Dec 26th - : It's Boxing Day

Happy Boxing Day! Here in Uganda it is a day to go and meet friends and party. "Christmas is for family and Boxing Day for friends," was how it was explained to me. What I know: stores are not open on Boxing Day. We tried to go shopping to get the kids some small Christmas presents today, but all the shops were closed. Abby and I are celebrating by spending the night at a hotel in Mbale ("Mt. Elgon" for those of you who have been here before). This also gives us a rest before the kids come back and the bakery begins going strong again. (Bakery is closed for 3 days - we open again on Friday.)

The kids come home to Cornerstone tomorrow, and we have promised them an "American" Christmas. We will have 1/2 the kids all down one night to spend the night with a spaghetti dinner and cinnamon rolls for breakfast. When they wake up in the morning, there will be gifts for each one. The next night we will repeat with the other 1/2...girls one night, boys the other. We are buying small containers for each child. They will get a toy, some candy and a package of cookies in the container. The container will be one they can keep treasures in in their rooms. (Pictures will be forthcoming.)

Bakery

Christmas Eve was an amazing day for the bakery: we ran out of all baked goods at about 1pm and had to start baking again. We had trouble keeping up with the demand, and when we ended the day, we had 2 cinnamon rolls and 15 Cornerstone Shortbread cookies left. We could have sold at least 10 Merry Christmas cakes if we had baked them...one person even suggested we go in and bake her a cake right then ("It only takes an hour to bake a cake. Please!!") We had made and sold 6 cakes and next year will remember to make many more which obviously will sell on Christmas Eve!

Abby had a great idea of putting together gift packages of our baked goods (see the picture of them on the table on the sidewalk outside the bakery). We hired Grace, one of the young women from Cornerstone Christian Centre, and she stood during the day and sold the gifts. They were shs2,000 and shs4,000 (75 cents and $1.50). They sold, but the best part was that it brought many customers into the bakery who got to know about Cornerstone...and bought us out of everything we had!

A new group of Peace Corps workers found out about us and came and waited 30 minutes till the cinnamon rolls were finished (but still warm!) in the afternoon. One of them, a young man from New York, said, "Laurie, can I give you a hug?? This is the best food I've had in 6 weeks!!" and he proceeded to hug me and thank me for having American food for him in Uganda.

So, Christmas Eve became our highest sales day to date. We were exhausted when we finally got back to Budaka about 9pm, but it was a wonderful feeling of having blessed so many with goodies from our bakery.

We've been told that New Year's Eve is also a big sales day, so we will bake several cakes ahead this Friday and Saturday to be ready for that day.

One funny thing in the midst of the busyness: I was teaching Gerald (our new bakery employee) to frost and decorate cakes. I would do one, then oversee him doing one. I did the "Congratulations Namale" because I the word congratulations is misspelled so many times here in Uganda. I left only one cake for him to finish when I went out for a couple of hours - it was the cake I bought for Rogers' family for our Christmas dinner. I knew "Merry Christmas" was easy and we had done 2 together already. So, when I got back, Gerald had left to go home and I opened the refrigerator to find our Christmas cake as you see it in the picture. Can you spot the mistake? Abby and I couldn't stop laughing...at least it was for us.


So, all is well here - we had a wonderful Christmas morning service at church (pics are on fb at Cornerstone Uganda Ministries).

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas...and are resting during this great season. Thank you to all who have sent us Christmas greetings by email and on facebook...and even 2 Christmas cards by mail.

I leave you with one last picture - Hope (Rogers' youngest child) and our Moses sharing a laugh during pictures after the service. Enjoy!

Laurie

Dec 18th - One week to Christmas!

As I sit here in Mbale (5-6 days a week now with the bakery work!), it's somewhere near 85 degrees and raining...just doesn't feel like Christmas time at "home." But, the calendar isn't lying...one more week. I hope you are all getting prepared to celebrate the birth of our Savior! We will celebrate at church on Sunday and Tuesday, and have a fun "Boxing Day," a big holiday here on the 26th with lots of dancing, singing, games and fun.

Here are some things going on at Cornerstone:

• 2 of our girls got to go swimming by saving their allowance each week till they had shs10,000. Pretty impressive since they get only shs1,000 each week and of that they set aside shs100 for church, and then have all kinds of little things they can buy from the allowance "store." The 2 girls this week were Margret (about 5) and Christine (about 7). One picture is of Monicah (the mom of our girls) and the 2 girls in the pool. By the way, this was Monicah's second time in a swimming pool, the first being about 3 weeks ago! The other picture is of the playground next to the pool. I asked Margret to smile while Abby was helping her on the teeter totter. She's quite a ham! 
• The bakery is still doing very well. Gerald is doing well learning the baking end, and he's doing really well at customer service (not a concept used by the Ugandans in their shops). We hired a 2nd employee yesterday, Jeniffer, who will work just the evenings. Gerald has been working 7:30am-9:30pm Monday-Saturday for 3 weeks, so will be glad to get to leave at 4:30 every day. Jeniffer has her certificate (a 2-year program) in accounting, so brings a whole different perspective to the business. I am still at the bakery every day (well, I took one day off last week), but anticipate within 2 weeks or so to be able to cut back to only 3 days a week. We have just had 2 other businesses come and ask us to make things for them. One is a restaurant in Mbale that wants us to make hamburger buns and rolls for their soups. Another store owner came and said he is starting a coffee shop and would like us to supply the baked goods for it. I haven't figured out yet if we will be able to do those and keep up with our customers, but it's so exciting to have people tasting our things and asking for more of our products!! So glad, Mom, that you taught me to bake!!! 
• The kids are going "home" to their clans/extended families tomorrow and this time will be gone for a week. They love to go and have their clan's Christmas traditions. When they return, we will have Christmas with them with a special meal and lots of fun and games (thanks to Abby's planning!). We even want to give them a little taste of an American Christmas and will be buying each one a small gift (gifts are not exchanged here for Christmas.) 
• We have been praying about sending "the 4" (Natasha, Vanessa, Isaac and Moses) somewhere so they also get this cultural experience, and someone from the church came last week and asked to take them when the other kids go home. This is SO huge - most Ugandans would not include anyone who is not of their tribe, their clan and their family. We're so excited that God has provided a place for the 4 to have Christmas with a family out in the village. (The 4 don't have any extended family still alive that we can find, so they normally stay and hang out at Pastor Rogers' and/or our house. The other children all are at their extended family huts deep in the villages.) 
• They have just poured the concrete "ring beam" for the kids' new home and it will set for 2 days, then they will put another couple of rows of bricks and the roof on that. Chuck, Nick, James and Seth - I was thinking about you guys when you were here last January mixing the cement, wheelbarrows, etc. This, of course, is a much smaller project, but was remembering all your hard work down at the other site. It is truly amazing what God is doing as we have now the kids' home and the school buildings which are all on their way to being completed for our orphans, and for the children of this community. Thanks to all of you who have made all of this possible with your monetary gifts.
• Don't know about you, but when I look back at this past 3 years I am amazed at what all of us, hand-in-hand with God, have been able to establish in this community of Budaka. Wow! Thank you for all that you do to see that these kids have clothes, shoes, food, schooling, buildings to meet in, buildings to live in, a hope for the future...I know in Heaven we will get to talk and share with those who have been touched by your generosity in time, resources, prayer, etc. Thanks for your faithfulness. 

