Obama is the man here. When we walk down the streets, people--young and old--yell "Obama" at us. People always ask us, "How is Obama?|" There is a song on the radio here with the following chorus: "Obama! Hey! Hey! Obama is the real African hero! Hey! Hey!" It's awesome. Then in the taxi yesterday a man sitting by me turned and asked where I was from. When he heard, he said, "Thank you for voting for Obama." Lucky guess?
The people here are amazing. This last week, they had a teacher training in Mukono, the town 20 minutes away from Lugazi. It was led by these three people from Kenya. They actually did a great job. I am so amazed, though, at how much they love each other. They are so kind. They are also so quick to talk about Christ and Christian principles. They are constantly bearing testimony (without knowing it) all the time. Their faith is incredible. Everything is God's will and will be ok. That's what they always say.
We are planning to use ideas from our own backgrounds and also from this teacher training to teach others in the surrounding villages. I hope we can do some good. It is so sad to see so much need and know that there is so little we can do in such a short time. I will do my best.
I am so happy here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Town Center
This is the center of Lugazi. The top left office is the "Youth Outreach Program" It consists of about 15 ugandan college students. They were born in Lugazi, and were able to earn enough money to go to college in Kampala. They have decided to return to Lugazi and build up the community by starting a non-profit group that focuses on orphans, street children, and widows. They are an amazing group of people. I want to be more like them. I am currently working closely with them to write a business plan, and letters to governmental agencies and NGO's to help them raise enough funds for their projects. It's amazing how a little money can do so much good. We are hoping to raise $5,000 to build a carpentry shop and bakery to teach the children viable skills. I hope I can help them succeed.
Village Hut
Mandy went into the rural jungle villages to deliver baby kits to new mothers. Entire families live in this small huts. Sometimes 10+ people per hut.
Our Room
After sewing several mosquito nets together we managed to cocoon our bed in the safety of mesh. We sleep comfortably and the geckos, spiders and roaches thankfully stay on the floor and the walls.
Not Exactly the Marriott but it's Home Sweet Home
This is our room in the back of the main house. We are the middle door. The left door is the charcoal room, the right door is Sam's room, our day time guard
The Well
This is where we get our water. (Drinking water comes from a bottling company) We use this water to clean, shower, laundry and dishes. We add bleach and soap to kill the algae
My Best Invention So Far
I managed to rig a spout to a jerry can and attach a tube to the end. There were a few bricks lying around which makes for a perfect stand and "tiled floor". Now we can stand up, shower, and rinse. Who needs indoor plumbing?
Our walk home
We walk this street everyday to get home. The children run out of their houses, yelling and laughing.; They grab your arms and hug your legs. They have nothing, but are so happy. I want to take them all home.
Boda Driver Wanna Be
These are the "Boda Boda" Taxis. We pile on 1, 2, 3, maybe 4 people. I have seen 4 people and 2 chairs strapped to the back going down the highway. Classic
This is a typical store front.
Businesses here are extremely small. Most of them sell the same things and have way too much inventory. I am teaching a series of business classes to various groups to help them with book keeping and inventory management.
Mandy Sleeping in the Airport Next to Her Friend Ronald
Fortunately we were able to catch some shut eye in the Amsterdam airport. Mandy was able to fall asleep knowing that she was being watched by the family guardian
Mandy In Amsterdam
On our flight over here we were able to spend a day in Amsterdam. Neither of us had ever been there so it was fun to figure things out. Here we are in the subway station heading out into the city. I love subways
Obama- ha that's hilarious! I'm so jealous, I would love to be there with you guys. Post some pics, eh?
ReplyDelete