We've been at the property another week. For the most part, we've shared the fun and crazy things and the little things that are part of making a life and home here. We haven't shared much of the frustrating part because we don't want people to worry or to have strong negative reactions. It's hard to talk about the negative stuff and still be clear that we're doing fine and things are going well in the areas that are important. However, as time goes on, it is necessary to be able to share the good, the bad and the ugly. Otherwise, it's like the people that always walk around with a smile and say everything is good when it's not. Also, we hope that some day our blog will encourage someone else who's venturing out into a new place in obedience to The Lord, which means they need to know the truth. So, here's an attempt at sharing the gritty details with you.
We've lived in our house for two weeks now. You already know that we have no power, no plumbing, and a lot of carpentry is only partially finished. We're getting by just fine with a few lanterns for night time, pouring water into the tanks for the toilets to flush (remember the saying "if it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down." In our new reality, this is a necessity.), and cooking on two propane burners.
The frustrating part is that during the two weeks here, no one has done any work to finish anything.
*The plumber showed up once and started to make a little progress, and then he left. That was last week. We haven't seen or heard from him since and he didn't finish anything while he was here. We're told he's coming Monday or Tuesday.
*The electrician has come a few times but there is always a problem. One time he said that the proper lines weren't laid originally, so he'd have to dig a new path, even busting up some of the veranda to lay a line underneath it. He says he wasn't told that we'd have a generator. The other two times he showed up, he said that he couldn't do anything because Pastor Johnson has the supplies in his car and Pastor Johnson didn't show up those days. Today, Pastor Johnson says everything is here, so as soon as the electrician shows up again, he'll be able to finish. That's suppose to be Monday.
*We've been told a few times that the carpenter was coming, but he has not shown up a single time. Today we're told he'll be here on Tuesday.
*During the construction process, they tore a few of our window screens. This is bad because the purpose of the screens is to keep out bugs, especially mosquitoes, but allow air flow. Since there is no air conditioning, air flow is very important. One of the screens is torn so badly, I could literally put my head through the hole and another tear goes all the way across at a diagonal. Fortunately, the bars in the window keep anyone from getting in, but we have to be careful what we put in arms reach and the bugs have easy entry. There is no one to be accountable for these problems, so we have to pay to replace them or just leave the holes. Most of them are small enough to ignore, but we'll have to make a decision about the one with the large tears.
We also told you about getting water from the well. Last weekend, the handle broke and the bucket fell down the well. Of course, there is no way to get it back and we had no other bucket. Since we were in town on Monday, we were going to pick up a new bucket. Pastor Johnson said to let him get it because he could get it cheaper. Unfortunately, he forgot and there were some other reasons it didn't happen, so for the last week there has been no way to use the well. We've been getting water from the local pond.
The walk to the pond is a bit more than twice the distance to the well. Getting the water is faster because you just hold the jerry can under water and let the water flow in. So, we walk down to the pond with several cans in the wheel barrow and carrying the others. I (Tamra) go into the water up to the top of my calves carrying one jug. I hold it in until it's full. Then I put the lid on, wade back to the shore, hand the jug to one of the boys or Floyd, and get another can, starting the process over. Once all the cans are full, we head back to the house. Usually Troy pushes the wheel barrow with 3 cans. Floyd carries one and Tyler and I take turns carrying the last one. I'd let Tyler do it himself, but I look at it as a little exercise. Carrying that 40 pound can up the hill is quite a task. Raegan has not been able to join us at the pond because she has a cut on her foot that got infected. We have cleaned it, bandaged it, and given her an antibiotic, so it's pretty much healed, but we do not want to take any chances.
I cannot adequately describe the feeling of standing in a pond, filling my jerry can and looking over to see a goat and a cow in that same water. The one plus side is that we've been able to connect a little more with the other locals fetching water from the pond.
We are grateful for our filtering system, but the water is so dirty that it cannot be cleaned fast enough. I've had to make sure that I use only a few necessary dishes each day to reduce our need for washing. I can't get enough water to do laundry. I tried boiling some water to make it useful, but it was so full of dirt that it still didn't really clean anything.
As bad as it sounds, we're still doing good in the areas that are important. We had our first gathering for worship on Thursday night. The boarding students, staff, and our family gathered in one of the classrooms with a lantern after dinner. One lady wrote songs on the board in English and Luganda and then taught us all. Then we all sang them in both languages. It was awesome!!
I've had opportunities to chat with the matron (the lady taking care of the boarding students) and the teachers. Last night (Friday), we sat around chatting while one lady prepared matoke (a local food, similar to a plantain). It was a nice time. The boys, especially Troy, have enjoyed many hours of games and playing with the kids.
On Thursday, I got to put my handy skills to use. A few girls were sitting on the porch with me. I noticed that one of them kept pulling up her dress because one strap was torn off. I went in the house and came out with a needle and thread, and sewed the strap back on. One of the other girls then showed me that her skirt was ripped down the seam, so I told her I'd sew it next time she was wearing something else. She disappeared for a few minutes and came back in another dress carrying her skirt. I had just the right thread to match it, and got busy sewing again. Since I have no electricity, I was sewing by hand, but it didn't take long. It was nice to use a simple skill my mother taught me as a child.
