Adventures With The Williams Five

Hello everyone!

We’re happy to be touching base with you from Canada! We have been missing Uganda very much. The memories of our dear friends there is fresh in our minds and we really miss our daily interactions with them. This transitioning thing is a challenge but over time we know we will manage!

We also wanted to thank you for your prayers for us regarding our flight home and everything surrounding that. Our greatest concern of course was Seth being so terribly sick the day we left. We were able to get the right medicine for him before we left and his fever was under control before we headed out for the airport. His diarrhea? Bless his heart, he never had any accidents along the way but we did need to RUN to the bathroom in the Entebbe airport during security checks and all other line ups (extensive in international travel) more than ten times. But miraculously as soon as we boarded the plane his stomach slowed down and he had no more emergencies during the journey. He was a real trooper and never complained! And another miracle to report is when we went through London although they allow liquids of any size for babies, when they saw Seth’s antibiotics in the diaper bag they said, ‘This medication needs to have a label on it listing the patient’s name, the doctor’s name and the prescription, otherwise we can’t allow it.’  We explained that in Uganda they don’t do that and that had an infection in his blood and after a small conference they allowed it through!!!! The alternatives would have been horrendous so we are so thankful!

So now we are in the middle of the bridge… the space between two destinations… between two scenarios within which we live out our faith. And we’re finding, though it is unique, it is the same on the bridge as it is at both ends; living out our faith is still the main thing! We’re seeking god for grace every day to finish well in our hearts with Uganda and to begin well here as we wait for what he has next for our family. We really appreciate your prayers right now. Being between jobs is certainly not Mark’s favorite hobby! Thankfully in this season the kids are doing great! Seth and Jodie are really enjoying reconnecting with their cousins and little friends in Canada as well as ‘aunties’ and ‘uncles’ who have been so caring of them every time we’ve seen them. And the cold weather doesn’t seem to be daunting them. They want to be outside every day. They bundle up appropriately and out they go to hike, play at the park, slide, or make snow angels. That’s been really great for me and Mark. Little Meggie is teething seriously so you can pray for her as she battles through the nights… she wakes a lot and is quite frustrated.

For now we will sign off with praises and prayer requests and a few observations at the end to make you smile.

We’ll be keeping you posted! God bless!

Mark, Sarah, Seth, Jodie, and Megan

Now, for a few observations!

You know you’re back in North America when……

Ø  The strongest smell in your shower is your shampoo.

Ø  The ants actually do come marching only two by two

Ø  It is possible to consider taking your coffee in a to go cup if necessary

Ø  All of the dirt on your body is self-generated

Ø  You hear two beeps outside your house and get halfway to the door before realizing no one is ‘at the gate’

Ø  You climb in the passenger side of the car to drive. (Don’t get caught doing this. It’s very embarrassing to climb out, walk around and get back in.)

Ø  You look around for the baby’s mosquito net before realizing she doesn’t need one.

Ø  You can look out your window and hear nothing (Seth said, ‘Look out there, Mom. Even the smoke is quiet!’)

Ø  No one stands uncomfortable close to you in the check-out line (personal space is a foreign concept in Uganda)

Ø  The sparse pedestrians cross the road mostly in the crosswalks

Ø  You have to pump your own gas (but you don’t wonder if you got cheated)

Adventures With The Williams Five!

The clock is ticking here in Uganda! There is less than a month before our current African Adventure takes us back to Canada.  A lot has happened since our last newsletter and if feels like there is simply just not enough time to get our Uganda bucket list completed.  Two highlights of the month were home visits in Aura, northern Uganda along the Congo boarder and our farewell at the school. 

We decided to take the whole family along with two teachers from the school up to Aura for some home visits.  The eight hour journey was not an easy task with three little ones.  Megan was a challenge but after a 7 AM departure we arrived safely at our destination.  I also realized that one of the battery holders on our well-worn Prado was shot and needed to be fixed. I set off to Aura town for some help and was shocked to find out that this very ‘small’ town was teeming with over two million people.  As nightfall began to approach a new battery holder was welded and installed.  Connections were checked but there was not a new battery terminal anywhere to be found to connect to the post.  After several starts it had appeared that everything was okay.  I enjoyed my conversation with the mechanics in their open air shop at the back of their house that was no more than 400 square feet.  They were also working on a minivan taxi from Congo which allowed me to get a greater understanding of that enormous country and problems that they are facing.  During this operation it also became very clear that being a mechanic in Uganda means being a welder and machinist. I watched a man building a car part out of a hunk of steal like a blacksmith.

