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