Jun 28th Update

Wow - I can't believe it's less than a week to the 4th. I still feel like I am in the same season as when I got here since the weather doesn't change much...and the light thing - only 12 hours per day of daylight. Always makes me feel like I am in winter time. Such a conflict inside me...winter or summer???
Well, today, I am much later writing to you as we had a visitation for families of our orphans this morning, so didn’t get to Mbale till quite a bit later. We have planned these for the last Monday every other month. The kids were so excited to see their guardians! The first picture you have is of our 4 kids who are from one family with their mother and grandfather. The kids' names are, from the left, Margret, Peter, John and Dovico - the ones in uniforms. Their mom is on the far left, 2 sisters are between John and Dovico and their grandfather on the right. This is the mom who had 7 children and her husband died in November. She is illiterate and only feeds her family what she can grow, then sells the little that is left to get $ for soap for washing. So, she was unable to continue feeding her family and asked us to take 4 of them. Today was the first time I have met the grandfather - he is their father's father.
The 2nd picture is of food that the kids’ guardians brought for us – there is maize, guava, oranges (they’re green here), G-nuts (like peanuts only smaller), cassava (a root starch vege, like potato). At the back of the picture is charcoal for our charcoal stove and in front of that is potatoes, both of which were already in the store room. The guardians were and are SO thankful for what we are doing with their children. I greeted them from all of you and told them there are people in the States who are loving their children. They all started clapping. I told them you see pictures of their kids each week.
The sad part of the morning was for Hellen, whose guardians did not come. We found out that her grandmother died yesterday and the burial is today so no one could come see her. She was the only child who did not have a visitor - we tried to make it up to her, but it just isn't the same! Please pray that the Lord will guard her heart from this heartache. Hopefully someone from the family will come and see her before the next visitation day.
The children are doing well - everyone is fairly healthy. We have a couple with ringworm and a few headaches here and there (theirs, not ours!), but other than that everyone is well. Our nurse, ironically, is sick and has been for a week or so. She has malaria (so common here...and deadly in some cases). Please pray that God will heal her. Her name is Mary.
Yesterday at church we had 49 adults and 45 kids - we're so evenly split between adults and kids! - and had a great time worshiping and hearing the Word. We led the congregation also in prayers for Uganda. For those of you who don't know, 2011 is an election year here and there are very heated exchanges and threats to various people for political views. Please pray with us for peace in Uganda.
Last night I had the sweetest thing - I often will sit on one of the benches and have the children come over and sit down. I rub their backs and talk with them. Well, last night, Charles came and sat next to me and started rubbing my back and said, "I love you, Pastor Laurie." It was so sweet to see he had internalized the affection and was doing it back to me. Brought me to tears - so sweet!
Okay, better go now, but please know that we pray for you. Thank you for your prayer, financial and email support. You all are the greatest. So nice to know there are others doing this work with me.
Laurie

BTW - many have asked, so let me tell you, I have not seen another snake. HALLELUJAH! May it be so for the rest of my days...

Jun 22nd Update

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So, I came to Mbale and wrote an email yesterday, but as they say here, the internet "refused." So, here I am again today to try and send it. Power is off on one side of the street, but I am on the other at a new internet cafe. Oh, Uganda!
So, here's your Monday email...1 day late:


Hey, Everyone!

It's Monday afternoon here (early Monday on the west coast) and here I am in the internet cafe once again. It's been an interesting day already...

This morning we had to deal with the staff about "tribalism." Some who are of the Bugwele tribe (those who are from the Budaka area) are talking bad and excluding those from Buganda (from the west of Uganda) and others I can't remember the names of. Who'd have known? Sounds like things that happen in the States (on church staffs at least - maybe not at your work). Anyway, we shared the Kingdom concept of being in unity regardless of the tribe (from Galatians 3 and 1 Corinthians 1) and there were tears - unfortunately not of repentance, but of anger that we would call them on this. Please pray for us as we walk through this. We told them that this ministry is just beginning, but it must be built on unity of purpose and the Spirit. Makes me realize we need to teach the children this concept. They are all Bugwele, so we have to introduce NOW to this next generation. Rogers says this whole thing is very common here and causes lots of problems around the country. There are 40 different tribes in Uganda...a country the size of the state of Oregon.

Re: pictures: The first picture is of Brother Stephen who is making chapatti. He has made the dough and the balls which then are rolled out flat (with the rolling pin – sitting in front of the tray of dough balls - Mom, these always remind me of your rolls before they are cooked) and cooked over the charcoal stove (to the left of Stephen…yellow with an orange handle). They are cooked one at a time and he makes 40-50 for the meal. It takes 2-3 hours from start to finish for 2 people to make them (you can see a part of Christine on the left of the picture). Chapatti are like tortillas and are quite yummy.