After I paid a whopping 15 dollars for all the work I was guaranteed that I would have no more problems for a year although there was surely no money back guarantee. The kids needed a bedtime snack of yogurt and I needed to pick up toothbrushes and toothpaste since I forgot my overnight bag so I swung into the biggest supermarket in town.  It was about the size of an average living room in Canada.  I grabbed a few things but being a flosser was disappointed to find none.  Needless to say I was happy to be heading back to the guest house having the car fixed and a few basics in tow.  I jumped in the car and turned the ignition key to hear only a clicking sound.  I had earlier become aware of the very few cars on the streets. Everyone traveled almost strictly on foot, motorcycle, or bicycle. As I sat there I realized that I was in a very different world… not only different from Canada but different from the central part of Uganda that I call home.  I began to feel a little uncomfortable and needy. But I knew I had to get the vehicle at least back to the guest house.  After popping the hood I spent several minutes playing with the connections to both batteries and finally the engine fired up and I was feeling much better. 

Once back at the guesthouse I had a late supper and our contact person promised a reliable mechanic to tune up the car for the home visits we had planned for the next day.  The next morning the vehicle was fixed and thankfully we are off on our home visits to see eleven of our students.  Seth and Jodie joined me, the local pastor and two teachers from our school.  I totally enjoyed the country side but found myself with a heavy heart as we moved from hut to hut.  Most of the homes consisted of a few huts with very few possessions or even necessities.  But all of them welcomed us with extreme warmth and hospitality.  All of the homes had one or both of the biological parents absent due to death and often if there was a remaining parent they were HIV positive.  We offered a small food hamper and encouraged our students and remaining family members to not give up and keep the faith.  My heart was touched as we were given bananas, peanuts and eggs as a token of the guardian’s appreciation for helping their child.  I found it hard to take them when I saw how little they had and yet they shared it with us. But I knew these gifts were ways they could express their hearts and I needed to receive them graciously and thankfully. My heart hurt as I said goodbye to each one of my former students knowing that I may not see them again for a very long time or ever and knowing they have a hard road ahead.  One student had lost his dad several years ago and now his mother was raising the family.  This became more of a challenge just in the past few months as his older brother was killed in a motor vehicle accident and now they had the addition of caring for his wife and four little children.  In this culture this boy of only 14 was now heading the home and responsible for the welfare of all.  He had a small hut and was working hard in the garden to grow a variety of products to eat and sell.  As we were leaving it was all I could do to keep my composure as they gave us their eggs for the day.  I wanted to give them back but knew it was a gift that they wanted to give and were very honoured to give it… I had to accept it. Later that day I was able to pass those eggs on to another family in another part of the country and I felt the truth in Christ’s words, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’… in this case I can honestly say that scripture translated for me into, ‘It feels much better to give than to receive’!

Another visit was to a home of a boy whose father was murdered over a land dispute.  I knew of this incident and was thinking of it when we arrived and as we entered their living area I saw a small cross directly beside the huts marking the father’s grave. Jodie and Seth were intrigued by the small cross on the ground and not knowing what it was for were about to pull it out until I stopped them.  We had a great visit and our time ended with a look at the young man’s grinding machine that was used to make some income for the family.  Part of their land was sold to provide school fees for their third son so I knew things were difficult.  We said our goodbyes and headed for another home.

As we moved on to the remainder of the homes I felt compelled to get that machine up and running.  After a late supper I phoned our contact person and asked him if we could investigate the cost of fixing the grinder.  He said he would do it but later that night as I lay in bed I could not sleep as my mind was thinking about the many needs I had seen in just a few home visits and my many blessings in contrast.  I promised that I would do my best to go or be what God would like me to do even if it meant working in Africa again one day.  I also realized the numerous blessings my children have by having two parents who are healthy and love them like crazy.  They go to bed each night not just with a hug and a kiss but often with a snack and their heads land on a soft pillow with a bed that has a mattress and blanket.  We indeed are blessed and I wrestled with why God would allow such need to pervade a large percentage of the world. I really struggled with that. Needless to say I knew I had to let go and give all of these children along with the others at the school and the staff to the Lord.  I realized once again that when compelled it is important to help those you can but also to realize that one can’t help everyone all the time.

