As I mentioned, maybe the ups and downs never stop because when things seem out of our control, we're more likely to stay on our knees in prayer. Or maybe it's because Satan is hoping that he can wear us out and we'll give up. Or maybe it's just the way things are in a third world country. No matter what, God is still victorious, and, therefore, so are we.
In addition to the girls I've shared about in Part 1 & 2, there have been many other things this week. We've actually treated 4 people for malaria. We've cleaned up wounds, played games, read books, listened to complaints and concerns from others, and lots of other little things.
On Monday night, we had been without electricity since early Sunday morning. As I was cooking dinner on the stove, the flames grew dim and went out. My propane take was empty. We had not refilled the back up tank before going to the US because we didn't want a full tank sitting in the house. When we got back things were so busy, we hadn't remembered to go refill it. Of course, there is no way to know the propane level, so there was no warning sign. Now, we had no power and no propane. :) Of course, normally people would ask about the back-up generator. Well, the breaker switch on the generator has been out for days. Fortunately, on Tuesday the power came back on, so that helped.
I may have previously mentioned that there are elections in Uganda in February. We did learn that the US Embassy is holding a meeting next week that will give advise to US citizens on what to do and how to prepare, as election time can be very dangerous and unstable. Pastor Johnson has even mentioned sending us to Kenya to stay with a pastor friend of his. At the least, we figured we'd buy a few months worth of supplies and stay out of the city for a while, as most of the problems happen there.
We thought school would be going on, so we'd stay on the property and have everything we all need to go about our routine while any possible craziness settles down. This week, we heard that supposedly the Minsitry of Education in Uganda has delayed the start of the 2016 school year for all schools in the country. School should begin on Feb. 1, but according to these sources, school opening is postponed to February 22, in order to get past the elections. If this is true, we won't have students on property. Also, if this drastic of a measure is necessary, maybe we should be more concerned than we thought. You can join us in praying for clarity on this situation in the coming months. We have some time to decide what is best for us. We will ask for God's guidance and leave it to him.
We also missed Thanksgiving with our families. For me, this was the first time in 35 years that I didn't celebrate Thanksgiving with my immediate family. Even when we couldn't gather on Thursday, we'd celebrate on a different day. It is also the first time my kids didn't celebrate with my parents and siblings. On that same day, we had a small situation that happened with a staff member that made us feel a bit betrayed. That situation hurt our hearts and probably stung a bit more because it was the same day we were missing our family.
Anyway, now that I've shared so many downs with you, let me leave you with some ups. :)
The kids are loving the books I brought back from the US. Thank you to those that gave them!
Thanksgiving may not be a world-wide holiday, but Christmas is! This little set up is in a shopping area in Kampala. It is like a little maze that small kids can walk through.
In order to make sure that they aren't over-run by the big kids, Edgar and Monday come inside to play with a small bag of blocks in the kitchen floor.
Even the little kids have to learn to clean up when they're finished as well. :)
If you missed them, you go back to part 1 and part 2.
In addition to the girls I've shared about in Part 1 & 2, there have been many other things this week. We've actually treated 4 people for malaria. We've cleaned up wounds, played games, read books, listened to complaints and concerns from others, and lots of other little things.
On Monday night, we had been without electricity since early Sunday morning. As I was cooking dinner on the stove, the flames grew dim and went out. My propane take was empty. We had not refilled the back up tank before going to the US because we didn't want a full tank sitting in the house. When we got back things were so busy, we hadn't remembered to go refill it. Of course, there is no way to know the propane level, so there was no warning sign. Now, we had no power and no propane. :) Of course, normally people would ask about the back-up generator. Well, the breaker switch on the generator has been out for days. Fortunately, on Tuesday the power came back on, so that helped.
I may have previously mentioned that there are elections in Uganda in February. We did learn that the US Embassy is holding a meeting next week that will give advise to US citizens on what to do and how to prepare, as election time can be very dangerous and unstable. Pastor Johnson has even mentioned sending us to Kenya to stay with a pastor friend of his. At the least, we figured we'd buy a few months worth of supplies and stay out of the city for a while, as most of the problems happen there.
We thought school would be going on, so we'd stay on the property and have everything we all need to go about our routine while any possible craziness settles down. This week, we heard that supposedly the Minsitry of Education in Uganda has delayed the start of the 2016 school year for all schools in the country. School should begin on Feb. 1, but according to these sources, school opening is postponed to February 22, in order to get past the elections. If this is true, we won't have students on property. Also, if this drastic of a measure is necessary, maybe we should be more concerned than we thought. You can join us in praying for clarity on this situation in the coming months. We have some time to decide what is best for us. We will ask for God's guidance and leave it to him.
We also missed Thanksgiving with our families. For me, this was the first time in 35 years that I didn't celebrate Thanksgiving with my immediate family. Even when we couldn't gather on Thursday, we'd celebrate on a different day. It is also the first time my kids didn't celebrate with my parents and siblings. On that same day, we had a small situation that happened with a staff member that made us feel a bit betrayed. That situation hurt our hearts and probably stung a bit more because it was the same day we were missing our family.
Anyway, now that I've shared so many downs with you, let me leave you with some ups. :)
The kids are loving the books I brought back from the US. Thank you to those that gave them!
Thanksgiving may not be a world-wide holiday, but Christmas is! This little set up is in a shopping area in Kampala. It is like a little maze that small kids can walk through.
In order to make sure that they aren't over-run by the big kids, Edgar and Monday come inside to play with a small bag of blocks in the kitchen floor.
Even the little kids have to learn to clean up when they're finished as well. :)
 |
| And I think Edgar has learned a new habit. I was trying to take the picture without attracting their attention, but Edgar looked up at the last moment. He immediately made a big, full face smile. I think he's learned to smile when someone takes a picture, but it lasts only a second so I didn't actually get it on camera. This was the closest I got. |
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