I saw the sign...

One of my favorite things about driving around Uganda is looking at the signs. (See my previous post about things that get lost in the translation!) 

Here are a few we've seen this trip... So wish I had actual pictures!  

Express beauty saloon (beer goggles, anyone???)

Hungry management (call it what it is!)

Blessed barberz saloon (the Ugandan franchise of Dripping Springs' Barbershop)

Spray painted on the side of a building:  Do not be deceived. This building is not for sale. (Keller Williams signs aren't really a thing here.)

Butchery and mobile minutes (seems legit. )

Jesus has power (mobile phone charging)

Beware of hot dog (this should perhaps be a part of food packaging, not a yard sign!)

Electrical engineer center (never mind that it has no power)

And our absolute favorite...

God bless you deep fried pork joint (amen.)

Avocados!

There is no spiritual or deep reflective tone to this post at all... I just had to share!  

There is a large avocado tree in front of the house here. 

The avocados that grow on it are about the size of my face, and there are lots of them!  This is ok with me, of course, because I could eat avocados every day... And we are!  

On Tuesday night, Robert and I made "burritos."  We made, with Moses' guidance, homemade chapati, which is a local flatbread, to be the wraps. Robert used some of his newly acquired pizza making skills to  prepare the dough. 

Moses showed us how to cook them. (It should be noted that we have made chapati in The States, and now know all the things we were doing wrong! These were so much better!) 

I grilled chicken, and Robert made the guacamole. One of my favorite parts of this week is that Moses wants the children to learn how to cook also, and asked if I would explain to them what we are doing as we cook. I LOVE having kids in the kitchen with me, so this is a dream!  On this night, Robert was the instructor, and Yonah and Rogers, who are 7 and 8, were his VERY willing students!  ;-). 

They thought mashing the avocado was the most fun thing ever, and they especially loved it when Robert let them lick the forks after they were done mashing!  

They were amazed when Robert showed them how to spread it on the chapati,

and all of the children were baffled at the idea of dinner being "wrapped!"  

Best part-- now every time Rogers and Yonah have avocado... They mash it!  ;-)

Lest you think that I have been 100%amazing in the African kitchen, I give you yesterday's breakfast-- apparently oatmeal (regardless of the heaps of sugar I added!!!) is not a texture the kids love!

 I watched them struggling to eat it, and said to Moses, "please don't make them!  I will feed it to the chickens!"  Instead, they all gave their remaining oatmeal to Yonah, the littlest one here, because he liked it!  ;-). The chickens were happy with the rest, and now I know why they don't sell oats in huge bags here like the rice and beans!  

My kingdom for...

Many times this week I have wished for things.  Here is a sampling:

My kingdom for...

The rhythm in the big toe of the praise guy at Pastor Henry's church! (I have never seen anyone who moves like him!  Every year I am amazed. I have said before that I want to be in the African part of Heaven if I'm going to spend eternity praising God. I just hope there's not a dance-off required for entry!)

A Skype call to Shan (so she could teach me how to make homemade spaghetti sauce!)

A bucket of lacrosse balls (the guys on the youth team in Kampala have one ball... And it kept getting lost in this pile...

My bug bands! (For the first five days we were in Jinja, we could not find our big bands. The mosquitoes were awful, and I actually learned to make breakfast in the dark so I didn't have to turn on the light and attract them! I also learned that if you leave a pot soaking overnight, no fewer than one million mosquitoes will breed in it by morning!) 

More abrasive body wash (there is NO WAY to get the red dirt off with no water pressure and just a washcloth)

Non exfoliating bath wash (I thought the exfoliating beads would help with the dirt, but with no water pressure, you can't get them off!). 

Chlorox wipes (God provided these!!!  Water to wine would not have been a better miracle to me right then! Maybe.)

A glass of wine (actually two!  The first one was to trap the 9,000 fruit flies that live in the kitchen on all that fresh produce we got at the market!!)

Water pressure 

And, let's be real:

A fridge, 

A washing machine,

Dishwasher,

Microwave,

Oven (in that order!)

Sewing machine (I spent several hours the other night mending clothes and uniforms!)

Dominoes (the ability to say, "I'm not going to the supermarket for meat today!")

A second serving spoon! (Though in retrospect, I'm not sure I would have used it. You become more conservative with dishes when you know you will be hand washing them later!)

A road around Kampala to get from Jinja to the Entebbe airport! ( Nowhere else in the world have I seen traffic like in Kampala at rush hour.  They have "just begun building" a road, so perhaps by the time I'm 80 it will exist!)

It's too much!

