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
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
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:
Love you all! Thank you for your participation in what God is doing here!
Laurie
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!
Love you all! Thank you for your participation in what God is doing here!
Laurie
Monday, October 8, 2012
Oct 8th - Update
Greetings, Friends and Family!
As always, there have been many things happening this week in Budaka! Here are a few:
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
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
Monday, October 1, 2012
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!
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
Monday, September 24, 2012
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!
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
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sep 17th - Monday in...Kampala??
Wow - things happen fast around here sometimes! Just a short review of the past 4 days:
Wednesday
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!
- 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)
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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?
- 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
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
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
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.
Thanks for all that you do for Cornerstone...and Budaka...and Uganda. God bless you!
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)