Okay, need to get back to work...the bakery awaits! Love you all!

Laurie

BTW - we (Abby and I) will be returning to the States mid-January. I am putting together a schedule for being with all of you. Let me know of times that are good for you. I am hoping to be in Texas (Austin), southern and northern California, various Oregon and Washington locations, and Idaho. It will be Feb/Mar when I will travel...Abby may join me for some of the time also.

Dec 10th - Tuesday morning update

Good morning, friends!

It's a cool morning...here in the hotel in Mbale. There's an air conditioner that gives a bit of cool air. I think it was meant for a room about 1/2 this size, but at least it keeps it from being overly hot in here ;).

Cornerstone Bakery

I am going back and forth to the new bakery so much this week that we decided it was best if I stayed in Mbale for a few days. We are training our new employees to bake. Last week they sold what we had baked and brought from Budaka. On Sunday we moved all the equipment here to the new shop. By the end of the day yesterday, people were coming wondering what the great smell was. Bingo! That was one of the targets. (The smell was cinnamon rolls and banana bread baking...).

The day began with the realization that the oven was not working - something in the move jostled parts loose. So, after 1) sending Gerald to get a new canister of propane (on a motorcycle taxi), 2) sending Gerald back to have the hose checked, 3) sending Gerald back to have the regulator checked and 4) sending Abby to the shop where we bought the oven to get the right people to work on it, we had 2 repairmen for a couple of hours in the back of the bakery trying to find the problem. Finally, we began baking around 1pm. All the dough and batter was in the refrigerator since we had already begun the process.

Oh, and the electrician was there for 4 hours putting in 2 new outlets for us (there was only one, which was at the farthest place possible from the baking area...). So, we mixed, kneaded and baked amid 3 workmen, 2 employees and Abby and I. It was quite comical. But, in the midst of all of it, we had customers coming and buying our goods. So cool.

I awoke at 3:30 am this morning and realized we had never put the cinnamon in the cinnamon rolls! Oops. I guess we'll call them sweet rolls...

Cornerstone Children's Home

So excited to tell you that the Lord opened a door for us to be able to build our kids a home that will not be with the new school. I have sent a picture so you can see the beginnings. It's too long a story to tell you in an email, but let me summarize:

1. The building we are building that you have seen pictures of is ultimately going to be a school building, but because of land and money issues, we had decided to have our kids get 2 of the school rooms as their home until we could buy more land and build them a home some distance from the school.
2. Enter one of Rogers' younger brothers who is selling us the plot of land we currently use as a playground and kitchen. 
3. A couple in the States felt the leading to send us some money to get our kids into their own home. (We assumed we would just work on the one we are building for the school, but realized that even when we put this money towards that building, we would still have some ways to go before the kids could be there.)
4. As we were praying, talking, considering this dilemma, the Lord showed us this amazing solution: we could build our kids a simple home at their current playground with the money we have...and it will be done around the first of the year.

The builders dug the foundation yesterday and are laying the first bricks today.

The kids are SO excited to have their own place. And, I am thrilled - one of the things I felt the Lord showed me earlier this year was that the kids home would be completed by the end of the year. Didn't see how that could happen, but now we are seeing it unfold. Thank you to all of you who pray, encourage and give to Cornerstone - you have been used by God to see that these orphans have a home of their own.

Okay, got to get to the bakery! Pray that I remember all the ingredients today! Oh, and I added a picture "for free" for you - this is Vanessa and Lisa right outside the bakery 2 weeks ago as we were prepping the room. They were on their way to swimming with Teacher Abby. Just thought you'd enjoy seeing 2 of the great kids God has given us.

Love you all!

Laurie

Dec 7th - Good problems to have

Cornerstone Bakery continues to amaze us. In 3 days, we have made 1/2 of what we averaged in a month before. It's great, it's wonderful, and now we have to figure out how to keep up. Abby and I began baking this morning at 6:30, baked for 5 hours, brought the product to the bakery in Mbale and now are taking our day (hours?) off.

We hope to move the baking operation to Mbale on Monday. Then, I will train Gerald in the baking for 3 days and see where we're at at that time. I will stay in Mbale at the hotel during those days (running water!!), so I won't have to do the back and forth to Budaka. Hopefully, then I will only have to come back 2-3 times a week. Dreaming of getting to spend time with the kids again...

Love you all! Thank you for your encouragement and support through this new transition in Cornerstone Uganda Ministries. We are looking at buying a larger stove so we can be more efficient. (Thanks to those of you who have seen this need coming and have already asked if you can help with it. I will be contacting you.)

I'm off to (hopefully) get a massage before going back to Budaka. Talk with you soon.

Laurie

Dec 5th Wow...wow

Another amazing day - new customers, just slightly less in sales than the first day, new products introduced (and sold out), employees doing well, etc.!

Here's a picture of Rogers and Gerald (our new employee) before we opened the doors on the first day. I have posted other pictures on fb at Cornerstone Uganda Ministries.

Just wanted to let you know things are going well - gotta go bake more - it's almost 7am here. Bake, then off to Mbale with the products.

Love you all! Thanks for praying.
Laurie

Dec 4th - Wow!

A really quick update to say our first day was a smashing success at Cornerstone Bakery!! We sold out of everything 2 hours before closing time, and so had to close the store early. Abby and I were there all day, giving out samples and packaging items - so glad for her Starbucks experience - it has really come in handy with money, cleaning and employee procedures. Thanks, Bill! Who knew getting her involved in Sbux would help in Africa so many years later!

Anyway, we left Budaka at 7:15 yesterday with all the baked goods, opened at 8am in Mbale and returned to Budaka last night at 8pm (after closing up, cleaning, etc.) and had to go and bake more for today. We had no idea how successful our first day would be. Yesterday, Cornerstone made 10x what we have made on an average day since January of this year! We are overwhelmed with gratefulness to our Father. Thank you all for being a part...encouraging us, financially supporting us as we get these businesses going, praying for us, etc., etc.

More later - got to get ready to leave again this morning at 7:15. Abby is staying behind to bake with Monicah. I will go and open the store with the 5 kinds of baked goods we prepared last night. Then, Abby will come when the other 6 are done today. Pray for strength for Abby and I to keep up and figure out now how to handle baking enough! Thank you.

God bless you all!
Laurie

Dec 3rd - Quick update

Tomorrow the bakery opens in Mbale. This has been a long day, so please bear with me as you get only a short email update. So many things to tell, but no energy left. It's almost 10pm, been up since 4am. Went to see the kids at 6:30 (they're fine!), then to find milk for some recipes (found at Pastor Rogers' from their cow), then made the dough for cinnamon rolls. Abby and Monicah continued, making 10 different items for our opening tomorrow. I went to Mbale and did all the last minute things with Gerald (new employee) - setting up the bookkeeping (longhand, of course), got the store looking good, walked to 5 places to get last minute stuff, talked to several potential customers who were looking for cakes, then back to Budaka. Abby called on our way back - they were out of eggs. No eggs in Budaka. Not one...until we heard that there was a small shop that had 4 eggs left. We needed 3. Rushed there and bought them. One was broken in the washing, but we only needed 3 ;). Back to the bakery, finish up the g-nut cookies, millet muffins, bake the last loaf of banana bread and frost the carrot cake. Long day.

