Hard at work

Work has commenced at the Village of hope, and things are looking good. House five and six have brick walls and a roof, but they still need many hours of work in order for them to be ready for more occupants. A mix of mud, sand, lime, bitumen, and water is used to coat the interior walls... But it requires strenuous application using brooms. The shoulder muscles are growing, and at the end of each day, I have the appearance of an orc! We have now completed 3 1/2 rooms, taking about 7 solid hrs. 4 1/2 to go. Back home i would consider it to be a miserable job; but in Uganda it is so rewarding to work for an obvious good cause.

The team consists of three men, three women, and two boys. Jobs and time-spent-working are distributed at appropriate levels of capability, and everyone is coping. Health is generally good, although some meals have been producing interesting effects on one's stomach. Also the malaria tablets bring on occasional light headedness and travel sickness, adding a fun dimension to life! The mission house employs an amazing cook called Lucy, who is preparing a lovely mixture of African and Western meals. Sometimes we eat a meal at the Village, which is great... The natives have an enormous appetite, and even the kids are eating as much as me!

Highlights so far have included riding on a boda-boda (motorbike), buying beautiful carvings in the town of Jinja, taking some good photos, experiencing African church, and meeting numerous awesome children who are so happy, friendly, anc beautiful. Ron and Anne are the current missionary's over here, and they have been very welcoming and helpful. Anne is lining up speaking engagement for me at the school (180 ppl, yeeks!) where I will probably give a devotion and say whatever else comes to mind. God also seems to be opening a door for me to potentially sponsor the education of a 19 yr old man, which would be very exciting.

In closing, i will mention my experiences concerning culture shock. To my suprise, i have felt very at home and at peace here, and in many ways i feel better about this country than my own. I did not expect to feel guilty for not feeling guilty! There is much sadness concerning poverty, hunger, and sickness which cannot be undermined... Yet our culture has many of its own short-fallings as well. The positive way that Ugandans approach life is inspiring, and the sinmplicity of life is rather appealing. To conclude, I have not been overly swamped by pity and guilt concerning Ugandan life. But there is a great need here, and I would LOVE to do more work here in the future.