Catching Up

Catch up time: I don’t even remember when I last sent a note to the blog! We have been so busy and there has been no time to get to an Internet Café and wait for the pages to load. The net is so slow here…it is dial-up and it takes forever! On Thursday, we put the pieces of the bike together…finally. I didn’t think we were ever going to get to it. The painting and such for the school really consumed our time. But, the bike got into one piece and we jumped into the car for the long drive back to Kampala. It takes us about 6 ½ hours to make the trip and it is still a hard drive. I know I have written about it earlier. And, it gets longer each time we make it!? We arrived late on Thursday in Kampala and had some dinner. We stayed at a different hotel… the one we stayed in last March when I came with the Antonian kids. It is a great place to stay and we slept very well. Barr and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary on Friday. It is such an achievement to be married for so long. The rest of the day was spent at the most wonderful outdoor marketplace that only happens two times a month. I have never seen so much to buy! There were great beads and so different types that we bought to bring up to Molly to see if she can make them. It was such fun. We had a delightful lunch and headed back to the hotel to let Barr, Kristy, and Bryan prepare for their 10:30 p.m. flight to Amsterdam. I know they were all so glad to leave. This is not an easy trip at all. And, it was sad to say “goodbye” to them, but I also know that there is so much left to do here in Gulu. We drove to Gulu yesterday. It was a sobering trip. Deo had received a call that his three-year-old cousin had died of the measles and he needed to go by and pay his respects since he was going to be with us for the rest of the trip. I just grieved that a precious little girl lost her life to a disease that we have all but eradicated in the U.S. I spent a great deal of thought in the car on the way back to Gulu. I just wonder what the framers of the Declaration of Human Rights were thinking when they crafted that document. I suppose they just thought that having water, food, and medicine was “a given.” I am still sad about seeing that life-less body and the mother who was trying to be brave for the rest of the family. Honestly, it just isn’t fair and I can’t think of anything I can do about it. The time spent in the car was good. Deo and Irene are with us and they are the cutest couple I know! I spent a lot of time looking at the clouds that covered the sky and threatened rain. I could find lions and elephants in the sky that covered the park where the real animals live. We did arrive very late, again, and I had to stay back in the room to prepare for the sermon that I was going to preach at both services today. Heather brought me back some fresh fruit and I was finally “at peace with the world.” The pineapple here is indescribable. I don’t think I will ever want fresh fruit again after being at the tree as it is being cut. Church here is great! These people really know how to worship. It is very loud, but orderly. The people speak in tongues and they dance a lot. They really know how to have a great time while worshipping God. We were in church from 8:00 until 1:00. I preached at both services. I am tired. Heather and I just made a stale peanut butter sandwich in the room and we are going to take naps. Tomorrow will be a very busy day. We will wrap the bike and start moving the sewing machines into the school. Kristy, Bryan, and Heather did an awesome job of painting it. I know the women will be so proud to be part of this training. It is a joy to see this all finally unfolding. Hope you are well!!!!!