As I walked in from "out back" (the latrine) a few minutes ago, Abby said, "Mom, you have a praying mantis on your leg." Sure enough! You know you've been in Africa for awhile when you just reach down and brush off the 3" insect from your leg.

Hope your day is full too! Please pray for us for the opening of Cornerstone Bakery. Pictures will be forthcoming!

Love you all!
Laurie

Nov 27th - Calendars are here!!

We have 2013 Cornerstone calendars now, ready for you to

• purchase for Christmas gifts
• have one or more for your own home
• sell at your place of work or your school
• make available at your church

all to help support our kids here at Cornerstone in Budaka!

Please email me asap and we will see that they get to you in time for Christmas.

Thanks!

Laurie

Nov 27th - Monday update

Greetings, Friends and Family!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving Day and weekend! We had a wonderful time with our Peace Corps friends, Aubrey, Ryan and Caroline. We had turkey (killed fresh and dressed for us Thursday morning), mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade rolls and butter (REAL butter!), green beans sauteed with garlic and hummus and veggies. Then, for dessert we had pumpkin pie...complete with whipping cream (not real, but close). We played games, talked and laughed and generally enjoyed being Americans together in this foreign culture.

Here are some other highlights of the week:

Saturday - Parents' Day at School

There is always a final program to show the parents what the kids have learned, give the parents the report cards and have local officials (and some key staff) make speeches. It was supposed to start at 8am, but of course, it didn't start till 10am. The program went well. You have a couple of pictures from it. The first is of Magdalene and Doreen, who were representing Baby Class (Preschool) and doing an interactive drama with 2 of our other Baby Class members. The 4 had memorized several lines to say to each other. They were great - confident and cute. That's their teacher, Rosemary, who is holding the microphone for them.

You also have a picture of Natasha, who did about a 5-minute monologue on the digestive system. She and Ronald both did presentations like this - Ronald's was on the heart and its function. I was amazed at their poise, ability to memorize and the clarity with which they spoke. The teachers have done a great job with them this year, and the children have done well. Our Cornerstone kids were the top of their classes in 3 of the 8 classes. So proud of them!

The whole thing ended about 4pm with lunch for everyone.

At 2pm, I had to leave the kids' program to attend a graduation party for a woman in our church who has just finished her bachelor's degree. Pastor Rogers and I split up the pastoral duties - he stayed with the kids and I went to the graduation. This one lasted till about 7pm. I didn't realize I was on the program, but got to give a sermon almost immediately after getting there - nothing like thinking on your feet! You have a picture of Mary - she's the one with glasses on in the middle of the 3 graduates. She's a very sweet sister in Christ. Funny thing from this function - her husband's family is Anglican and they had the priests there who followed me on the program. They announced that now we were going to have a service, and indeed they did a whole church service, including the baptism of her youngest child, Zoe, who is 1 month old. I might add this was against Mary's will, but the extended family holds rank on this kind of thing. So, Zoe was baptized and then Sunday morning, Mary brought her for dedication to Cornerstone. Oh, we Christians!

Mutwahiru

Mutwahiru is doing very well and will be coming home today (Tuesday). Our nurse, Tom, has gone to Entebbe to pick him up and learn how to adjust the leg lengthener. We will all be so glad to have him home!

Bakery

We spent yesterday (Monday) in Mbale working on the details of opening up the bakery there. We had our new employee, Gerald, clean and paint last week. He came and met with me yesterday so I could talk to him about his hours, job description, etc. Rogers went and got the licensing with the municipality, got the electricity turned back on (the last person in this place had not paid her electric bill, so we had to pay that - about $300 - in order to get the electricity turned on) and found a glass counter. We went together to find a curtain (the room is quite long, so we decided to split it with the curtain), calculator, ledger book, trays for the products, etc., etc. Who knew starting a shop was so much work? (OK, I know lots of you do...but I didn't ;)

So, we are looking at opening on Monday, if all goes as planned. We actually had targeted today to open, but the man who promised the glass counter didn't show up (in Uganda they say he "disappointed us" - indeed!) and we can't open till we have a place to display our products. The Peace Corps friends have volunteered to stand on the sidewalk and promote our things, giving out samples when we open. They are very excited about what we're doing!

School is over for the year now, so the boarders have gone home and now it is just our Cornerstone kids for a couple of months. We're so excited to get to spend individual time with them again. Because they go to school Mon-Fri 7:30-5:30 and 7-8:30pm, and Saturday 8am-1pm, we have very little time to just hang out with them.

Thank you so much for your support and love for the work here in Budaka! God is doing amazing things through all of you. Have a wonderful day...talk to you next week!

Laurie

Nov 19th - Monday evening update

I'm sitting on a comfy bed, electricity is working, there is running and water, and wait for it...wait for it...AIR CONDITIONING! I can't believe it! This is my first time to be in a hotel room in Uganda that has an air conditioner. Wow - the lap of luxury. Just wanted to share my joy with all of you. Don't know if I'll ever leave here ;)

Okay, on to the real business:

Mutwahiru

• Mutwahiru had his surgery on Wednesday. Pastor Rogers took him to the hospital (4 hours away from Budaka) and stayed till after the surgery, then came back to Budaka. On Friday, Abby and I were going to Masaka and had to go fairly near the hospital, so we were able to visit him then. Today, on our way back, we also visited him. Friday he was still in a lot of pain, but today he was happy and excited about walking. I have included a picture of him laughing today. He and his mom were sitting out on the lawn - such a rare thing here in Uganda (lawns, that is) - getting fresh air. We let him call and talk with several of his friends at Cornerstone. He was smiling and laughing with them. So great to see him happy! When Pastor Rogers left on Thursday morning, Mutwahiru began crying. He truly loves his family at Cornerstone. The contraption on his leg is the lengthener. He will move out of the hospital tomorrow or Wednesday and then be in the family housing area for 2-3 more days before he can come home. We're so excited to have him back! Thanks to all of you who have been praying for him. And to Papa Mark and Mama Sharon for loving this boy so much.