After leaving Arua we stopped at our house girl’s village as she is in the process of constructing a house that she will live in and begin a baking business one day.  We were excited to see the foundation coming and want to help make this a reality for our dear friend and part of the family.  As we continued our trek back home we had decided to spend a night at a lodge to break up the distance.  It was near that lodge as we were driving very slowly around a corner that I lost control of the steering.  A rod had snapped in the steering column and I had zero control.  We glided into a parked position beside the sleepy dirt road. When I got out to have a look I saw the tie rod was loose on the ground and the end that connected to the tire had broken right off.  The medal piece had split in half. It was fixed the next day and we were on our way home.  The mechanic made it clear that we were very fortunate to have it break on that sleepy road while taking a slow turn.  Both Sarah and I were stunned as we talked about what a serious accident we could have had if the rod had snapped while we were traveling at 120 kmph on the highway or even in a town full of people along the road.  Clearly God spared our lives and those of others. It reminded me that God has been looking after us and we are so thankful for His protection. We also realize that so many of you pray routinely for our health and safety and we are completely convinced your prayers have moved mountains. Praise God!

Our farewell party was made a little easier by having some of our good friends from Abbotsford join us.  Having Mark, Jeremy, Kelly and Jonathan stay at our house for about ten days was a great experience and privilege for us.  Time was spent beating some of the younger teams at the school in soccer, painting, doing home visits and visiting children in need outside of our school.  It was good to have a few more people see Africa through our eyes and fully support us in every way.  We were truly blessed to have these guys in our home. Thanks for coming guys!

It was difficult to be the main guests in our farewell but also nice to hear the appreciation from the hearts of those we love and get a front row seat for the dances, songs and tributes.  It is hard to put into words the meaning of seven years; the hard work, laughs and friendships we have developed.  After the evening was over we felt very appreciated, loved and respected for leading with integrity, high standards and honesty.  It was hard to know what to say in front of staff, students and friends but I am glad that I will be remembered for living and teaching Godly characteristics to the staff and students at the school.  Saying a final goodbye to each student was hard. And we know we will be doing the same to all our friends and staff in these next few weeks.  This is not the fun part.

We thank God for this amazing chapter in our lives and look forward to what comes next.  We still do not know what we are doing but continue to have different options popping up.  Time will be needed to unwind before we can make a clear plan in regard to our future.  Until we step on the airplane though, we want to enjoy our remaining weeks here in Uganda with friends and as a family. 

We are very much looking forward to being closer to all of you and able to join in celebrations, special events, and holidays in the future. This will be a joy to us!

We’ll zip off an email before leaving Uganda! Thank you very much for loving our family and encouraging our work here! It has made a difference!

We will update you on Seth, Jodie, and Megan next month!

Blessings from the Williams five

Adventures With all of us… Blessings

It is hard to believe that the countdown to our departure from Uganda will soon be noted in weeks and not months.  It has been an incredible rich journey in which we have been taught much by God, friends, students and Uganda in general.  We have been blessed beyond our expectations and don`t know how exactly we will say goodbye to so many friends when it is time to get on the plane. We’ll share some examples here of some relationships that are very meaningful to us.

In a matter of days the grade seven class will be writing their national primary leaving exams.  This happens on November 6^th & 7^th. These exams count for 100 percent of their year’s work in the four major subjects and directly affect the quality of secondary school they will be able to attend.  Please pray for these 31 students as they have the potential to be our best class ever and as my last I hope they place as a group in the top ten schools in the country.  It is have been fun to see these young people grow and become wonderful people.  They have taught me much…  Take one student for example from northern Uganda whose father was murdered when he was very young.  He is constantly concerned about his mother and other siblings who look after the land and make sure the crops are planted.  He has faced so much and makes my frustrations look so trivial and pathetic.  This young man encourages me and always provides a smile or warm comment amidst a tough day.  I can learn much from him, in particular his constant contentment under the difficult circumstances that he faces.  He is a representation of the majority of grade seven students who have faced so much and yet appreciate me and everything God has given them so naturally and sincerely. 

