want to send the islands a care package!!!

okay, so some things wanted....

...this may seem crazy, but you know those above ground pools they make???? well, the pastor and I were talking about how it would be so good to get one, to purify our own water for and then have swim lessons since the lake water is not safe to swim in. sooooooo many people desire to learn to swim!

...books for the secondary school.... looking for sets of 10 of english classic books for the secondary school... looking for a set of 10 bibles.

...a volleyball net(s) and volleyball(s)... the boys in the secondary school play soccer...we have soccer balls. the girl play volleyball but here there is no net or ball!!

...dark chocolate for me ;) fruit leathers for me :)

...school notebooks, office supplies, pens (people do not seem to like pencils!)....

thats a good start... i'll update more if there is more later!

back so soon!!

... so my weekend on the islands was cut short by a phone call insisting I come into the mainlands to fill out some needed paperwork for my Visa. When i first came to the islands i was advised to get a 3-month visa....i was told it would be easier to obtain and no problem to renew ;) I smile, now... because they want me to obtain an official police letter stating i am in good standing with the police in Madison and that I don't cause trouble...if they only knew :) I am supposed to have photocopies of all my transcripts from high school, college and my masters program.... 2-passport photos... letters from YWAM.... I only have the last two requirements and have written down my education background, I am praying that I will have favor with the gov't and that what I am submitting will be enough. Stand with me and say a prayer, I really want to stay in the country and not get booted!! This process could take as long as 2-months...so i'll update when I know more! But its good to be on the mainland, I can actually focus in prayer better when i am away from my usual surroundings

....today i was craving chocolate....good thing I was on the mainland, I found some :) Now, I just hope it is good chocolate!

...seems crazy to me that fall is coming soon and that I should be preparing to teach a new group of students! I am imaging life in the U.S.... things are starting back into 'full swing'... ahhh, I am so happy to be here! not that I am not busy, but life here is just different. I love the U.S. but I am really thankful to be here for a season!

birthday update... and some other news

...the 21st of August I celebrated my 28th birthday!!! papa O, okoro (the father of the family I love), made it so special. He organized my celebration with all of my favorite african food... chapati and eggs rolled together, sumbosa (cowpeas wrapped in a thin bread-deepfried), fried chicken, pinapple, bottled sprite, and to top it all off they bought a cake...which is so rare!!! i was so happy, they made it so special.... papa O, was the MC, friends of mine got up to speak encouraging words about me, i had a time to share about my birth... and how thankful I am for my mom throughout my life. and its tradition that they treat you litterally like a baby... i was escorted into the hut once all the guests had arrived and they sat me down... they were suprised when the baby could talk being that i was just born...they made many jokes. it was a great celebration.

...running has been going well. the other day joshua, martin, john, and papa O ran around the entire island... well papa O made it about 1/4 of the way... it took just under an hour but truly was quite the adventure! at first i was so in love...thinking i am going to run around the island every morning... the first 1/4 was so beautiful with small obstacles, such as big rocks, uneven ground, tree brush blocking the path... then the next part... it stated as we entered the snakes home...praise God he wasn't home!! we went through some very very thick forest...at one point my hair got caught by a tall thorny tree which pulled my entire body backwards.... i was running top head first through the brush...avoiding my face from being scratched by all the 'jungle brush'... at one point i had to get down on my knees to pass though a very thick part. ahh, but we made it though the jungle area, and up some big rocks only to come back down... it felt so good to run down the hill...I was so exhausted. but i admire my battle wounds which lie on my arms and ancles (the exposed parts of my body!).

...today I am intown for to celebrate Martin! Martin is the boy from the islands I sponsor. He lost both parents, his father when he was young and his mother in 2001. He came to the islands with his older brother habakkuk. I met Habakkuk in 2003 and Martin in 2004. We are celebrating today because he ranked first among his classmates during this last term of school. at first i didn't know how to celebrate his achievement...i asked him, he didn't know...then i thought what would mom do???? i think mom, you would take me to dinner! so i have taken martin to the mainland, we had lunch.... and i have set him up with an internet account so that he can learn how to email when he comes to town. it has been a great day being with him.

...i am taking the next three days off because i want to spend some quality time in prayer with God. i am so much looking forward to this time.

...ok, i have to run! look forward to another one in about a week!

swim lessons!!