Masaka

• Abby and I traveled to Masaka District to the village of Bukoto to help out at another ministry similar to Cornerstone - a church, school and orphanage. The ministry is called Agapé. We spent time encouraging the teachers, the women who make crafts to support themselves, with the church leaders and with the orphans on Saturday. We began at 7:30am meeting with Pastor Ronald, the director of the whole ministry, and we were back at our hotel (not the air conditioned one!) at about 7pm that evening. Then on Sunday, I spoke at the service and Abby did kids' ministry ("we have about 20 kids;" 91 showed up!). Parents from the school were there as we immediately went into a graduation for the Top Class (kindergarten). Many are non-churched people, but were very receptive to the teaching at church, as well as the speech I got to give about parenting, education and God. After the graduation, there was a celebration for all children at the school and their parents. At the end of that, we spent an hour or so with the orphans, showing them videos and pictures from the last time we were there (in August). They have never seen themselves in pictures and videos, so it was great fun to watch their reactions! 
• We were the first white visitors to the ministry...and to many in Bukoto we were the first whites that they had ever seen stay in Bukoto for 2 days! (We slept in Masaka - a larger town with some extra safety in place for westerners, but we were in Bukoto from early morning till evening Saturday and Sunday.)
• There is a picture of the kids who are under Pastor Ronald's care. We fell in love with them in August, and it was fun to reunite with them again this weekend. Pastor Ronald is on the far left, and Abby and I are on the far right. The kids include boarders at the school and many children whose parents cannot raise them for one reason or another.

Special Food in Bukoto

• At the meal during the celebration, they brought several dishes to us to eat. Most of them we knew and enjoy here. As they were bringing each of the dishes, Pastor Ronald said, "The teachers have prepared something special for you. May they bring it?" You have a picture of what was in this special dish - any guesses? Those are grasshoppers - their legs are pulled off and they are fried. All in all quite crunchy and not too bad...I just couldn't think about what it was while I was eating it. So sweet of the teachers to think of us ;)

Travel

• On Friday, when we were on our way to Masaka, the bus stopped in the Mabira Forest...a rainforest in Uganda...for a "short call." That's the time you can get off and relieve yourself - no bathrooms, just find a spot. Anyway, we don't ever get off (as you might guess), but were looking at the OTHER side of the bus and saw movement in the trees. What a great thing - we were treated to a large group of red-tailed monkeys swinging in the trees. They are fairly small monkeys, but it looks like their tails must be at least 12-18" long. Their whole body is brown, but the tails are a very distinctive red color. It was so fun (and much more fun than trying to avert our eyes from what was happening on the other side of the bus!). We got some pictures, but it's really hard to see the monkeys :(
• This morning (Monday), we traveled on a coaster (a small bus) back to Kampala to visit Mutwahiru and to rest for the night before heading back to Budaka tomorrow morning. We were in the back row - very bumpy ride! - and I kept smelling the exhaust and had to use a handkerchief to be able to breathe well. When we got to the hotel here (WITH air conditioning!), I saw that my legs were black from the knees down. Apparently, I was sitting on the side where the exhaust was coming in through the back door that did not shut snugly. Wonder what my lungs look like...O, Uganda!
• Also, whenever you travel in Uganda on a bus, they stop periodically at places where you can buy some small food...well, this time of year, you can buy baggies of grasshoppers that have been roasted. Here's a picture of the guy next to our bus window trying to sell us grasshoppers. (We didn't buy any...had enough yesterday!)

I will post some pictures and videos on the Facebook page for any who want to see more of our adventures! We are at Cornerstone Uganda Ministries on Facebook.

Thank you to all of you who make the ministry we do here possible. Thank you for supporting us financially, in prayer and with constant communication through email, snail mail and packages. I am so THANKFUL to all of you this Thanksgiving week. Have a great holiday!

Love,

Laurie

Nov 12th - Monday update

Thanks so much for waiting for a full report since I haven't kept up the last few weeks. I trust you all are doing well and are happy and healthy. Would love to hear from you! (Thanks to those of you who wrote and encouraged me this past week after the bug and ant pictures. I needed the encouragement, believe me!)

Here is what's been happening:

Ellen

• Teacher Ellen has returned to the States (last Tuesday night) and it sounds like she is having a great reunion with her family and friends. We are thankful that she was here for the 2 months to teach at the school, help with Sunday School, and spend time with our kids one on one and in groups. They gave her a great send off. Her life and ours have been changed for the good by the time she spent here. Please give her a pat on the back when you see her. Thanks to all of you who helped sponsor her in coming and serving at Cornerstone. Thank you, Teacher Ellen! Here's a picture of Ellen with all our kids and the boarders on her last morning with us.

Bakery

• We have secured a place here in Mbale to open up the bakery. We are ordering a counter and today hired our first employee to sell our products here. His name is Gerald and he has been trained in pastry and baking, a certificate course here for those who have completed high school. He will begin on Monday, along with a Maureen, who will work part time in the evenings. We are excited (and challenged) to train new employees. We will continue baking in Budaka for now, with the hope of moving the whole operation to Mbale within the next 2 months or so.
• Our new recipe, Millet Muffins, is a great hit with the Ugandans! It's like a bran muffin in the States - millet has a very earthy taste to it. I also order cream cheese from the cheese maker here (a Dutchman who lives in Uganda) and the muffins have a small amount of cream cheese in the middle of them. They sell for shs800, [$0.30] or about 31 cents each.
• Our biggest seller continues to be banana bread, which we sell in cupcake form for shs800 [$0.30] or slices from a loaf for shs1,000 [$0.37] each. I am told that the Millet Muffins may outsell the banana bread. We are excited to have the store up and running so we can control the presentation and care of our products more closely.

School

• The school year is ending (next week) and we will have a Parents' Day on the 24th. The kids will be presenting songs and dances, dramas, arts and crafts. Their parents will also pick up their report cards. Our 30 kids are doing very well...I will report on their scholastic progress after the 24th.
• We have about 125 students, including our 30, at the school currently.

Mutwahiru

• We took Mutwahiru last Thursday. The doctor is very pleased with the femur's strength and Mutwahiru is scheduled for surgery this Friday. He will be in the hospital for 7-10 days and then come home with an extender in his leg. Each day we will turn the key one turn and it will begin stretching the bone to match the other leg. Right now the shorter leg is 12cm shorter than the other one.
• In 6-8 months, both legs should be approximately the same length. Thanks to all of you who pray for this boy. Special thanks to Mark and Sharon who underwrite this boy's medical care. 
• I have included a picture of Dr. Antonio, Mutwahiru and the nurse as they were looking at his x-rays.

Flooding in Kampala

• On the way home with Mutwahiru, we encountered a huge traffic jam. Wondering what it was, we approached to find out there had been a very heavy rain in one area of Kampala and cars were having to carefully proceed. As you can see from the picture, the boda boda (motorcycle taxi) drivers didn't let this stop them. Glad I wasn't one of their passengers!

Masaka Trip

• Abby and I will be traveling to Masaka (in western Uganda) this weekend to spend time at an orphanage, church and school similar to ours. I will be speaking at the church on Sunday, we will be having fun with the kids, encouraging the teachers and spending time with the women's group that makes crafts to support their families. 
• The trip is about 6 hours from Budaka...through Kampala. We will go to see Mutwahiru into surgery and then go on from there to Masaka.
• Stories and pics from this trip next week...

Thanksgiving

• We will be celebrating Thanksgiving next week about 11 hours before all of you on the west coast. The 3 Peace Corps volunteers near us are coming over for a turkey dinner. Should be really fun! 
• Want you to know that we will be thanking God for all of you - your support in so many ways makes what we do here possible. Thank you...and thank God!

