings has not been able to keep up with the speed of church growth- again, a great problem to have. Please pray for Greg as he seeks to give leadership and guidance to this very capable team.
Lorenda continues to cuddle babies everyday- it really is hard work (as I am sure any mom of young children can confirm). A lot of time is spent sitting outside with the babies on mats on the grass. Sitting on the ground for four or five hours a day is not as easy as it used to be.
It just occurred to us that we have not done one single plug since we arrived here. So….are you sponsoring a child in an underdeveloped country? If not, you need to go on Watoto’s website (www.watoto.com) and check it out. You can sponsor people at all stages of life: children, post-secondary students, teachers, moms or you can support the babies’ homes or Living Hope (program for vulnerable women). For just $35 per month you can make a huge difference in a person’s life. We have been asked several times if the money really gets to the people it needs to. Let me tell you about the first time we met Jovulyn, the Watoto mom that we sponsor. She held our hands, looked right into our eyes and with tears streaming down her face, thanked us for the difference we are making in her life. Do you think the money is getting to where it needs to be? Please consider sponsorship, if you are not already doing so.
Also, there is a Watoto choir traveling across Canada right now. They are going to be in Regina in two weeks so they are likely somewhere in Alberta or Saskatchewan right now. Check out the Watoto website to see when they are going to be in your area. If you have never seen them before, you are in for a real treat. If you have seen them before, you already know that.

Our first Ugandan holiday

First of all, we want to thank all of you for reading our blog and journeying with us. It means so much that so many people are invested in the work the Lord has called us to do here. Thanks so much for your comments, e-mails and most of all, your prayers. It means more to us than you could ever know.

Today is a holiday in Uganda. We don’t really know why, but we have a three day weekend and that is always a good thing!

We experienced our first Ugandan thunder storm this morning- lots and lots of thunder and lightning, but not much rain. It is that time of year when rainy season is starting so I guess anything can happen- it sure has been cooler the last few days (25 degrees instead of 35) and that has been a welcome change. Lorenda even got up in the night a couple of nights ago and put a blanket on the bed- what is up with that?!

Greg was out cruising in his new vehicle today. He had to go over to the two Watoto guesthouses and fix their washing machines. Lorenda opted to stay and clean the apartment- that wonderful red dirt that Uganda is known for gets everywhere. I’m sure you could dust and sweep three times a day and still not get it all.

Before leaving Canada Lorenda was in our local Christian bookstore and she came across a visor clip to put on the sun visor in your car. The clip says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3: 5-6. When Lorenda saw it she thought it was so appropriate because God has been teaching us to trust Him and not ourselves for the last year as He has prepared us for this journey. She thought it was a good reminder so she bought it to put in our car here. God has such a sense of humour- once we got here we realized that it was the “He shall direct your paths” (or as another translation says “He will make your paths straight”)- that was the part God was stressing to us because the roads and paths here are anything but straight! We need God’s directions to get everywhere because we have already described Ugandan directions to you in an earlier post! Greg’s directions to the guesthouse today included the phrase “Turn by the banana tree”. Do you have any idea how many banana trees there are in Uganda? I’m sure glad God is directing our paths.

We are planning to go out exploring tomorrow- such freedom now that we have a car! We haven’t decided exactly where we are going yet, but we will update you tomorrow.

Here is a photo of typical Kampala traffic. See why God needs to make our paths straight...

New things...

I feel like our theme song for this week should be “I’m a Big Kid Now”- except for the fact that was a jingle used as a potty training commercial.
We have learned some new things this week and have ventured out of our comfort zone a few times. Not an easy thing to do, especially for the one of us that is a control freak (not mentioning any names, of course).
Yesterday Lorenda walked all the way from the babies’ home to Garden City Mall all by herself (Kelsey, stop laughing now). Okay, so it isn’t very far, but she had to cross two streets by herself and that is a hazardous task in this city!
This morning Lorenda tried her first “street food”- something we were never allowed to do when we were here with building teams. Turns out she regretted that decision a few hours later!
And the biggest feat of all…today Greg drove from Watoto Central to the babies’ home to pick up Lorenda and then got us to our apartment without a single wrong turn. He purchased a map for our GPS before we left Canada- best investment ever! When any of the Watoto drivers drove us home, they took some convoluted route with lots of turns and it always took a long time. Today we took a very direct route and were home in record time. He navigated two traffic circles and managed to remember to drive on the left side of the road. Turns out having a right hand drive vehicle for the last few years has been good training. Greg felt it really helped him here- I guess God has been grooming us for this for longer than we realized. Lorenda only had to use her “imaginary brake” once so that we would avoid hitting a pedestrian.
I know when we told you that we paid 20 million for the vehicle, you were all thinking that we bought a Maserati or a Lamborghini- no, it is a 1995 Toyota Rav 4. Here is Greg and his new wheels!

