Tuesday, October 16, 2012

meanwhile...

Yesterday:
Amy tries to teach preschool but a stomach virus hit hard, knocking Amy out of commission for the day (but thankful that our house has indoor plumbing!)
Meanwhile...
Travis has a morning of ministry meetings with teammates
Meanwhile...
The Stevens' neighbor cut the water pipes so the land next to their fence eroded which made the cow fence fall down. While the fence was being repaired, the cows went over the fence into the gardens of two neighbors. One female neighbor was satisfied with money to purchase seeds for replanting. The other elderly male neighbour whose garden was not as affected demanded the equivalent of a teacher's monthly salary for the missing leaves of his plants. Travis sat with the local councilman, the elders, the cow worker, and the garden owners. Though the price he demanded was outrageous, the man would not budge until the local councilman offered a compromise (which was still outrageous). At the peak of the negotiations, the man received a phone call that his sick wife in DRC had died. The group erupted in wailing and mourning. Needless to say, Travis gave him the (ridiculous) compromised price.
Meanwhile...
Miss Pamela called to say that RMS was moving to her house. Lilli had gone to check on the rabbit Clover only to find mpali, biting safari ants, had invaded the front room of the school. She and Pamela rescued Clover before the mpali killed him. They then found ribbons of mpali invading every room of the school. When Lilli went to check on the school goat Moringa, she found him paralyzed in one place, afraid to move for the mpali surrounding him. Quickly, they removed him from the schoolyard. After retrieving books and animals and paying someone to use the kerosene/water solution to move the mpali away, RMS (including animals) was held at Pamela's house.
Meanwhile...
Chrissy and her parents are traveling the bumpy road  to Bundibugyo.
Meanwhile...meanwhile...meanwhile...
Somedays in Bundibugyo are so varied, unexpected, and outrageous that I wonder what God is up to in the midst of it all.


papa's visit, part 2

Papa teaches students and local pastors for 2 days at Grace International Institute of Theology. GIIT was begun by several local pastors who desire to give other local pastors the opportunity for theological training without having to leave the district which is a hardship on their families, especially in this extremely poor district. GIIT is in its first year and is meeting at the community center. They are truly laying down their lives to serve their fellow pastors. We are humbled and encouraged by their passion and work.





The completed treehouse!
Papa enjoys one on one time with Aidan. It is a joy to have family visit as the kids grow and develop so much while they are apart!

Papa is the Mystery Reader at RMS

Aidan and Moringa the goat play at RMS

Papa meets Oliver, the student that he and my mother sponsor through the OVC program.
The early morning view of the snowcaps on the mountains from our back porch always amazes me.
The sunsets are spectacular too.

csb: water harvesting tanks and candidates








Monday marked the beginning of the Uganda National Examinations Board exams for the S4 and S6 students. While the rest of the CSB students continue in their schoolwork for the next 6 weeks, these two classes will take the exams that will determine whether or not they continue in their studies.

Recently, we were guiding a CSB graduate who was applying to university. The application consisted of three questions: Name, UNEB score, and who would pay the tuition. The UNEB score is the whole basis for qualification for studies.

On Sunday, the CSB students gathered for singing, prayer, and Bible teaching. It was a privilege to pray for these students as they begin their exams.

S4 and S6 students sing for the rest of CSB
Head Teacher Edward leads prayer for the students.

What a great shirt!
 Thanks to many generous donors who responded to the need for rainwater harvesting tanks, CSB students and staff will now have a water supply when the incoming road construction disrupts the water lines. Josh and his assistants have been tirelessly installing the gutter system and the tanks.


Water engineer Dr Josh is pretty pumped about the near completion of this job!





papa visits

Papa meets with the leaders of Grace International Institute of Theology to present them with African Leadership materials before his two days of teaching.
Papa and Patton work on the foundation for the treehouse.

Aidan works too.
Patton had just put mud on Lilli; all three children were mudsoaked after this picture! 
Papa holds Amos, the son of my friend Sharifa


Sharifa, Amy, Papa, Amos

our first flight into bundibugyo

As my dad was only in Uganda for a few days, we decided to fly into Bundibugyo. Though we have greeted and said farewell to countless numbers of people flying with MAF, this was our first flight into Bundibugyo...and it was AMAZING!




Crater lakes of Fort Portal


A sighting of the glacier peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains; a truly spectacular sight on the equator!


Aerial view of WHM: The building that has two wings on it (above the road) is the community centre. Across the street from that is the Steven's house. The furthest building (upwards on the photo) is RMS. Our house is the furthest up but on the right, just before a huge dip for the river and then forest. We could even see our cows from our aerial viewpoint!
Christ School Bundibugyo
What was once a quiet village has now become a crowded and busy market trading center: Nyahuka Town
As we descended, the plane got stuck in the mud and tall grass that had been slashed.
Pilot Simon attached the MAF plane to the back of the vehicle that Chrissy drove to pick us up.



After several hours of work, the plane was freed and returned to MAF airport to continue its work of transporting missionaries to remote and distant places. We are so grateful for our partners in service, Mission Aviation Fellowship.


kampala rendevous

It was a complete joy to meet up with Miss Anna who taught Lilli and Patton for 2 1/2 years in Bundibugyo and now teaches missionary kids at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya
Lilli said, "This is a double special day because we are with TWO special teachers!" We loved going to the movie "Brave" a perk of going into the city.
Aidan reminded us of the three little brothers...so much energy!
Just like old times...all squished in the backseat of the car!
Meeting Papa at the airport in Entebbe!

And walking around the ARA, on a dream playground!