Have a wonderful day!

Laurie

Nov 9th - 4 days late...

Sorry for the late email, but there were a few disturbances in the force this week...

Saturday night we found a large bug in front of the house. You have 2 pictures of it...the bug on the ground and then Cephas, our night watchman, holding the bug by its back legs. Very large bug! Creepy.

But, it got creepier the next night when I walked down our hallway and saw the wall moving. Okay, walls don't move, right? But this one was definitely moving. On closer inspection, I saw it was a wall of ants moving upward. I got Cephas and we found even more ants. See the 3 pictures - the first is the wall ants after they were mostly gone, but as you can see many were still there. The 2nd is the ants in my doorway - they were obviously moving their nest as you can see from all the eggs they are carrying. The 3rd picture is of the ceiling of our bathing room, where there were literally thousands of ants. There were also ants in big clumps in Abby's room in several places, on the floor, in and outside the water jerry cans, etc, etc. We ended up not being able to sleep in the house. It was Ellen's next to last night with us - what a memory!!

We are interviewing people for the bakery job, we took Ellen to the airport Tuesday night, we took Mutwahiru to the doctor Thursday morning, and we got back last night after going through severly flooded streets in Kampala

Oct 29th - Back at 'ya!

It's been 2 weeks since I've written an update on Cornerstone...let's see if I can recap:

The team from E! was amazing! 

• Workshops for our teachers and headmaster, teaching classes, spending time with teachers 
• 2 pastors' conferences with a total of over 80 people in attendance...many pastors learning for the first time how to study the Bible and prepare a sermon (many people in the villages are appointed without any training) 
• Saturday School with 250+ kids in attendance...singing songs, having a snack, playing games and hearing about the Lost Sheep
• Field trip to Kampala with our 30 orphans and the staff...first time on an escalator for all our kids, and most of our staff...learning some history of Uganda at the king's palace...playing at Wonder World, a small amusement park
• Fun "American" time for Abby, Ellen and me...playing games, sharing American humor, talking about the election, etc.
• Teaching both weekends at church (Ann one weekend and Kevin the next) 
• All team members working with our kids and many others at Sunday School

We try to treat our guests well, so we "arranged" for the following:

• someone broke into our compound and stole our generator out of (what we thought was) its secure house 
• a 2 1/2 foot poisonous snake which the night watchman killed - about 1am
• many frogs hopping in and making themselves at home in their rooms
• a break-in of a car in front of us during a traffic jam. A guy punched the occupant and stole his cell phone 
• a speedy retreat, without our food, from a restaurant because we spotted a man who has threatened us
• planning by the airline's website for a delayed flight (almost 2 hours late), only to arrive at the airport and find the flight had already taken off on time. 24 hours' delay in getting home. 

Even with all these "bonuses," the team left an amazing legacy in Budaka. A huge thank you to all of them: Ann, Emily, Glenn, Kevin and Caley. Thanks, Guys!!

The children each got small group time with the team and SO enjoyed them. I have included some pictures from their time. The first 2 pics are when we were sitting and having lunch on the field trip. Each adult had 2 children throughout the day. You can see Caley with, from the left, Beatrice, Lisa (with her back to the camera) and Margret. The other pic is of Abby with some of the boys. If you look carefully, you will see Ann and Glenn in the background. The 3rd picture is of Brenda 2, Beatrice and Hope playing ball. The other kids were learning baseball from Kevin and these 3 were just not interested...The 4th pic is of Abby holding her birthday cake. That cake fed 75 people. The kids were thrilled to celebrate in an American fashion. They each gave a gift of telling one thing they really like about Abby.

All is getting back to normal - even my weekly emails ;). We hope to move the bakery this week to Mbale - more next week on this one!

Thank you all for supporting what God is doing here in Budaka. We are so glad to be partnering with you to touch these children's and adults' lives. May God bless you today!

Laurie

Calendars will be ordered Nov 15, in time for Christmas giving season. Let me know if you want some sent to you to buy or sell. Each month shows a different effect Cornerstone has had on individuals and the community of Budaka.

Oct 25th - Check it out

No long email right now - just a quick note to say check out our facebook page and see lots of pics of the team that was here, plus a video of Moses dancing today. You'll love it!
Laurie

Oct 15th - Oops - Tuesday morning

Friends and Family:

There was no time yesterday to send out a letter, so let me give you a short recap of this past week this morning:

• We did a 3-day conference with pastors out in Iki Iki. Pastors Ann and Kevin taught about the pastors' devotional life (using SOAP as a model), and basic hermeneutics principles. Great teaching and help to the pastors. I have included a picture of the pastors with their certificates for finishing. The team also brought all the senior pastors in attendance a study Bible. It was such a blessing for the pastors, and will be a great blessing for the Budaka district and the Bugwere tribe! 
• Glenn and Cayley have been at the school, teaching classes and doing a workshop with the teachers each afternoon. They have been so warmly welcomed, and have already made such an impact on the school. One day, after the workshop, Headmaster David went back after Glenn and Cayley had left and found the teachers dancing for joy at what they were learning! 
• Pastor Emily worked in the bakery 2 days with Abby and Monicah and came out to the pastors' conference one of the days to teach some sessions. Such a blessing to have such a positive, encouraging, willing-to-help-in-any-way woman!
• The team has spent as much of their extra time as possible with the kids. Here's a picture of Pastor Kevin teaching Sarah how to bat. He taught all of them how to play baseball. They loved the game and picked it up really quickly. 
• Church was great on Sunday as Glenn, Kevin, Emily and Cayley worked with our kids, 2 at each service, and Ann taught with the adults at both services. She taught about forgiveness and many were impacted to go and forgive those who had wronged them. Very cool! 

More happening, but will get back to you next week with the details. Sorry this email was so late.

Love you all! Thank you for your participation in what God is doing here!

Laurie

Oct 8th - Update

Greetings, Friends and Family!

As always, there have been many things happening this week in Budaka! Here are a few:

