Home from Uganda!!

We are home! Well, we've been home for 4 weeks now, but it took us a good 2 weeks to catch up on sleep and switch back into the "American lifestyle" of go, go, go!! I honestly think this is the hardest part of our reverse culture shock. The pace of life here is so incredibly fast and so full all the time, every day and every week that it definitely takes some adjusting to get used to it. On the other hand, the "fullness" of friendship and family mixed with life is so what we love, cherish and missed!!

I had grandiose plans to finish up a few stories from our last 2 months in Uganda for this blog post but unfortunately I haven't put them together. So,..instead I thought I'd take the easy way out and just post some fun photos from our last trip to Arua, Uganda. I do have so many stories to share and will get to them as soon as I can. For now, enjoy some pics from the pearl of Africa!! (Uganda)

This is a common practice in Uganda called "smearing". They use a mixture of mud and cow dung and they plaster their homes. It gives the huts a really beautiful look.

Hanging with Jeff's co-workers for a International Conference on Rodent Biology and Management...in South Africa!!

Fatu and O looking for seashells on the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe, Uganda.

One of the few Muslim mosques in the city we live in, Arua.

Our favorite Indian restaurant in Arua. They make a mean chicken masala and chicken tikka masala!! Our "usual" table was the one on the far left on the outside patio.

Our really tall friend Robert and the kids. Robert works at the plague lab and he's an amazing guy. We've known him for 5 years now since we met him on our first trip to Arua in 2005.

This was a gift from Jame's mom, Grace. He is the boy that had severe double club feet and is currently walking around on his new feet!! Our church community, Bridestone and our fam' helped to pay for his surgery and needs. His mom arrived at our house in Arua with a bag full of food to say thank you!

A man taking his load of coal to sell at the market or bringing it home for his own use.

Had to take this shot because it's so common to see random signage in Africa or lots of misspelled signs! This is actually our friends funny mistake and the sign was taken down in a day.
Our friend carrying timber very gracefully on her head. The women are incredibly strong, it amazes me!!

A cutey pie on Palm Sunday playing with her palms.

Palm Sunday. This was one of my favorite days. The dirt roads were packed with people waving their palm leaves and singing worship songs. The roads were dotted with palms everywhere you walked, it was beautiful.

My girlfriends found the very first coffee shop in Arua! This was like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow! There was a real espresso machine and yes, a steamer!! Still can't believe I had latte in Arua...wow!!

Soccer in the capital of Uganda, Kampala

THIS IS OSUUBI! Yup, this is the dried beans of the Osuubi plant. Jeff made a killer good Osuubi soup for the whole family! We decided as a family to try all of the local foods, although we didn't succeed. We missed the grasshoppers and well, we passed up the opportunity to try the fried ants, but maybe next time!!

Fatu and friends at Ombachi church.

Another day at the water well in Ombachi village.

This is Katrin, our friend in Arua, and Osobie during some of the filming for the 2 minute documentary film that was submitted to a BBC competition. Katrin did an amazing job and Osobie was real trooper while we filmed for many days.

I had to take this photo so I could show our families and friends what some of the latrines will be like when they all come to visit us in Uganda!! :) hint, hint

The beloved fabric market!! I LOVE this place and the beautiful designs on the wax material and kantenge's! I could spend hours here if it wasn't for running out of spending money and the intense heat of the market.

Main roads of ARUA

Crusade posters are a common site in Arua.

Friends!!

Traffic jam of Ankoli cows on a road near where we lived. Their horns are used to make bracelets, earrings, coasters and a ton of other things.

From tree to bean!

Just wanted to share with you our favorite home school extra curricular activity here in Arua! I remember praying quite a bit about coming back to Arua for our second time around. Since our time line doesn't correspond with the Ugandan school system, it's almost a requirement that I home school the kids. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like to teach from home, I do, most days! It's just sometimes I get that worried mom thing in me that questions whether or not Osobie and Fatu are getting to experience enough or will be able to be involved in fun kid things like sports, music, art, karate,..etc.. You get what I mean. So, as we were making the decision to come back again for 6 months I started asking God what I should do about home school this time around. What I felt like He told me was not to compare what kids in the states have versus what we will have in Arua. I also felt like he told me to teach them what they can learn from Africa. So... I have been doing just that. We have been learning about the animals, birds and insects of Uganda. We have been experimenting with cooking some local foods that we haven't tried before, as well as picking up on a little bit of Lugbarra. The one activity that's been the most fun has been....COFFEE!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, anyone who knows me will know that obviously there is some "mama bias" in learning this one! Heck, even O and F are clued into my pretty serious coffee drinking habit! But, sincerely this has been so stinking fun!! I wish I had photos from our first excursion but I forgot the ole' camera.

