The people

We’ve been here nearly three weeks now and our days have started to become quite routine.
Prior to leaving home, Lorenda promised our grandson that she would get up at 5:30 every morning and read him a bedtime story via Face time. He has a children’s Bible and Lorenda has the same Bible so they can read together everyday. If we are lucky, our granddaughter hasn’t gone to bed yet and we can also connect with her at that time. Otherwise, we just talk with her on the weekends. Lorenda was finally over the jet lag and settled in enough to start fulfilling that promise this week.
After the Bible story, we get ready for the day and leave the apartment around 7:00 AM. Traffic is not too bad at that time of day so we get to our destinations in good time. Greg leaves work sometime between 4:00 and 5:00, picks Lorenda up and we usually arrive back at the apartment between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. Supper, dishes, a little down time and bed!
Even though our days are getting pretty routine, we don’t want this blog to be (we don’t want to lose you) so today we want to introduce you to some of the interesting people we have met.
Lorenda continues to work at the babies’ home and has met some very incredible people there. Two of the nannies she regularly works with are Acholi women and are two of the kindest, warmest, most genuine people on the planet. For some of you Acholi may be a new word so let us tell you a little about them. The Acholi people live in northern Uganda. Some of you may be familiar with the name Joseph Kony and his rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). For over 20 years this group attacked the Acholi people in northern Uganda- it is a horrible part of Uganda’s history, but God has prevailed.
Back to the two nannies…because of our interest in Uganda and its history, we have read many articles, books, viewed movies and documentaries about the Acholi people and the conflict in northern Uganda. However, all of that pales in comparison with the experience of sitting down with these women who are willing to share their hearts and their lives. Every single Acholi person has been affected by the conflict in northern Uganda in one way or another. One of the nannies described to Lorenda how her husband’s youngest brother was kidnapped by the LRA from the boarding school he attended. She described how this young man’s parents searched and searched for him for several months. As a parent, I can’t even imagine that. After a few months, another boy who was in captivity and managed to escape, confirmed to them that their son had been killed.
These women told story after story of the inhumane and often bizarre behaviour exhibited by the LRA. The stories that they relayed are not the kind that we have ever read in books or articles. They are the real and personal stories told by those who lived it.
After hearing all of these horrific stories, Lorenda asked about the big, huge smiles that Acholi people always have, even after all they have been through. The answer was a simple one, “That’s who we are!”
These women described Acholi people as strong, hard working people who love to sing and dance. One of the nannies described the deaths of two of her grandparents and her mother who literally were singing praises to the Lord right up until they took their last breaths. What powerful stories they were! The nannies also described Acholi people as loud (no wonder we love these people so much!) She described weddings in northern Uganda- as the bride walks down the aisle, people are hooting and hollering and cheering very loudly.
Resilience is also a word that is used frequently when discussing the Acholi people. After all the years of conflict in northern Uganda, these people still have their beautiful big smiles and still love to sing and dance!
The greatest part of all in this discussion came when the nannies described how the Acholi people have turned to the Lord. Throughout the conflict and since it has ended, churches have been popping up all over and people have been handing their lives over to the Lord. Many of you will recall a story Lorenda shared after our last trip- the story of a woman who had countless family members kidnapped, raped, murdered, disfigured. Yet this woman told Lorenda that the conflict had to happen so that God could be glorified. Basically, the same story was told by these two nannies. What incredible people they are- I wish you all could meet them!
Please pray for our Acholi friends and all the people of Uganda.

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.