• We are so excited to receive the team from Evergreen the day after tomorrow! They should be getting on the plane to leave very soon from Portland. There are 5 people - 2 educators and 3 pastors. They will be working, respectively, with the school and the pastors in our area. We are anticipating great results from these endeavors, as well as the many other things we will be doing - Saturday School in a new village (Naboa), a "field trip" with our kids and staff, Sunday School and adult church with our Buzungu ("white") friends. They are bringing many things that we had to leave behind last time including more Bibles, labels for the bakery, screens for our windows, etc., etc. Please be in prayer for all of them as they travel and serve here in Budaka. Thank you.
• Four of our kids had earned enough in their allowance to get to go to Mbale and swim in the pool at the hotel on Saturday. They have to have shs10,000 [$3.72] (about $5) to purchase this trip. Abby and Ellen took them - hope to get the pics to you this next week. The kids who went were Mutwahiru, Sarah, Brenda 2 and Magdalene. It was, for all 4 of them, the first time to ever be in more water than for bathing. They splashed and played and had great fun. Well, I understand it took Magdalene (age 3) about 30 minutes to even get near the water, but then she began enjoying it with everyone else. It was great to hear about Mutwahiru, who walks with a very definite limp, being like the other kids in the pool! He will be having surgery in November to lengthen his leg, so we took him this time as he won't be able to swim again for some time.
• Aunt Betty (Pastor Rogers' wife) brought a group of the boys from the school down to dig in the front yard so we can plant eggplants there. You may remember we recently had sunflowers there. Those were picked, and these boys came to dig up the ground and get it ready for our next planting. (There are 2-4 growing seasons in Uganda depending on the dry and rainy seasons that year. We are on our 3rd season for this year --- tomatoes, then sunflowers and now eggplants.) I have sent you a picture of the boys as they are finishing the yard - there were about 15 boys who weren't involved in music, dance or sports that day. Our Cornerstone kids beg to come and dig at the house - they really enjoy it! The 2nd picture shows some boys building a "tent" over the bed of seedlings for the eggplant in the front yard. As soon as they are big enough, they will be transplanted in the front. The tent provides protection from both intense sun and intense rain. As the boys left, I thanked them and gave them each Skittles - they were thrilled to have American candies!
• The bakery is moving! We are hoping that by the beginning of November, we will have the move complete. Cornerstone Bakery will now have its own shop in Mbale. We will bake and sell from the shop. So, the whole operation is moving from Budaka. We have asked one of our trusted staff members to move and run it. We are looking in Kampala tomorrow for a display case for the products. As we have prayed about this business expanding and how to handle the workload from it, this seems to be the best move. We have a place picked out at a strategic point in Mbale. Thanks to all of you who have been sending suggestions and help, and praying for us in this transition. Right now, we will work with our current stove and refrigerator and move up in size as business continues to expand. (We are also looking at prices in Kampala for those things so we can better plan for the future.)
• I have sent a separate email to some of you about the 2013 calendars. If you would like to know more about how to access these for yourself and/or your school, church or business, just send me an email and I'll send the information. This is another of the small businesses we have to support Cornerstone. Thanks to all of you who bought 2012 calendars! You jointly raised enough for 1 month's income this year. 

Okay, got to get back to finish the preparations for the team coming. Have a wonderful day...and thank you again to all of you who are supporting Cornerstone in so many ways. You are making a huge impact on Budaka...it's kids, leaders, churches, and schools, as well as on Pastor Rogers and me!

Laurie

Oct 1st

Today is the first day of mid-term exams for the school and so there was "parade" this morning. Parade is an assembly of the children. The teachers, the Headmaster and the head prefect get to talk to them and encourage them about their tests. I also got to talk with them before they went in for their tests, encouraging them to do their best, as well as praying for them. I included a picture of parade for you to see. The teachers are on the sides. Let's play "Where's Waldo," and see which of you can find Ellen in the picture. Email me when you find her...

The Evergreen team will be here next week and so we are busy preparing for the pastors' conferences they will teach at, as well as getting things ready for Glen and Caley at the school - they will be doing workshops with our teachers. In getting ready for the pastors' conference in Iki Iki, a village near us, we found that there is a lot of infighting and the pastors couldn't decide on a church to have it in. All wanted it in their church, and wanted to bill it as their pastors' conference that they were offering to the other churches in the area. So, we have sent a pastor in to resolve the differences and invite everyone. He has chosen a neutral place, and it looks like all will attend.

I have been working on the 2013 calendar final pictures this week, and yesterday, was trying to get a picture of Magdalene, our youngest child. She came with stuff on her face (like any 3-year-old the world over...). I sent her back to wash her face, and Natasha found her and was washing her face. I said, "Natasha, where did you get the water for her face?" She said, "I have water here." I have sent you a picture of the "here" she was talking about. She had been mopping the cement in front of the orphanage, and used the water you see in the basin at her feet to clean Magdalene's face. I'll bet you had the same reaction I did - "YUCK! That's gross!" But, to both of them, it was business as usual. And...I got a great picture of Magdalene for the calendar.

Things are going well - everyone is healthy again, no threats to our lives this week, life is good! (Well, the electricity has been off a total of about 3 days this week off and on, but it's a little thing...) I am so thankful for all of you and your support for Cornerstone. The 2013 Cornerstone calendar has pictures of some of you...

Have a great day!

Laurie

Sep 24

Good afternoon, my friends!

It's a fairly cool day in Budaka...actually had to wear a sweatshirt this morning! We are all doing well today. Quite a few of our kids, as well as most of our staff, have been sick this past week, but most are back today and doing well. The only notable exception is Junior, who has spent the last 2 days at the hospital on drips for malaria. He comes home in the evening to spend the night. Junior rarely gets sick, so we all have been quite concerned. He seems to be getting better now, after 2 days of medication, so we are encouraged. All who have been sick have either had malaria, flu or a combination of those 2 things.

A Great Find for Cornerstone Bakery
We found vanilla beans this week! They are dried and are shs20,000 for 1/2 kg [$7.43 USD] (about $10 for a pound). I'm so excited to know they grow here and are available...at least in Jinja. I also found liquid vanilla in Kampala and it was shs20,000 [$7.43 USD] or a liter. We will see what is better and which is more cost effective for the bakery. It's so fun to have vanilla back in the bakery goods! Now I have to find a mortar and pestle so I can grind the vanilla beans...
We found the vanilla, along with other spices we have looked for, in a market in Jinja (about 2 hours away from Budaka). I have included 2 pictures of the spices we found. You can see cinnamon (looks like pieces of bark), as well as cloves and curry, coffee (not really a spice, you might say). It was a really nice market. As a matter of fact, I also really liked the way one of the seller of beans displayed his work - so colorful! Hope you enjoy the picture too.

Learn Luganda
We were following the car you have a picture of and I asked Pastor Rogers, "How do you say that word, and what does it mean?" Some of you are going to love this: the word is pronounced "fa - coo - bee - bee - yo" with the emphasis on the first "bee" sound. Okay, ready for the meaning? It means, "It's none of your business." Such a funny statement on a car. Now you know some Luganda, the most used Ugandan language after English. Abby and I say it to each other sometimes. Kinda fun. Some of you will take a while to process why...

2013 CALENDAR

By the end of October, we will have the 2013 Cornerstone Calendar ready for purchase. The calendar this year shows the effects of Cornerstone on the community, the church, the children, Rogers, and even some of you! Each month shows a different effect. Thanks to Matt and Dena who are designing the pages and providing helpful direction. I hope you all will get a calendar...and perhaps give them as Christmas gifts this year! For those of you at churches and/or schools (or just those who want to order many of them), we can let you know how to get boxes of them delivered to your nearby Costco to pick up and sell. Just email me if you are able and/or willing to take some to sell. They sell for $20 each, with all proceeds going directly to helping the children at Cornerstone.

Okay, enough for today - it's already after 5pm and I have to get back home before dark (dark is always at 7pm here near the equator!). Have to stop 2 places (the "supermarket" and the cheese* place) before going back, then it's 1/2 hour back home to Budaka.

*Ugandans don't eat cheese, so this was quite a find. It's expensive, but so fun to eat.