We picked the ripe coffee beans from the trees at our friend Alice's house. Alice's grandma (De-de) Shalom is the lady in charge! She's probably 65 or 70? Anyway, she has coffee trees planted and she does all the work of harvesting, crushing, and roasting before she sells them in the market. So, for one afternoon we picked and picked and picked! It's no easy task I tell you! There are ants that hide in the bunches and they bite and crawl all over your arms and fingers as you pick. I'm sure most Ugandans don't think harvesting is that bad or hard to do, but for novices like us, it was an exciting and tiring afternoon! We picked loads of coffee beans until the tops of the trees were bare.

Next we put the beans out to dry at our house. De de Shalom gave us our very own batch to work on so we carried it home and laid them on the cement near the house. We dried them for many weeks.

Then came time to crush the shell and discover the precious coffee bean inside! This was the part I was most excited about...holding the mighty coffee bean! The kids were stoked too! So, we made another date with Alice and de-de Shalom and we all headed out to her house. We had so much fun! Alice and Shalom showed us the two different traditional ways of shucking the shell of the bean as well as the sifting.

As you can see, this is the first method. The wooden cylinder and heavy wooden smasher. Of course I forgot to get the Lugbarra name for both of these tools. They use these grinders for millet and various other grains, seeds, pods and such that all need crushing. The wooden pole is heavy! No wonder most African woman have intensely strong arms. Oh, and talking about strong...this photo and these coffee activities all took place at Alice's house on Saturday. The very next day, Sunday, around 3:30 pm Alice gave birth to a healthy baby girl! Talk about strong women, Alice wasn't only grinding and sifting coffee with us that day, she was also re- thatching her grass roof with her husband and a hired worker. Wow!!

Next came the second method of shucking the shell of the coffee bean, rock on rock. You use a large flat stone and place the dried coffee in a pile in the center. Then you position a sifter at the end of the rock. The rock should be slightly pointing downward so the beans and shells will slide down into the sifter. You then use another small hand held rock with a flat bottom and you pull back over the coffee shells and push down then rock forward again. It's got a little rhythm to it if you watch the professionals at work (Alice and grandma)! I started to get the hang of it and even Alice said, "Katie, she knows how to grind coffee!"

I have a new appreciation for coffee farmers and for coffee! It is a LOAD of work for such a small little nugget of love and caffeine! Jeff, myself and the kids all took turns with the grinding techniques and tried out our sifting skills! A handful of shells and coffee beans after being crushed in the wooden bowl.
Then the last part was the sifting. Here you can see Grandma Shalom working it! She sifted that whole bunch of coffee beans faster than the 4 of us did on our one batch. I practically threw half of the beans on the ground from my poor sifting and slow reflexes to pull back in time. I spent most of my time digging in the dirt picking up the tiny green coffee beans that I spilled !

Seriously though, once grandma or de-de Shalom took over she put us all to shame! That woman is strong and you can see the years of experience she has had grinding, shucking, and sifting! I was so impressed and so grateful for the opportunity for us to learn about coffee.

Walking home from Alice's house enjoying the green lush African landscape...and praying the makeshift bridge made of timber holds together for us!!

We have one last part of this whole coffee process, the roasting. We have some Dutch friends who drink Ugandan coffee that is roasted by their friend and house helper, Grace. So, our next and last field trip will be to their house next week to learn how to roast the bean! We'll let you know how it goes once we sip our very own Ugandan home brew!

The power of love!

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward. Matthew 10:42

James Rwothmiro is a 13 year old boy from Olygarda village in Northwest Uganda. He lives in one of the villages where Jeff and his field staff performed plague research for the past few years. James was born with severe club feet that continue to cause him much hardship. He struggles quite a bit with walking. A colleague of Jeff’s from the plague lab has been moved to help this boy. She has been investigating a way to get his feet fixed. Linda found a hospital in Entebbe that specializes in orthopedic surgery, including severe club feet. A few weeks ago she took him for an exam and the hospital (CORSU, Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services Uganda, www.cbm.org) has offered to do the surgery for free! We all have been touched by James' story and we wanted to help raise money for the rest of his medical care and travel so the surgery could happen. He will be in the hospital for at least a month so his mom will be accompanying him on his trip to Entebbe. We had hoped to raise enough funds for the hospital stay, food, and travel, which would be around $250. James and Jeff's coworker Linda

WE ARE HAPPY TO SAY

ALL THE MONEY HAS BEEN RAISED

BY OUR HOME CHURCH ~BRIDESTONE!!!