We're still here

Hi All

Sorry we have neglected to send you any info the last couple of days. Monday and Tuesday were very long days! Arrived home late, ate and went to bed!
Tonight we actually had a social life. An American couple who both work at Watoto invited us to a gathering they were having with their group of friends. They are all missionaries working with different organizations here in Uganda. Most are from US, one couple from Australia and one single Canadian woman. It was great to get out and socialize- we have been so busy since we arrived.
Thanks for your continued prayers.

More differences...

Yes, we know the post today has a similar title to yesterday, but we are not just repeating ourselves. Today we want to talk about the differences we have observed in Uganda from our first trip in 2010 until now. We also want to talk about the contrasts that exist within this country, city and even within neighbourhoods.

Each time we have traveled to Uganda, we have noticed changes- some subtle and some quite dramatic.

One of the first things we noticed on our second trip was the number of new, large buildings that were being built in downtown Kampala and throughout the city. Hilton and Sheraton Hotels are now part of the landscape in downtown Kampala. When you get out into the suburbs (where we live), there really is a huge contrast in every neighbourhood. Right across the street from our apartment building is a HUGE house- it appears to be a single family dwelling, but is large enough to be a guesthouse or hotel. There are many other nice homes and apartment buildings that we can see looking in every direction from our place. Just a few metres down from us there is a path that looks like any path through a park or schoolyard in Canada (except that the dirt is red). If you go about 100 steps down that path, you are in Africa as we North Americans imagine it to be. Families sitting outside their brick homes cooking over a fire, children playing, clothes hanging on clothes lines, goats grazing nearby, chickens running about and roads that are really dirt paths badly damaged from erosion during rainy season. Friendly faces greet you, children wave and yell “Mzungu” as you walk by. It really is hard to believe the huge difference a few steps makes in this neighbourhood. Yesterday was our first walk through the neighbourhood, but we want to do that on a regular basis so that we can get to know our neighbours while we are here.

Another difference, over the years, has been in the style of dress of the Ugandan people. In 2010, most women were dressed very traditionally- beautiful, bright, colorful dresses in various styles. Each trip since that time, we have seen more and more western style dress, even in the older women. On our first trip here, several of the locals were laughing and pointing at the men in our group as we walked down the street. Of course we had no idea why until our host told us that men don’t wear shorts in Uganda- it is considered childish. Since our arrival on this trip, we have seen some Ugandan men wearing shorts. It is not that common yet, but is certainly a change from our previous trips.

In 2010 and 2012, as we watched our Ugandan brothers and sisters work very hard and often walk many kilometers in a day to get to work, we commented on how there was no need for gyms here. Daily we now see people in exercise gear walking or running down the street and gyms have popped up throughout the city. Today on our drive to church there was a race (marathon maybe) taking place. There were hundreds of runners and walkers, but I think the ones that hopped on a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) are going to get disqualified!

Throughout Uganda (and all of Africa, I am told), people are hungry to know Jesus. Church attendance and involvement continues to grow. One of the issues Greg is dealing with is the need for expansion at all five of the Watoto churches in Kampala. Watoto Central holds over 1500 people, has five services and still the place is jam packed at each service. All the other Kampala sites (and I believe Gulu, as well) are all dealing with similar “problems”- too many people wanting to know Jesus. We need some of that “problem” in Canada!

John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Later the same day...

Just realized that we didn’t put a picture on with today’s post so here is a picture of Lorenda and some of the babies.

Today has been a very hot day. Greg was outside with his temperature probe at 11 AM and it was already 35 degrees. Fortunately, it was only 28 in the shade so we could sit out there and have a cold drink (by cold drink I mean water with an electrolyte tablet in it!)

