News flash

Updates first….

• 
  Joy and David officially got married at 8pm the night of their wedding day! I forgot to tell you that the day we were traveling up to the wedding there were some friends we met along the way!! Baboons!!! And they come right up to the side of the road unafraid of all the cars passing by. Our vehicle slowed down to get some photos. I gave papa O some biscuits (we didn’t have any banana’s) to throw to them to entice them to come closer to the vehicle to get a better photo. When papa was trying to open the package the baboon seemed as though he was going to jump through the window to get the biscuits. Needless to say I jumped into the seat next to me and Papa O threw the treats out the window and the vehicle took off so the baboon didn’t jump through the window. You know we were laughing!!!!
• 
  
  School Housing! From the $2500 that came in is going to be used to construct teacher housing and student hostels using mudd huts… the intent is to eventually have brick/cement housing for the teachers but that cost is $22,000, and the head teacher was expressing at the BOG meeting that even if the teachers had mudd huts that would not only save money for the secondary school from paying rent but it would start bringing everyone together, into community, since now they are all separated though the camp. I asked during the meeting how much it would cost to construct the teachers unit, the pastor said about $2000, than I asked how much to construct both a teacher unit mudd hut and a student hostel… he said about $3000… but that it was possible that we could stretch $2500 and make it work for both. They are working out the budget this week since the money just arrived! This is great because this will keep our students safe by having them all together directly under the teachers care.
• 
  My stomach virus/bug has died!
• 
  The $150 that was sent will be used to send two orphan boys home to see their two other brothers and one sister near soroti, which they haven’t seen in almost 4-years. Also it will send a student home to see his family, which he hasn’t seen in almost two year! It may also provide a gift for each student! I was asking around what is something that really blesses someone during the holidays and they said a new outfit. So depending on these three boys needs, we may be able to provide for them a new outfit, which I am sure they haven’t received in years!!! Very exciting.
• 
  The secondary school created a school song from the mission statement we created last week! Exciting to see how things are coming together for the teachers.
  

New News…

• 
  So my visa problem has returned with full force! It seemed everything was smooth sailing…. Seemed that way! Well my work visa has been approved but because of new gov’t regulations that have just been implemented (seriously, I think I might be the first one they are trying to enforce this on) they want $1000 for the year. Robert from the national office who is working on my visa, is going back to the gov’t offices on Tuesday to request that I still fall under the old policy. If not, I requested him to get my passport back and I will start crossing the boarder every three months until my time is up…sounds like I am a convict..
• 
  I am going to speak in Kampala on Tuesday. I have been asked to speak at Makere University to a girls/boys hostel about prayer and fasting.
• 
  I am finishing teaching on the disciplines this next week in Discipleship class and will start to teach on relationships. I need wisdom with this because of the cultural differences!

okay, well that is the scoop. i love each of you. mandy