So this past sunday, it was a beautiful day and i was on the mainland with the afternoon free. my friend sam and i went to a local hotel and went swimming! it was a blast. i would say i jumped in but i actually slipped in, during an attempt to jump. lol. sam did not know how to swim so i spent most of my time in the shallow end helping him learn. it is really hard to teach someone even how to float! we had a lot of fun, and by the end of the day i was teaching 4 additional people. two men from pakistan and two women from uganda. we all had so much fun, i will try and upload a picture later if possible. i wish the lake water was clean to swim in so i could swim daily and hold lessons for the island people. i went swimming once in lake victoria two years ago, but this past time visiting my doctor he STERNLY warned me not to go. so far i have listened! I hear summer is quickly ending, enjoy the last few months and go jump in a lake ;)

Update...frogger

okay, so i have no idea where update...frogger came from, except that i can't call every update.... update... and since every night on the islands i almost step on a frog, why not call it update frogger!... i know you love me!

teacher party.. went really well. each teacher had a time to share his/her testemony....how they became a teacher, and how they came to be a teacher on the islands. it was such a hard decision for most of them because they fear traveling on water so much! (a large percentage of africans cannot swim.) most of the teachers gave the islands one-week and if they were not happy they were going to leave. so far everyone i have met is remaining, i think they lost one teacher earlier. at the party we enjoyed some snacks together and it was a great time for fellowship. one of the students, who was a former ywam'er (24 years old...she has gone back to school) she told me this is the first time that she has seen one of the teachers smile. and he has been smiling continually. she is a girl who has been on the islands for about 4-years so she has been around since the beginning of the school in february and way before. she is really a source of encouragment for me when i am sad or discouraged. praise God for sarah!

Registering the school, step one... today Robert, a pastor on the islands, and myself went to the district education office, to figure out how to get our school registered as an official school. It went really well, the director was very happy to recieve me because i was from wisconsin, and he had been to cederberg, wi. we recieved the proper documents we needed, and the director gave me his cell phone number in case we have any further questions! now we just need to get everything in line with the requirements and we will be set. this sounds easy, but i think this will be a long process.

Introduction... ok i think is funny :)... so i have been on the mainlands the past 4 days because on saturday I attended an introduction. an introduction is done before a couple gets married. the man has to be introduced and welcomed into the womans family. an introduction is very costly, because not only do you prepare food for all that attend, but you have to hire a spokesperson for the brides side and for the husbands side, and the husband to be has to bring many gifts to the father of the bride, like a 'bride price' . the introducation is a huge production! the bride and all her family, friends, and local villagers are all seated very formally. everyone is in there best attire. once the brides side is all settled, then the husband to be, his family and friends all come in and are seated (i was on the husband to be side). the husband to be in not supposed to speak, he has a spokesperson, actually he was not even given a seat of honor he was just among us. so the fun comes in because the two spokespersons joke back and forth so much. for example, as the spokesman were debating over wether or not Richard, the husband to be, could take the woman, Joy, as his bride, Richards spokesman stuttered, so they charged him money and he had to pay. the husband to be spokesperson comes with many envelopes filled with money because they are constantly getting charged for silly things, which make everyone laugh. there is a time to introduce everyone that comes to represent the husbands side. so they always make up lies about the people.. for example, they said i was a U.N. worker from tororo (the county where the husband comes from) and that everyone in tororo is very friendly, that is why i came. also that tony blair sent me. but the spokesperson goofed because later he said i came from the U.S. and the other spokesperson caught him and charged him money. after the debate goes on for awhile they finally accept the husband and so then he brings in all his gifts for the father. the women carry baskets on their head (yes including me!) ... they were making more fun with me, as they said i was from some royal family, since i was the only white person there. it was a great time. the gifts include goats, vegetables, salt, butter....useful things. i really like the playfullness of the whole occasion. i think we should adopt something like this in the U.S. !!

ywam...so shem the base leader is currently on his way to the U.S. to take care of some residency issue and will be there for the next 2-months. catherine his wife is on the mainland until her baby is born (due in november). He has left me in charge of accounts and helping to see things run smooth along with olive and okoro. this is huge!! need lots of guidance to ensure all runs smooth.

child abductions... so i am changing moods... this is really sad. recently many children have been abducted by people who sacrifice the children to 'gods' in hopes of gaining more power, riches.... this has been in the ugandan newspaper and over the radios. these child abductors are hoping to appease demons to get what they want. pray for this.

if you don't know... i love you! and i thank God for you. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox. until my next update..