We went for a walk around our neighbourhood today and we didn’t even get lost- that is quite an accomplishment with the maze of streets. 

Thanks for all your e-mails and your prayers- we appreciate more than you can ever know.

 

Differences

Well, it is Saturday and we are very glad. We are exhausted from the heat and a week of hard work. Our bodies have finally realized we are on the other side of the world and we have slept well the last two nights. Praise the Lord!

After being in Uganda for a little over a week now, we thought it would be fun to paint you a picture of our life here vs. our life in Canada. What are the similarities, what are the differences?

We’ll start with the similarities- it is a short list!
The best news is that we still serve the very same God- He is the same no matter where we are or what we are doing. We are very glad for that!
We also continue to breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. That is about the end of the similarities list. I guess we do have some other bodily functions that remain the same, but we won’t go into all of those. Lorenda does have to comment though that life without Malarone is a beautiful thing!

Now the differences in our lives and they are many.
The obvious one is that we live a long way away and miss our family very much. Modern technology helps to close that gap some and we are very thankful for that. Greg’s brother and his wife are coming to visit in April and our kids are coming in June so we are looking forward to that.
In Canada we own a home, with air conditioning, that we have lived in for more than 22 years. In Uganda we rent a very nice apartment in a new building without air conditioning (too expensive here!). We have some of the conveniences of home (running water and a washing machine), but we use a drying rack to dry the clothes. Once we are home, we will never take our air conditioning for granted again!
A ten foot stone wall that has broken glass and razor wire on top of it surrounds our apartment building. We have an attendant in our compound during the day and an armed guard at night.
As we look out our living room window right now, there is a man cutting grass with a machete- not something one sees everyday in Canada! On the other side of our building is a vacant lot and during the day our neighbours bring their goats there to graze. Our neighbourhood has many roosters that like to make sure we don’t sleep in. There is also a mosque that is not far away so we hear the sounds from there every morning starting just before sunrise.
When we leave the apartment each morning, we are in serious traffic- the traffic will need to be a post of its own and will be mostly pictures because there really isn’t words to describe it.
Lorenda has been working at the babies’ home for the last several days and has learned many things. The word “silly” means something entirely different in Uganda than it does in Canada. When Lorenda called one of the babies “silly”, Sandra (one of the nannies) asked Lorenda what that word meant in Canada. It turns out the word is a real insult here and one of the nannies actually said that would be abuse to call a child silly. Note to self- do not use the word silly!
Another misunderstanding occurred when one of the nannies asked Lorenda something. We still sometimes have trouble understanding some of the accents and pronunciations here. The nanny repeated what she had asked and Lorenda still had no clue what she had said, but took a chance and asked the nanny if she was asking how many children we have. The nanny laughed and repeated the phrase more slowly “How do you make it?” Turns out that phrase means “what time is it?” We have a lot to learn!
Greg has seen many differences in his work here compared to the way things are done in Canada. Ugandans and in particular, Watoto, are interested in changing the standards of their building maintenance. This, of course, will take time, but the desire and commitment is there so the change has already begun.
Our diets have changed dramatically, but we do shop at the Mzungu supermarket so there are many familiar foods there. When cooking at the apartment, we eat simple Canadian type meals, but lunch at Watoto each day is definitely Ugandan. Lunch each day consists of matooke (mashed green bananas) with or without peanut sauce, sweet potatoes (nothing like Canadian sweet potatoes), rice, chicken, beef or beans in a sauce, greens (cooked) and another dish which I can’t remember the name of (it was described to us as being like corn bread, but is not the consistency of bread, at all). There is always pineapple for dessert (yum, yum) and right now you can purchase mango juice for 1500 shillings.

These are just a few of the differences that now exist in our lives. This post could go on for a very long time if we outlined every detail that is different. Future posts will continue to describe our lives here so this theme will be ongoing throughout our time here.

As we stated at the beginning, God is the same in Canada or in Uganda and we are very glad for that. The first few days here were rather overwhelming, but God reveals Himself when we need Him. One day we were out with a Watoto driver and getting all the things done that needed to be done. We were tired, hot and feeling discouraged. Just then a van drove by with Jeremiah 29:11 on the back window. God is good and has a plan for us here!

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”