Thank you so much for loving us, praying for us, and giving to support the work that God is doing here. You are loved and prayed for also!

Laurie

Sep 17th - Monday in...Kampala??

Wow - things happen fast around here sometimes! Just a short review of the past 4 days:

Wednesday

• We get news that the ambassador and 3 others were killed in Libya.
• Pray for the families of these and begin checking the news to see if this affects us (Uganda and Libya have strong ties - Kadhaffi gave billions of shillings to Uganda to build mosques here several years ago)

Thursday

• We send samples to Elia in Kampala so he can find business for Cornerstone Bakery there
• The U.S. embassy in Kampala sends out an "urgent" email to not go to Kampala 
• One of the Peace Corps workers comes to get bakery goodies and tells us the Peace Corps has contacted all it's people in Uganda and they are not to travel to Kampala for any reason until further notice
• Continue checking the news to see if we are safe

Friday

• A text comes from the embassy, reminding me to not go to Kampala
• Abby, Ellen and I are behind a locked gate at all times - no American goes anywhere alone, even to the orphanage, day or night. All movements outside the house (even within our "compound") must be with another person
• We send (through a Ugandan) 60 cupcakes to Kampala, where we have someone (Elia) finding business for Cornerstone Bakery
• The cupcakes don't arrive at 4pm on the bus
• The cupcakes don't arrive at 8pm on the next bus 
• The cupcakes finally arrive at midnight on the final bus of the day
• Elia calls and has 3 other places that want cupcakes. One supermarket wants 100 cupcakes for each of its 2 locations.

Saturday 

• I begin worrying about how in the world we will make 260 cupcakes extra a week and transport them with unreliable transportation
• Elia calls to say that 7 of the 60 cupcakes were ruined when the bus company crushed a part of the box and plastic containers they were in 
• I worry more. We made 64 cupcakes this morning and it took 4 1/2 hours (our oven is quite small). How will we keep up?
• The Lord speaks to me from Psalm 23 - He leads me beside quiet waters...He MAKES me lie down in green pastures...He restores my soul...He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. I am back at peace 

Sunday

• We have one of our biggest Sundays at church. Pastor Rogers teaches on the motivational gifts in Romans 12. People respond - it is the first time for many to hear that the Holy Spirit gives gifts. Over 2/3 of the congregation in both services stand in response to the invitation to all the Holy Spirit to do His work through them. Amazing. 
• Pastor Rogers and I realize we need to go to Kampala and see/visit with the managers, as well as help Elia in reasonable orders for where we are at now. We know we must go on Monday. Is it safe for me, an American, to go?

Monday

• In the wee hours of the morning, some flying insect gets in my left ear, buzzing and flapping its wings. I'm up most of the night worrying about bugs in my brain...oh, the things our minds do in the middle of the night...
• We leave at 6am for Kampala. We plan to spend the night.
• We get to Kampala about 9:30 and begin going to businesses. After 7 places, Elia is comfortable enough with the products, we know we can go back today instead of tomorrow. 
• We go to the market to get new baking pans and cupcake liners, as well as packaging sleeves, vanilla and new containers.
• We finally get lunch at 3:45pm and now we will leave to head home, stopping in Jinja at a supermarket that wants to carry our products. Should be home by 9 or 10, tired, but at least in Budaka not Kampala

Hope you enjoyed a little of my past few days. This doesn't include the times at the orphanage playing "air jump rope" with the kids (picture included!) They play this, not because they don't have jump ropes, but because the little ones can't jump in time. This way they can. Each girl at the ends holds small sticks which they turn as you would a jump rope. Clever!

Also included a picture of the group at our house this weekend. Abby and Ellen read, played and worked with the group this week while I repaired 20+ uniforms on the sewing machine. The boys in the picture are, from left, Mutwahiru, Charles, Dovico and Emma.

Got to go to the store and pick up a few things before we leave. Talk to you all again next week - hopefully all will be calmer!

Thank you to those who are praying for us (have a had a few emails and FB postings of people woken up in the middle of the night to pray - thank you for listening!). We feel loved and supported by all of you! Have a wonderful day!

Laurie

Sep 11th - Cornerstone kids

Just a quick note to those of you who support the work here in Budaka in so many ways. Thank you!! Here is a new way of helping our kids you may want to take advantage of.

We are setting up college/trade school accounts for our kids so when they have finished at the orphanage, they have the funds available to go on to get an education for some kind of career here in Uganda. $10 a month put in savings now (in America) will be enough for even our oldest child (Brenda 1 who is about 13 and in 5th grade) to be able to go for further education.

We have 4 of our children already sponsored in this way. If you would like to be a sponsor, just send me an email and let me know who you want to sponsor and I will let you know how you can do that.

I have included a picture of all the kids, so if there is a particular "face" you'd like to support, just let me know which. Also, here are our kids' names, if you'd like to choose one from the list.

• Amos - already sponsored
• Bartholomew
• Beatrice
• Brenda 1 - already sponsored
• Brenda 2
• Charity
• Charles (twin with Ronald)
• Christine
• David
• Doreen 
• Dovico
• Emma (boy)
• Hellen
• Isaac
• Joel
• John
• Junior
• Lisa
• Magdalene
• Margret
• Moses
• Mutwahiru - already sponsored
• Natasha
• Oliver (girl)
• Peter
• Ronald (twin with Charles)
• Sarah
• Stephen (twin with William)
• Vanessa 
• William

Thanks for all that you do for Cornerstone...and Budaka...and Uganda. God bless you!

Laurie

Sep 10th - God is good!

Greetings on this rainy, cold Monday in Mbale! Wow - those words sound like Oregon or Washington, not Uganda. I'm sipping my 2nd pot of African tea (hot milk, tea and sugar), trying to get warm. What a change!

A few things to report to all of you:

1. As Pastor Rogers and I were working on budgeting this morning, we were amazed to find that in the first 5 months of this year, an average of 27% of our income was from our businesses here in Uganda. Wow! God is so good. We get discouraged periodically about what is not there...but when we can see that the businesses really are making money that is going to support the work, we stand back amazed. I told many of you when I was in the States that we are working toward being 50% self-supporting by the end of 2012. We are well on our way. 
2. One of our businesses, the bakery, will be expanding to both Jinja and Kampala in this next month. Jinja is a large town at the headwaters of the Nile River. Kampala is the capital city of Uganda. Both of these will be huge steps forward for Cornerstone Bakery!
3. Ellen Zulauf has arrived and has jumped right in to the work here. We are glad to have an addition to our "muzungu" staff, if only for 3 months' time. I have attached a picture of the kids welcoming her. Hellen and David are doing a traditional dance of welcome, and the end of the dance includes bowing in front of her, as you can see in the picture. 
4. We visited several places in Kampala this past Thursday and Friday to find the right place(s) for our kids to go on a field trip with the E! team that is coming in October. One place we are pretty sure we will visit is the Kabaka's Palace. Kabaka means "king" in Luganda. Most tribes in Uganda have a king over them. This palace is for the king of the largest tribe, the Buganda. You can see his palace in the background behind Pastor Rogers and I. 
5. Our kids are doing well. We have had a few with malaria in the past couple of weeks, but everyone seems to be recovering well. Our only child who is weak physically right now is Lisa, who has TB. Thanks to all of you who are praying for her. I have included a picture of her with 3 other girls. Lisa is the 2nd from the left in the picture. (The others are, from left, Doreen, Brenda 2 and Magdalene in front.) 

