...:::One week down, ??? to go:::...

I can’t believe it has already been a week since I arrived here in Uganda. It has been an eventful week in terms of getting to have good quality time as a family, but uneventful in terms of the whole adoption process.

Just a fun story for those of you at home…

On Friday the water was “over” as they say here in Uganda. Our small water tank was empty and we had a sink full of dishes, clothes to wash, a toilet to flush…you know all the things that require water!! Not to mention the fact that I didn’t take a shower Friday morning because I was just planning on taking one Friday night. (Lesson learned, if there is water, take a shower!) So hoping we would get water back soon we held out until Saturday, but it was still not there! So Jamesdon had a plan, the fixer that he is, to get water from the underground water catchment downstairs from our apartment (luckily we are in a country where rainwater is easy to come by!) So we tied a rope to a bucket that I threw down into the water catchment and let it fill up with water. I pulled the bucket back up, full of water, and since buckets full of water are not the easiest to carry up a flight of stairs, Jamesdon decided to tie another rope around a second bucket that he threw over the edge of the balcony. So I poured my water into the second bucket and Jamesdon pulled the bucket up to the second story and emptied the water into a large Rubbermaid container. We repeated this about 20 times.  But at least we had semi clean rain water to use.

After doing all the hard work of getting the water, we were not about to use it frivolously. First things first, the toilet, In times of water shortage, we live be the credo, “if it’s yellow, let it mellow, if it’s brown, flush it down” (I actually believe that is the worst part about losing water).  I then  boiled a little for washing the dishes, one basin for washing and another basin with the boiled water for rinsing! The boys also got a nice bucket bath that night. Daniel said he actually prefers a bucket bath to our shower, which to be honest so do I! (Side note: Our shower has an instant hot water heater attached, but the problem is, it gets way too hot because the water pressure is too low, so taking a shower consists of turning on the hot water heater until the water is too hot to bear and then switching it off until it is too cold to bear and then repeat. It is usually about 30 to 60 seconds between the switching on and the switching off.  Lucky for me, if I stand on my toes, I am just tall enough to reach the switch! Needless to say our showers are not very lengthy!) Anyhow, we ended up getting the water back on Monday. And life was back to normal! And by normal, I mean Daniel does not get yelled at for flushing the toilet after he only goes pee!

We went to church on Sunday and Jamesdon was asked to lead worship this coming week. I was really praying that he would find opportunities here to lead worship to help keep him distracted from the lack of progress with the courts. We also got to go fishing and have dinner with friends! Jamesdon and I are really learning how to work together to accomplish all the things we need to get done (washing clothes by hand and ironing everything becomes quite a task)! The boys are having an amazing time getting to experience new things, including catching cockroaches, holding rabbits, fishing, chasing goats, 

 

driving in really bad traffic (they don’t really mind it, Jamesdon and I do!) and visiting friends! Daniel has had to be creative with his worship music, without his guitar, but cardboard boxes make pretty good drums in his mind!

In terms of the courts...

we have been talking with our lawyer often, but still have nothing new to report. While I was really hoping that I would get here and we would have a court date right away, I know that God has a plan that is way bigger than the one I have made up in my head!

So we continue to wait, but in the meantime, Jamesdon and I are making an effort to visit

projects that are on the ground here, just trying to learn more about how God is using people here and what He is doing to better this country.  This week we went out to visit some very dear friends of ours in Bombo and Wobulenzi, and got to visit Donela Orange School which is sponsored by Align Ministries. I had a chance to meet with some of the science teachers and sit in on a biology lesson for the Senior 1

students. It is amazing how much the school has grown in the past 2 years and to see the amazing work that it being done there. We will be headed back there next week and then we will be off to Gulu to visit some friends and continue to wait for our court date!

Thanks for all your continued prayer and support. We are so thankful for all of you!

...:::last two weeks = AWESOME:::...

A few months ago I was approached by Jeff Atherstone, the principal at Gaba Bible Institute (GBI), to join him and an American film crew in the creation of a handful of promo videos for ARM. I didn't really think much of it at the time, but have got to say that I feel so blessed to have gotten the chance to work on such a noteworthy project.

The First week had us all over Kampala shooting various projects and getting stories by the people affected by them and those affecting change. The stories have been so incredible and a true testament to what God's doing over here!
This week has taken the four of us, Jeff Atherstone, Jacob Lewis, Jeff Henson, and myself, to the North of the country. First Soroti, and then Lira. We've been documenting the struggles that Ugandan pastors face on a daily basis, and I gotta say it's really opened my eyes! It seems I've come so accustom to noticing the young and the sick, that I've never really thought about the welfare of the shepherds. It's really crazy to realize that almost every pastor here has had no training what so ever, and since their not really looked at as a big investment by their village, no one is willing to send them to bible school. Seems a bit strange but here's how it traditionally works;
A community will come together to fund a village member who shows a good amount of potential in the hope that that vary member will then return home and get a good paying job. That person is then expected to turn around and fund others in the community to enable them to achieve the same thing. The problem with this system is that most Ugandan's know that a full time pastor will most likely end up a poor man, making it less enticing to want to send them to school. It's a scary thing to think about since these figure heads are the ones looked to in times of crisis but will be the first to tell you how ill-equipped they are. 
That's why this week has been so great! Not only have I been able to work with an amazing group of guys on a fantastic team, but I've also grown in an understanding of what the church here really needs. Equipped Leaders!
I now want to ask you for two things...
First and foremost, PRAY!
Pray for the conditon of the church nt only here in Uganda, but at home and all over the world. Pray that God brings healing and colaberation to the many communities that are the church.
Secondly, I would ask that anyone who reads this will take a look at what GBI is doing and really consider how easy it could be for you to take part in the transformation!