When we arrived back in September of 2005 a few more staff members were added at the same time as us.  One of these young men was Nicholas a resident assistant who lived in the dorm.  I saw so much potential in him as he worked very hard and had a heart for others.  It was neat to see him grow and get married.  Once he was married we were able to keep him on staff as our purchaser so he could stay at home with his wife.  He has encouraged me greatly when it was difficult to make ends meet at the school and did his very best with every bit of money that was given to him.  Uganda being a cash society he displayed huge amounts of integrity and made sure receipts were accurate, accounted for and every last shilling that was not spent returned.  It has been neat to see his family increase with the addition of two little children and see the love he has for his family.  As we move on he shows sincere concern for our well-being instead of pointing out to me the increased difficulties he will face trying to provide for his growing family.  He represents the selfless attitude that many of the staff have displayed in their hearts towards us.

When we first moved to Uganda Sarah decided she would not have house help and would do her own laundry by hand and cleaning (endless!!!!) and ironing every piece of clothing (necessary for health reasons) and cooking. Ha!! In not too long she realized that was ridiculous and agreed to pay house help. House help is very affordable here and a job working for a family is considered a very good job.  God blessed us with Joyce…. a precious friend who is most definitely Sarah’s most steady support in Uganda. And for Seth, Jodie, and Megan she is a solid caretaker when necessary and a friend to them. She loves our children as if they were her own family and cares for them in the way we ask her to. She works very hard and takes pride in everything she does. We can trust her implicitly in our house and never fear that anything will go missing… if she finds a few shillings in our pockets when she’s washing laundry we find them on the table. When we first hired her we did a few tests just to see if ‘misplaced’ money would find its way back to us. It always did.  She is a woman who loves to laugh and very seldom complains about anything. Her presence in our home has without a doubt made Uganda a pleasant experience for all of us on the home front. It is impossible to measure what her impact has been on our family. Saying good bye to her will be one of Sarah’s most painful moments. We are arranging with some close friends of ours to take her as their house help/nanny and she is very happy about that. There will be other ways we will bless her that we will share later as they unfold. We want her to have a bright future and will do everything we can to help that come to pass.  Please pray for her as we get closer to leaving time. She will very much miss our family. We will find a way to keep in touch with her.

Another friend that would be impossible to replace is Francis, our night guard, gardener, and advisor. Every night when I put the kids to sleep I feel that we are all safe and secure as a family.  Our eight foot wall with razor wire is a big deterrent but the real obstacle to any intruder would be Francis! He keeps our house very secure. He can shoot birds with his bow and arrow and keeps himself well practiced in case of burglars. He shares stories of past guarding jobs at banks and other higher security stakes than our house and his mindset and skills are extremely effective. His poisoned tipped arrows, his panga (machete), and ‘will ask questions later’ attitude are a good trio of deterrents if someone is foolish enough to try and get over the wall… He laughs and says, ‘They may get over the wall but getting back out will be the problem!’  A few have tried but he made his presence clear and they turned back before making it over.  Not only does he guard our house well but is a fantastic uncle to our three kids.  He loves them like his own and would lay down his life for them.  He has killed snakes and made sure our gate is not a place of loitering at night. His eyes twinkle as he tells us the next morning how he dealt with drunks or even witch doctors loafing around at night.  Francis has been great to us and we have been blessed with a tremendously loyal guard and more importantly friend.

Lastly this month was our last Visitation Day at the school for all the guardians.  It was a good time to say goodbye to the guardians as a whole and talk to many of them individually.  I felt very appreciated and was touched by the standing ovation, gifts, speeches and love shown.  I was hoping to make it through my speech without a tear but a few snuck up on me at the end.  It was hard to look out and see guardians or single moms that I know are HIV positive with tears in their eyes, knowing that I will not be able to visit their homes anymore and bring food hampers or be there for emergency support when they need it.  I know God will meet their needs and He has done that through me many times. Even so, I found it hard to let go of being in a position to help them. 

Finally, we’re looking forward to our lives in Canada (or wherever God leads us next). We appreciate all of you more than you will ever know. We’ll be in touch regularly in the next several months.

God bless,

Mark, Sarah, Seth, Jodie, and Megan

Adventures With Mark... Top Ten List & Trivia!

I was hoping to be able to announce to all of you what our next move will be following Uganda. But we sincerely don’t know! This season has been a stretch for Sarah and I.  Very much like a resounding period at the end of a sentence with not another thought to follow. But we are trusting God and although we’ve prayed daily together for all of our married life we pray much more fervently these days!