Behind Stephen, to his right, is the area we keep firewood in. We buy a truckload (about Shs200,000=, or $100) at a time and have been using 1 load every 3 weeks, but with the new rocket stoves, it should cut our consumption down to about ½ that.

The children are doing well - a couple of have colds now, but we have no one with malaria. People in the community are saying that they are getting very "fat." We would say "normal" in America. But they don't have stick legs and arms anymore. Next Monday is visitation day for the guardians and extended family members. The kids have a program ready for the adults and kids who will come. I will get a picture. That also means I probably will not be on the internet, or at least not very long - will try to write an email earlier. The kids are so excited to see people from their home villages and churches. I get excited just because they are!!

The 2nd picture is of Johnson - it's one of those "missing pictures." You have to find what is missing. Can you see?

Okay, I will tell you - the bottom 2 buttons on his shirt are missing. Which brings me to this: I have found myself having to do SOOOOO much mending. I spend about an hour a day (sometimes more!) sewing buttons back on clothes, putting new elastic in waistbands, stitching up tears in clothing, etc., etc. The kids LOVE the attention and all gather around and say "Me, Pastor Laurie, me!" meaning they want me to fix their clothing next. I think maybe they tear off the buttons so I will sew them back on for them :-) So, after I took the picture I sewed back on his 2 buttons. Anyone want to come over and repair clothing?

I am so enjoying my days here...hope you are enjoying yours! Let me know how you are doing and what is happening in your neck of the woods!Love,
Laurie

Jun 7th Update

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So, this time it's been a week since I wrote...and since I've been able to get to the internet. So much happening - let's see if I can catch you up:
Last Monday I wrote about the mice in my room. The poison worked on one of the mice, and thankfully it didn't die in my room. But, it did die in the house and the smell was atrocious after a day or so. We finally found it (in Betty and Rogers' room) and now the smell is better. The other mouse jumped into a cabela (plastic bag) and I asked Prossy to take it outside, so it is now living in a better place. And I haven't heard them for 5 nights or so. BUT...
That brings me to the next living creature story. Last Monday night I went over to sit with the kids during devotions, but was too late and didn't want to disrupt, so I went into my office. From there I decided to go back to the house and get my ironing (has to be done on my desk in the office). As I left, I closed the large iron door (all are like that here) and it was really hard to close, but I kept pushing until I could get the padlock on. I got my ironing, returned, opened the door and went and hung my ironing on the hook. Turned around to close the door and saw something out of place. Come to find out it was a snake that had been caught between the door and the cement step. I had apparently squished it when closing the door the first time. It was only about a foot long, maybe a little longer. But I called Rogers and asked him what I should do with it - it looked lifeless. He said he would be right over. He came and said it was still alive...and it that it is a poisonous snake. AAACCCKKKK! I want to come home. (Just for the moment, I'm okay now, one week later.) He got a stick and smashed it's guts out, then threw it far away. So, my daughter was in Uganda for over 1 year and never saw a snake. I've seen 2 in 4 months. Not fair! And, let me tell you, I use a light everywhere at night now...and look at where my feet are going at all times.
Last Thursday, the 3rd, was Uganda Martyrs' Day. It commemorates 22 people who were burned alive because they would not denounce their faith. This happened in 1886. So, it's a holiday and the kids were off school - I got to spend some good time with them during the day and we had the turkey (offering from last week!) and juice (koolaid). The kids were so jazzed about the meal, and I talked to them about the people who loved God so much that they were willing to give up their lives. Interesting to teach them about their country's history - no one else who was around knew the whole story. They were interested in what I was saying also. I learned it from the newspaper that day. (Rogers does know the story, but was out of town that day.)
Special thanks to the kids from Abby's Sunday School class at ECC. You guys wrote letters to each of the children and staff at Cornerstone and made videos for them. They were so excited!! I have sent videos of Cornerstone kids greeting all of you - sent it off this morning. It hopefully will make it there in the next couple of weeks. The kids LOVED getting letters from you. They are not yet able to write well enough to send messages back (except Brenda, who wrote to McKenna), but hopefully within a year or so they will be able to write back.
The picture you have is of the kids in formation for the start of school last Tuesday morning. They start this way each day and get general instructions for the day, work on something that all of them can do, etc. That's the time Rogers and I will go and talk and give encouragement or correction (more of the former!!) to the kids. They stand in 3 lines (sort of...) and seem to enjoy the time.
Okay, so much more I could say about this week, but don't want to bore you. Will write more next week...or perhaps this Friday or Saturday - there is overnight prayer at the church across the street, so I will be coming to spend the night in Mbale :-).
Thanks for all your love, prayer, support and emails. I feel encouraged and loved...and ready to march back to Budaka (well, actually we will take a taxi) and continue in the ministry God has called all of us to there.
Love you all!
Laurie