We sent Jame's story to our church community in Colorado and within one week everyone gave enough so James could receive the surgery! Thank you for your sacrifice that is giving James hope for a brighter future. He is arriving today from the village then tomorrow he will take the bus with his mom and Linda to Entebbe. His surgery is scheduled for Friday. We are asking for your prayers for this little boy. We are praying that the Dr's will have success in resetting his feet properly. We are praying that this will be life changing for James! Also, that this would forever impact his heart by knowing without a doubt that he is loved, cherished and cared for by his Heavenly Father! We are praying that James will remember this moment and know that the love poured out in the form of medical and financial help is truly Jesus' love for him. We pray that he will know that even the very hairs of his head are all counted by God because He cares for James.

Thank you Linda for your heart!

THANK YOU BRIDESTONE!!!!

We love sharing life with you guys and being an extension of your hearts and your love for the people of Uganda!

An Overflow of giving!

WE ARE CURRENTLY AT

75

BIRTHING KITS!

Wow...This is wonderful and you all are so amazing!! If you want to see some pictures of the baby shower of our friends Kami and Jeremy Johnson, go here!

THANKS everyone! We're super stoked to be able to bless so many Ugandan mama's with kits that will help them in the delivery of their precious babies. We will be ordering the kits once the final numbers are in and then off to the clinics to distribute! We will have pictures in some weeks ahead, so check back.

Please be praying for our dear friend Alice. She is a Ugandan mama of 3 and is due to have her 4th baby any day now! We are praying daily for her. Alice has given my sister the honor of naming her baby, so we're all excited for his or her arrival! Luckily for Alice, she will be having the baby in the hospital which is still a shocking site if you've not been to an African hospital. But there are doctors and nurses available to help during complications, so it is a better option for women who live near a town and have the money to cover the fees.

Alice and Fatu

The Gift of Birthing Kits!

We have been given the great opportunity to partner with a handful of amazing people and give the gift of birthing kits to women in Uganda! Our dear friends, Kami and Jeremy Johnson, are having a baby in May! They had the great idea of showering women in Uganda with love instead of being showered themselves! Here's a bit about them and the project we've all joined together to accomplish.

Jeremy and Kamina are expecting their first child in mid-May. After traveling to Africa 4 times in the last 2 years Kamina had met, seen, and prayed for the women of the countries she visited. Ever since finding out she was pregnant Kamina has thought even more about the women in Africa and how they have little to no access to the basic resources they need to safely grow, deliver, and raise a child. Often times they are hungry and have no food. Thirsty and have no water. In labor and have no sterile supplies or a safe place to deliver their baby. This calling on her heart translated into a vision. Instead of the usual American style "baby shower" with a mile long registry and pile of gifts, why not shower the women in Africa with the basics to safely deliver their child? Kamina and Jeremy are having a party on February 28th at their new house in Fort Collins and inviting friends and family to celebrate the coming of their child. They are asking guests to bring diapers or wipes, and in lieu of other gifts asking for donations to purchase birthing kits for women in Uganda. Why shower one mother with a pile of goodies when we can shower many women in Africa with the blessing of a safe birth of their child? Will you join us in changing the lives of others?

Because Every Mother Matters is sponsoring this event and project. Steffany is providing pictures, information, advice, and pamphlets to help spread the word about how simple birthing kits can save the lives of both mothers and babies in Uganda, Africa. Jeff and I will be ordering the "Basic Mama Kit", as soon as we get the final numbers from Jeremy and Kami, after the baby shower. The kits will be compiled and put on Eagle Air to be delivered to Arua, Northern Uganda. The Birthing Kits cost around $10 each (depending on market values) and contain gauze, cotton, razor blades, tetracycline eye ointment, gloves, umbilical cord tie, soap, pamphlets, polythene sheeting, and a polythene bag for records. We will then distribute them to under-resourced clinics in the "bush" that help deliver babies. Since 2005, Jeff has been working with the health workers of these village clinics. We will do our best at getting photos on our blog and you can also check Kami and Jeremy's website at Future for Orphans.

Jeff and I, as Bridestone missionaries are in partnership with CompassioNet Impact, an amazing non-profit started by our good friends Ric & Joy Lehman in Puerto Vallarta. Online donations will be accepted through Compassionate Impact International. Please enter "Birthing Kits" into the text box that reads "Enter a description below of how you would like your donation used." Donations will be accepted through March 1, 2010. All donations are tax deductible. For only $10 you can buy a birthing kit for a Ugandan mama!