And I’d like to point out that our time here has been full of exclamation points! So though we’re ending a season with a complete stop as I mentioned above, we will see this ending with an exclamation point because of the spectacular experience and opportunity to give and receive that this has been.   I will add some of those reasons here.
 

Top Ten List of Good Things About Being In Uganda

-Summer all year long

-Great relationships

-Not having to keep up with the Joneses as it were back in North America

-People are more important than the checklist

-Seeing amazing African animals

-A constant supply of fresh fruits & vegetables

-The African Children’s Choir Primary School

-Our fantastic house-help and guard – J. & F.… they are wonderful friends!

-Very few if any restrictions about anything… we have goats in our backyard

-The constant feeling of meaningfulness…there’s no ladder to climb… no ‘kingdom’ to establish. Just love people daily and show God our love for Him through that

Top Ten things we miss about home…

-Family

-Good friends

-Watching Hockey

-Playing on the Moose Hockey Club (Mark only!)

-Nice clean parks for the kids to play

-Driving the red Jetta (even though it is 13 years old) on smooth pothole-less roads

-A juicy burger, chicken teriyaki sub, barbeque chicken pizza, and ribs… I could go on and on!

-Places to ride a bike or go on a nice walk

-Games evenings with good friends

-Constant and uninterrupted supply of water and power

It is hard to believe that we were originally coming to Africa for two years and ended up staying these seven years.  We’ve worked hard to try and communicate with our families, friends and supporters on the other side of the world.  For those of you who have read along and visited our blog take a crack at answering our trivia questions.  Be the first one to answer everything correctly and we will bring something home for you from the Pearl of Africa!

Trivia

-What month and year did we arrive in Uganda?
-Where were Seth and Jodie born?
-Where was Megan born?
-The name of the deputy Headmaster  (vice principal) at the school.
         Mr. Kazungu     
         Mr. Lwazzi
         Mr. Masika
-The month we moved into the new school (from Kampala City to the shores of Lake Victoria)
         January 2010
         October 2010
         January 2012
-The animal that got under the gate at our house
         Weasel
         Baby gila monster
         Snake
         Scorpion
-Name of our current mother cat that the kids love…
         Mazey
         Domino
         Tonka
-Names of our house girl and guard
         Francis and Judy
         Franklin and Joyce
         Francis and Joyce
         Fred and Judy
-Two medical conditions we have had over the years
         Dysentery
         Bilharzia
         Influenza
         West Nile Virus
         Dengue Fever
         Bacterial infection
         Malaria
-Five people who have visited us over the years
         Winnie the Pooh
         Dan and Winnie Williams
         Phil and Shannon Williams
         Wilbur and Orville Wright
         Cindy, Catie, and Mya, Koleba
         President Yoweri K Museveni
         Judy Heinrichs
         The Armbruster Family
         John and Melanie
         Tiger Woods

I trust this short note finds you all well and having enjoyed a great summer.  Though we’ll  return home in the dead of winter, we are looking forward to the summer of 2013.  Until we meet in person blessings on each and everyone one of you.

Mark

African Adventures With Sarah!

Hmmm. What might be interesting to you? I’m going to bullet point this because the interesting stuff doesn’t flow together but comes in short blips.

·         We still don’t know what we will be doing after we leave Uganda. This is a little distressing. Mark is a planner and fails to see the ‘adventure’ in the unknown! Sarah manages to see the adventure but is much more likely to foolishly land her mind upon something that sounds great and say ‘Yes! Let’s do that! I’m sure God will stop us if it’s not meant to be.’ Meanwhile the planner in the family researchers every possible pitfall involved in every possible future and shoots them all down methodically. Truly, God has put us together and will eventually show us what to do. Good thing He’s patient, unwavering, and has a good sense of humor!

·         The kids are enjoying their new school. Seth was most definitely ready for school. Jodie has needed some convincing and has even gone on strike. But after a few days of sitting in a chair while her brother was at school, losing all movie and sugar privileges, and the promise of tougher penalties to come, she decided school was the better option and enjoys it when she’s there. They are the only ‘Muzungu’ kids there and do stand out a bit. But their teacher’s children are half British and similar in age (boy girl respectively) so Seth and Jodie have begun to make friends with them. Seth quoted Alex his new friend with a swear word last week. I did well… I didn’t gasp and begin to question if he’s old enough for school. I just reminded him that Alex can choose to talk how he wants but we choose not to talk like that. He glibly said, ‘Yep!’ and that was that. Funny how most of our exposure to kids their ages have been with missionaries so they haven’t heard much swearing or seen terrible behaviour. North America here we come! Why don’t they have ‘parent college’ ? Seriously! Anyone considering parenting should take at least 4 years!