Traveling...

via Air... Mary, a girl from madcity, who was staying with me on the islands recently flew home. it was sad to see her go, but i know she'll be back to the islands and that i will see her again in the states. she flew from entebbe to london heathrow and then home to chicago. i thank God, because her flight from london to chicago was one of the planes targeted by the terroists. today as i was sharing this information with one of our mutual friends, i just got chills, i could sense the Lord, I know that prayer changed this possible tragedy.

via roads... traveling from entebbe to kampala, kampala to jinja (jinja is the main city i am in) has been very dangerous. there have been two major accidents in the last month resulting in the death of the passengers. the gov't acted by placing "speedy governers" in every vehicle... which tripled the prices of transport. the price increase didn't last long, but i am unsure what has been settled about having speedy governers in every public transport vehicle.

via boats... i continue to enjoy my ride from the islands to the mainland ontop of huge sacks of corn, fish (i try and avoid those sacks)....the other day as i boated into the mainland one of the teachers called me from his cell to mine to say goodbye. I could still see the school in the distance so i waved. he is a really funny man, he was requesting i bring 'sweets' back for him.

via bodda bodda...today traveling around with robert and both of us fitting on one bodda bodda... i wish i had a picture!

some tid bits of information :)

"your face has been licked by the cows tongue"... mr. okoro's compliment to me for beauty

Favorite car ride: driving down the dusty roads, with the windows rolled up and the heat blasting!!! (believe me it was not cold outside!)

Favorite Drink: stawberry yogurt out of a bag...only found on the mainland

Favorite possession: my orange bucket (used at night instead of walking to the latrines!!)

Favorite snack: feed corn roasted over charcoal

Favorite bodda bodda (small motorbike) ride: as i was traveling to the landing site to hop on the boat back to the islands i had my bag in my lap, one hand holding onto the back of the motor bike and the other hand on my juice drink. All was going well, the drink spilled a little but i figured out how to hold it better so it didnt leak. the bodda bodda driver was coasting down the hill and he turned his engine off to save on gas (very common) when he started the engine back up again the bodda bodda jerked forward as did my drink all over him and myself.... :) sorry sebbo (sir!)

Rolex... means chapti (flat bread) with an egg rolled in it... only $0.25...wish I could get a Rolex in the states for the same cost!

amaaze.... means water
amaze... means poop (number 2!)

njagala amaaze (i want water... can often be misunderstood!!!! especially with me speaking :)

I hope you were somewhat amuzed by this.. as I am!

life on the islands...

Secondary school... i have been learning so much about the school since I've arrived. I think i mentioned earlier it opened in Febuary of this year very quickly. money came in and the school was constructed. the school has been a vision for the islands for sometime since no other secondary school stands on the islands. therefore it is so good to have this school for the island chilren. i have been helping the director (sort of like our superintendant) and the school with administrative tasks. the director was schooled in theology therefore my masters in administration is coming in hand for him! Yesterday we went onto the mainland to view a secondary school and ask many questions. Later in August (when there is a holiday) we will take a team of people (students and teachers) from the school to do research on effective secondary schools in uganda. I have shared many ideas with the director and teacher in charge of student achievement, that i have from grad. school and my experience as a teacher in the states, many of which they liked. we will be sharng with the rest of the faculty next week to see what they want to implement to see an increased level of student achievment. this saturday we will be having a party for the secondary teachers. We want to honor them for the work they do and celebrate them. We want to hear from them how they feel things are going and give them a chance to be together and have some fun!!!!

Discipleship school... i am about half-way through the spiritual disciplines of a disciple. The students have a break in august, therfore i do to from teaching in the school! i really enjoy teaching the discipleship class, the students are amazing!!

Marathon... i was reading the ugandan newspaper and i read about a marathon in Kampala!!!! i was so excited, i want to contact the race officials and see if the course would remain open for 4-5hours.... so i could finish... i am currently unsure, but looking forward to learning more about this. Okoro and I have been running the 'rock'.... i am loving it, but not loving the fact that i have taken 8-weeks off and have to train my body again!! Mr. okoro states 'i like these tactics' ...tips i give him for running :)

Unusual violence... the chief stated they will be taking 3-men to trial for the killings.