We've lived in our house for two weeks now. You already know that we have no power, no plumbing, and a lot of carpentry is only partially finished. We're getting by just fine with a few lanterns for night time, pouring water into the tanks for the toilets to flush (remember the saying "if it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down." In our new reality, this is a necessity.), and cooking on two propane burners.
The frustrating part is that during the two weeks here, no one has done any work to finish anything.
*The plumber showed up once and started to make a little progress, and then he left. That was last week. We haven't seen or heard from him since and he didn't finish anything while he was here. We're told he's coming Monday or Tuesday.
*The electrician has come a few times but there is always a problem. One time he said that the proper lines weren't laid originally, so he'd have to dig a new path, even busting up some of the veranda to lay a line underneath it. He says he wasn't told that we'd have a generator. The other two times he showed up, he said that he couldn't do anything because Pastor Johnson has the supplies in his car and Pastor Johnson didn't show up those days. Today, Pastor Johnson says everything is here, so as soon as the electrician shows up again, he'll be able to finish. That's suppose to be Monday.
*We've been told a few times that the carpenter was coming, but he has not shown up a single time. Today we're told he'll be here on Tuesday.
*During the construction process, they tore a few of our window screens. This is bad because the purpose of the screens is to keep out bugs, especially mosquitoes, but allow air flow. Since there is no air conditioning, air flow is very important. One of the screens is torn so badly, I could literally put my head through the hole and another tear goes all the way across at a diagonal. Fortunately, the bars in the window keep anyone from getting in, but we have to be careful what we put in arms reach and the bugs have easy entry. There is no one to be accountable for these problems, so we have to pay to replace them or just leave the holes. Most of them are small enough to ignore, but we'll have to make a decision about the one with the large tears.
We also told you about getting water from the well. Last weekend, the handle broke and the bucket fell down the well. Of course, there is no way to get it back and we had no other bucket. Since we were in town on Monday, we were going to pick up a new bucket. Pastor Johnson said to let him get it because he could get it cheaper. Unfortunately, he forgot and there were some other reasons it didn't happen, so for the last week there has been no way to use the well. We've been getting water from the local pond.
The walk to the pond is a bit more than twice the distance to the well. Getting the water is faster because you just hold the jerry can under water and let the water flow in. So, we walk down to the pond with several cans in the wheel barrow and carrying the others. I (Tamra) go into the water up to the top of my calves carrying one jug. I hold it in until it's full. Then I put the lid on, wade back to the shore, hand the jug to one of the boys or Floyd, and get another can, starting the process over. Once all the cans are full, we head back to the house. Usually Troy pushes the wheel barrow with 3 cans. Floyd carries one and Tyler and I take turns carrying the last one. I'd let Tyler do it himself, but I look at it as a little exercise. Carrying that 40 pound can up the hill is quite a task. Raegan has not been able to join us at the pond because she has a cut on her foot that got infected. We have cleaned it, bandaged it, and given her an antibiotic, so it's pretty much healed, but we do not want to take any chances.
I cannot adequately describe the feeling of standing in a pond, filling my jerry can and looking over to see a goat and a cow in that same water. The one plus side is that we've been able to connect a little more with the other locals fetching water from the pond.
We are grateful for our filtering system, but the water is so dirty that it cannot be cleaned fast enough. I've had to make sure that I use only a few necessary dishes each day to reduce our need for washing. I can't get enough water to do laundry. I tried boiling some water to make it useful, but it was so full of dirt that it still didn't really clean anything.
As bad as it sounds, we're still doing good in the areas that are important. We had our first gathering for worship on Thursday night. The boarding students, staff, and our family gathered in one of the classrooms with a lantern after dinner. One lady wrote songs on the board in English and Luganda and then taught us all. Then we all sang them in both languages. It was awesome!!
I've had opportunities to chat with the matron (the lady taking care of the boarding students) and the teachers. Last night (Friday), we sat around chatting while one lady prepared matoke (a local food, similar to a plantain). It was a nice time. The boys, especially Troy, have enjoyed many hours of games and playing with the kids.
On Thursday, I got to put my handy skills to use. A few girls were sitting on the porch with me. I noticed that one of them kept pulling up her dress because one strap was torn off. I went in the house and came out with a needle and thread, and sewed the strap back on. One of the other girls then showed me that her skirt was ripped down the seam, so I told her I'd sew it next time she was wearing something else. She disappeared for a few minutes and came back in another dress carrying her skirt. I had just the right thread to match it, and got busy sewing again. Since I have no electricity, I was sewing by hand, but it didn't take long. It was nice to use a simple skill my mother taught me as a child.
I'm sorry that your house isn't in working order yet. I will continue to pray for the workers to finish their tasks and for peace to exist in your family as things might get kinda annoying ;) . Love you guys! I will think of you today as I go about my daily tasks, taking for granted that which you are laboring and waiting for. Peace to you all as God blesses you in the biggest ways: relationships.
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