·         Jodie continues to be more challenging to parent than her brother. She just loves to push the envelope. But from such spunk comes some great laughs and delight. One morning this summer the kids were eating breakfast and I was walking through the kitchen with Meg on my shoulder. Without warning she launched a large puke over my shoulder, down my back and onto my foot. Without hesitation Jodie pronounced loudly, ‘Aha! That’s why I choose not to be a mommy! I choose to be a daddy!’ That’s my girl. She’ll be 4 tomorrow! Very grown up for her age as most girls are. She loves to mother Meggie and this has shifted from being simply stressful to very helpful. I’m thankful for my girls!
·         And now for the smallest member of the crew. She is ever changing and now sports three gigantic teeth. She thinks biting is fantastic and even grinds them together to hear the sound. She can spend quite a long time with Seth and Jodie in the toy room while they play make-believe. She just watches and often pulls down any towers they build and occasionally interferes in a dinosaur game. At which point we hear Jodie’s motherly voice, ‘No Meggie, no! Here you play with this.’ And the disturbance is dealt with. Meggie loves to play peek-a-boo these days. She thinks she’s hiding her eyes when she puts both hands up on the sides of her head or over her ears and then her little twinkling eyes dance as we say, ‘Where’s Meggie?’. Then when she takes her hands off her head we must say, ‘There she is!’ Adorable. She’ll be one year old on Nov 23. I can’t believe it! I spent more nights walking the floor with this girl than I did with both of my other kids combined. I sincerely thought in those bleary eyed hours that it would never end. But thankfully that part is easing and we’re having so much fun watching her personality emerge and seeing her scurrying around to get into everything. Very fun!

·         I’m really enjoying the Reflexology course I’m taking. I have noticed that the medical field and Reflexology don’t always love each other. I’m not sure what the statistics are but I know some Reflexologists are extreme and some doctors view it as phony baloney. I’ve been able to conclude for myself that I believe it is definitely not phony baloney, but in NO WAY should it ever be considered to replace the practice of modern medicine or contradict it. I believe it can be used as a tremendous supplemental therapy to strengthen our bodies to perform in the way they’re designed to and to prevent them from becoming worn down and susceptible to sickness and disease; similar to so many habits and regimens that promote wellness and good health. Anyway… I’m really enjoying it and find the studying so easy because it is something I believe in and am intrigued by. Mark’s enjoying the fact that I have to do 30 case studies in these next several weeks. He sees himself as the sole beneficiary of those. In reality I tend to spread them out a little bit to some people I know who are having medical issues and can’t always afford medicine. I’m going to see if I can track some improvement in them and then teach their families some simple techniques to help them when money is too tight for medicine. Why not?

·         That’s all from me! If you hear a rumor that we’re going to buy a junky old boat and sail our family down to South Africa from Kenya, or leaving Uganda on this outdated over packed plane, or we’re going to manage a Bible Camp in Saskatchewan, or we’re taking language courses so we can click and cluck to a remote tribe in West Africa, or Mark’s taking a job as a dance instructor at a fine arts school in Vancouver, it would only be because Sarah was the only one who’d heard the idea and thought some aspect of it would be adventurous (or just hilarious). Don’t worry. As soon as Mark gets wind of it he’ll shoot it down and we’ll be back to the drawing board. Joking aside, thank you all so much for your prayer support and encouragement in this season. It has been the most difficult of our lives. Not only the uncertainty but even more-so the grief and loss of leaving here. Thank you for understanding and choosing to care even if you can’t relate to it. We treasure you so much.

Till next month, Sarah

Adventures With Mark...Lots Going On At The School!

It is hard to believe that my last and final term is under way here at the African Children’s Choir Primary School.  All of the students returned on time and surprisingly healthy. 