We had some Ugandan issues today in trying to finish the work in Mbale, so I am finishing this email at home under my mosquito net. It is 9:15 pm now...11:15 am for you on the west coast of the US. Hopefully the pictures will come through for you.

Thank you all for your great support of what we are doing here in Budaka! Your prayers, your money, your emotional support...they all are making a difference in many peoples' lives here. The 2013 Cornerstone calendar will be all about the effects of Cornerstone Ministries on all of us, both here in Budaka and in the States. I'll let you know when they are available for sale...another one of our small businesses that support this work!

Have a great day!

Laurie

Sep 3

Friends and Family:

It's a great Monday morning here - it's just after midnight Monday for you on the west coast of the States - the sun is shining, it's about 75 degrees. I have just delivered banana and chocolate muffins to 4 places in Mbale, stopped to pick up 2 amoxacillan (sp?) tablets since I forgot mine in Budaka :(. But at least here in Uganda I can get any medicine without a prescription! 2 tablets were 200 shillings, or about 10 cents. Not bad.


Graduation
On Saturday I spoke at a graduation party for one of our church members, Difasi. He has gone back to school and received his bachelor's degree in veterinary science. He already had completed a certificate program some years ago in this discipline. The party began at 9am, which in Uganda means you don't come till 1pm or so. The first picture is of Pastor Rogers and I sitting and waiting...at 1pm. Notice there are no people there yet...The program actually began at 1:30. The 2nd picture is of Difasi coming through the "graduation arch." He is cutting the ribbon, signifying that he has completed his schooling. There were many speeches - mine was the first and I spoke for only about 10 minutes (with interpretation). At about 4:30, there were still speakers, they had set up another tent (for a total of 5) and all chairs were full. Abby and I left then - I was still a bit weak from the sickness last week - and talked with Pastor Rogers at 6pm. The speeches were still going on! The party finally broke up about 7pm. Too many speeches for me - I think there were 18 scheduled, and some of those invited others to come and say "a few words" while they were speaking.

Saturday Special
We had 4 kids again this weekend (on Sunday because of the graduation party) for games, books and fun together. I have included a picture of the 4 with me. They are, from the left, Brenda 2, Vanessa, Stephen and Bartholomew. They got to play with Legos and I made a video of them telling about the object they had made - trying to encourage creative thinking. We played a shape/color Bingo game, tossed bean bags into a basin and read books. At the end, they each get a treat. Yesterday it was a Jolly Rancher. The last picture is all of us looking in my (very dusty) mirror at the colors on our tongues! (For most of these children, it is the first time to see themselves in a mirror. Fun on many levels!)

Leadership Team outing
Last night we had the Leadership Team down (8 children - 2 are on suspension right now for behavior issues) and showed them pictures of the Mars Rover, talked about planets and stars, got online to show them what a parachute looks like falling from the sky, and had planned to show them Mars in the sky, but the weather didn't cooperate. Another day we will show them. It is so amazing to talk with them about outer space - they have no concept. We showed them a picture of the earth from outer space - really difficult to wrap their minds around. It doesn't look like all the drawn pictures they have seen.

A Visitor is Coming
We're so excited to welcome Ellen this Friday - she is coming to spend 3 months with us, helping in the bakery, teaching science for the 4th and 5th graders, hanging out with our kids, teaching Sunday School, and, I'm sure, many many other things. The kids, the church and the school are really looking forward to having her, as are Abby and I!


My body is on the mend...after changing antibiotics Friday...and I feel much stronger today! Thanks for praying! We have 3 with malaria right now - Brenda 1, Natasha and Isaac. Please pray for them. Also, continue to pray for Lisa who has TB. She's getting better by the day, but it is a long process.

God bless you all. Thank you for your support emotionally (emails, phone calls, fb messages), financially and spiritually. You are all great partners in what God is doing here in Budaka.

Laurie

Aug 27th - Uganda or Egypt?

Greetings, Friends and Family!

As I went "out back" (Ugandan euphemism for going to the latrine) the other evening, I couldn't help but think we were in Egypt instead of Uganda...and many years in the past. There were frogs everywhere in the yard! (Sometimes there are as many as 20 frogs on our front porch in the evenings.) When I got to the latrine, there were gnats galore on the walls, the floor and even on the toilet seat. Earlier in the day there had been flies in the hundreds (okay, maybe dozens) also in the latrine. So, we have 1/3 of the plagues that God brought on the people of Egypt. (And, of course, don't forget about our chickens dying last year. So, actually almost 1/2 of the plagues!) Checking jerry cans for any water that has turned to blood...

Okay, on to more serious issues.

Today was the first day of 3rd term at Cornerstone Primary Day and Boarding School. Our kids have had a great vacation time, but they are always anxious for their other friends to return for school. However, when they had to get up at 5:30am to get ready, they were not so excited ;)

Our Leadership Kids (10 of our older children who are being trained as leaders) came 3x a week during the holiday to do traditional crafts down at the visitors' side of our duplex. After their craft time on Saturday, they were playing on the sand hill outside our front door. I have included 4 pics of them playing King of the Hill. Well, the first one I asked them stand nicely so you could see them...and the 4th one was after they were tuckered out from playing and throwing each other off. Just thought you'd enjoy seeing our kids being kids!

Also on Saturday, we bring a group of 4 or 5 kids to our house for some extra-curricular fun school work. This week we had 4 of the youngest ones: Lisa, Isaac, Magdalene and Doreen. I have included 2 pictures - one where they are playing with legos and the other where Teacher Abby is reading to them. Many of you gave the Legos last year for us to bring. Thank you again for this help with learning colors, spacial relationships, sharing and talking about things you have made. Many of you also gave books for the kids to read. We let them each choose a book and then we read each of their books to all of them, pointing out words, colors, shapes and animals they may know. They LOVE to be read to...even the older kids really enjoy when either Teacher Abby or I read to them.

Thanks to all of you who pray for us. Some of you know that I have been quite sick this week...first they thought malaria, then TB. But, turns out it's "just" an acute upper respiratory infection. Glad to be able to come to Mbale today after 4 days of bed rest and 2 days of minimal activities. Thanks again for praying!

We have 2 new staff members, Noah and Jackson. They replace Guster (the "dad") and David (the cook) who has become now the night watchman. We are looking for an additional person now who can be a sales person for the bakery, who will be paid a minimal salary with commission for sales over a certain amount. I'd like to have someone in place within the next 2 weeks so we can begin training him/her. The bakery is at a juncture and with the right person can expand exponentially now.

It's time to go home and rest again, so I will say goodbye for now. Thanks to all of you who write and tell me about your lives. I love hearing what's happening in the States with all of you. Thank you, too, to all of you who support Cornerstone in so many ways. I appreciate you!

Laurie