God's Love Playground***

***this is the name Osobie wants to call the playgrounds.

Wow... is it really already February? It seems as if we've been swept up in the New Year and just now finding some time to catch up on things like blogs!! We enjoyed our New Year in Kampala, the capital city, then returned home soon after that. Once home, Jeff, Osobie and I all got sick. We had a bit of a scare with Osobie when he woke up one morning telling us he couldn't breathe and his chest was hurting him. Within 15 minutes we had to make the decision whether or not he and Jeff would get on the morning plane to Kampala. After our bout in the hospital in October we didn't want to take a chance, so they got on the airplane that morning and were in to see the doctor by 1pm. They ran blood tests and listened to his lungs and all seemed to be okay other than he had a virus. They loaded him up on medicines and antibiotics and felt he was fine to travel back to Arua. Looking back we probably were a bit overcautious and overprotective but, after our scare in the States we didn't want to risk it. He kept his cough up until a few days ago but we think it's due to the fact that it's dry season here and dust is flying everywhere! There are many other friends in Arua that can't shake the bad cough either. Thanks to all who prayed for our little man!

Now for the reason I'm writing! We are close to completing the first swingset!!! We met with the elders and youth leaders of Ombachi village church several weekends ago to discuss the idea of a swingset for the church. We gathered in the hut, prayed and started the meeting with Osobie standing before the elders and sharing his heart. Wow! I could have let the tears roll then and there, but I stayed strong and sat still, listening to our son's desire for kids to know that God cares about them. We chatted about the details of the project, and thought through issues of security and supervision of the set during church. We inquired about their choice of color for the paint and they chose Osobie's favorite color, green! Our friend and house worker Jane is the Sunday School teacher at this church and she too is happy that her students will have a place to play!

We decided to use timbers for the poles and Osobie brought seats from the U.S. to complete the swing set. For now we are using rope to attach the swings but we are looking into another option that will last longer. We hired 4 men from Ombachi to level the ground and dig the holes for the poles. A whole Saturday was spent drilling the holes in the timbers which was much more difficult than we anticipated. I think Jeff made at least 5 trips on the boda to town to get a hand drill that actually worked! Where's a Dewalt when you need it?? Meanwhile, Osobie and Fatu played with the kids and waited patiently, praying that we would be able to get the hand drill to work. Finally, it did! Osobie was ecstatic, grinning ear to ear all day! He helped with every part of the work, as best he could. He especially loved using the measuring tape and level! The workers, "Fundi's" as their called in Uganda, poured the cement and we put the swings up!

Osobie took the first swing along with Fatu! There were many children watching and helping with the construction of the swing set. After it was finished the kids were a bit shy and fearful to get on the swing. I asked the elder why the kids didn’t want to jump on, and he said, “They don’t know how to play”. Yeah, unfortunately, we know this too well. When Fatu and Osobie first came home they didn’t know how to play either. It took quite a bit of time as they learned how to play with us, friends, and toys. Many children in Africa and elsewhere don’t have the opportunities to be children and play because their help is needed for the family to survive each day. They have responsibilities, chores, and for some, work to attend to. Osobie remembers this about life in Liberia. He remembers how hard simply surviving was and can be for many families. He is reminded of it almost every day in Uganda. He also now knows the joy of playing and wants to see that joy in the lives of other African children. I mentioned earlier that I held back my tears while Osobie shared with the elders. Honestly, there is nothing I can compare this experience to. Jeff and I’s hearts rejoiced as we sat in awe over God’s goodness to us and Osobie. We have prayed that our kids would know Jesus and walk with him all the days of their lives. I'm blown away that not only does our son love Jesus, but that he is already following after God’s heart at his young age. Two years ago he was living in the orphanage in Liberia, malnourished, sick, abandoned, without much of a hope or a future, and without knowing the One who made him. And to see him today; after all he has been through, sharing his heart of compassion for the children of Uganda, it's a gift that only God could give us. He stood tall and confident that day as he spoke that he wanted to build the swing set to show the kids that God loves them!

Thank you to everyone who has supported Osobie and his dream!

Thank you for your donations to make this project happen! Without your generous giving, we wouldn't be able to build playgrounds for the children of Uganda. YOU have brought FUN and JOY to these children and our hope is to continue spreading joy to any more kids of Uganda! We'll keep you updated on the next one!