Over the holidays we had a work team at the school that focused on plastering the school block, putting facia on and completing the top portion of the fence for our property.  All three things are looking good and will benefit the school in years to come.  I was also part of the paint work team that painted the assembly room with some of the staff.  Instead of hiring an expensive painter I gave some of the staff members the opportunity to help out and earn some much needed extra money to prepare for upcoming school fees.  It was nice to spend some time with these guys with a paint brush in my hand working together.  The place looks great and all the staff is excited with the colours that Sarah picked out.

It was also exciting to have five teams of staff go out and spend some time visiting the homes.  Each student’s home visited received a nice food hamper that contained rice, posho, beans, soap, sugar, tea and cooking oil. Most teams consisted of three to five staff members who took a full day to travel and take an interest in our students.  I have truly been blessed with a great staff to work with over the years.

As the term began we received some exciting news that our grade seven students did very well on their mock exams.  This is a big test that is given to all students in preparation for their final national exams in early November.  Most of the graders mark very hard and yet our students performed extremely well.  If the students continue to focus and work hard until the end of the year this may very well be our best class ever and could even place us as a top ten school in the country. 

We are blessed to have so many people behind us over the years and are grateful for the support that has been extended to the school.  The food hampers for students and staff, the fence and painting were all made possible by the generous donations of many.  Those of you who gave we continue to pray that God will bless you tenfold.

This term is different than any other as I begin a term of training in a new headmaster.  On one hand I am a little sad as I will not be seeing the staff on a daily basis but I’m also happy to launch the school under the leadership of their first Ugandan headmaster.  I am also excited to see what God has for our family down the road.  Please pray that things will go well in this process and in the discovering of what is next for us.

Blessings, Mark

Adventures With Sarah... Yahoo For School!

It is hard to believe that when we first arrived in Uganda we were only planning to stay for two years and start a family back in Canada after that.  Now we’ve spent seven years in Africa and are blessed with three children.  Term three not only found Mark going to school but Seth and Jodie too! Our two oldest were excited to begin their adventure of schooling after 2 months of tutoring with Mrs. Heinrichs (thank you so much Judy!!! You really launched them and me into home schooling) and two months of every day home schooling with mom. They loved home school but in the last few weeks I’d noticed significant boredom setting in not only with school but in play time as well. So on Sept 4 backpacks and smiles were on the morning menu as they began life in a local kindergarten/preschool.  These two are really chums and watching them do anything together is so adorable. I praise God how their temperaments work well together. They will only go for mornings Tuesday to Fridays. The house is strangely quiet but since this has been the first week I am just basking in the silence (as much as Meggie allows)! I also find I’m just dying to see them when lunch time rolls around. I’m so glad they’re only going half days.

What will I be doing with my time? I signed up for a correspondence Reflexology course from a University in Kelowna, BC. I am so psyched! I wanted to do massage therapy but a good and wise friend (thank you Mel!) suggested that reflexology is a shorter course and is up and coming these days. I looked into it and Mark and I decided the timing was good. When I phoned to inquire the ‘registration lady’ said, ‘Are you aware of our 50% off enrollment promotion that ends tomorrow?’ J Isn’t God great?!!! I’m diving into a one year course full speed ahead. I asked the ‘registration lady’ what was the fastest time she’d ever seen it done in and she said 4.5 months. Hmm. For a housewife who hasn’t studied since high school I’ve concluded I will probably not break any records. But, every day when I get up I pray that God will sharpen my diaper-duty dulled mind and give me a cutting edge. So far I’m loving it and the info is sticking! I’m pretty excited about where God will take us and happy to be getting in a position where I can help make ends meet. I know I will enjoy it.

Finally, little Meggie is doing great! Two teeth… crawling, pulling up on everything. Saying ‘da-da’ only. (She knows what she’s saying). Loves pizza, spaghetti, and pb and j sandwiches. Still nursing but she has  a hard time sitting still long enough these days. Seth and Jodie are her heroes. She loves to take a bath with them in the big tub and also speed around on her mom or dad powered 4 wheeler with side rails while Seth and Jodie speed on their boda bodas. It’s a very noisy blast.

That’s all from me this month. I hope this summer has been fantastic for all of you. God has been amazingly faithful this year. The visitors that we’ve had have been undoubtedly blessings from Him. I can’t imagine having gone through the transition of planning to leave Uganda without each of you that came and listened to us decompress, and journey through the change. Thank you so much! And for the goodies you brought?... we’re so thankful.

Love you all

Sarah