Sam Otoa, a Ugandan lacrosse player who worked for Fields of Growth, stopped by Ddembe House Monday night to see us (Robert!). Sam is in Jinja and has been working in local high schools coaching boys and girls' teams for  the past year, and is now working to start a men's team that could compete against the team in Kampala. Sam had requested that we bring him some defensive poles because they don't have any here. A defensive pole is six feet tall, so it's no small thing to get them on a plane. After lots of research to be sure it would work, Robert asked for donations, and we were able to bring six poles with us. When he came over, Sam brought some guys from the team with him, and when Robert gave him the poles, they all said, "it's too much!"  They couldn't believe we brought them with heads on them, and that some of them were even brand new. They were completely overwhelmed, and so incredibly grateful. "It's too much!" they kept repeating. 

I, too, have said, "it's too much!" this week, but I've been saying it to Moses (and sometimes to God!) I wrote about the house being without a house mom right now, and I need to tell you that I can't believe Moses has been doing it all. I'm trying to use my time here to give him a break, and have been doing the laundry, the cooking, cleaning, walking kids to school, etc. Robert has been a huge help with the chores and the kids.  (They study for an hour every night, and this is how Robert was helping Yonah study last night!) It's pretty much exactly like my life in America, but with twice the kids and zero machines. Let me just be real... I'm exhausted.  Bone tired. I am sleeping 4 1/2-5 hours every night, and am running on fumes already, and I've only been here for five days!  I have no idea how Moses does it, and with a smile, and I'm so grateful that he does!!  Please pray with us for Janet, the house mom, to recover quickly. Please also pray that Moses will be able to find someone to "stand in the gap," as he says, until Janet returns. 

Over the course of this week, Moses and I have had many great conversations. On the second day I was here, while I was trying to do dishes (you eventually get used to the thought that you are hand washing dishes in unclean water, but it takes a couple of days for me!), Moses commented that some mommies are better at the cooking and cleaning, and some are better at being mommies. I am sure he meant that in the nicest way!  ;-). What he actually meant, though, is that he needs a housekeeper and a house mom. We're praying for just the right person to come and be a house mother, and praying Janet can return as the housekeeper. 

All of it is made right, though, at my favorite moment of the day (no matter which side of the Atlantic I'm on!)... Bus stop pick up!  The way my kids (now it's only Molly!) run to my arms in a huge hug is a total day maker for me!  It's the same when nine precious faces hurry across the street in the afternoon here, full of excited hugs and giggles!  I am overwhelmed with gratitude to God for this home, for the chance to continue in the lives of these children, and for the chance to get to see and serve them every day during our summer visits-- it's just too much!!  

God will give you the desires of the heart!

Years ago (before I went to Africa the first time), I wrote in my journal about wanting to live an adventure. My life of taking care of small children in the suburbs felt so ... Normal. I like living in places where you have to do things differently. Well, God has given me the desires of my heart!  I am far from my life as a suburban mom right now!  

Speaking of desires of the heart... Growing up, I wanted to live among the orphans in Africa. I knew I wanted to be a pediatrician (Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman), a teacher,  or the house mom of an orphanage. On my first trip to Uganda, I cried real tears of joy because God gave me the ability to work in medical clinics here. How could I have imagined, when I agreed with Him that becoming a pediatrician was not what He had for me, that He was still planning to give me the desire of my heart?!  I have had the opportunity to work alongside some teachers here, and so that dream has come true, and now... The last... I am currently the house mommy for Ddembe House!  The house mommy had to have surgery about a month ago, and is still out recovering, so Moses has been doing everything. He has been looking very forward to me coming, as I had told him that I would be more than glad to step in and help. When he picked us up from Kampala Sunday afternoon, he said, "what will you need to cook dinner tonight?"  Ummmmmmm.... 

I need all my close friends and family to know that I am working to set aside the part of myself who HATES camping and remember that I LOvE Africa more!  

We stopped on the way home from Kampala and purchased a propane tank and some "accessories" to turn it into a gas stove. Calling upon all our collective years of Chem labs, We hooked it up like a Bunsen burner and prayed it wouldn't explode!  Moses knew he needed a gas stove, but he is a 28 year old bachelor-- he's completely new at all of this, and I will admit that I've never cooked with a gas tank before!  

Dinner Sunday night -- chicken and rice!  It was only about 3 hours past their usual dinner time because of our travel from Kampala (and the fact that it takes nine years for a big pot of water to boil on our new stove!). It has officially been 24 hours, and no one has been sick, so I can say it was a success!  

Bad news:  I have never in my life cooked the appropriate volume of rice for the number of people I'm feeding. (And everyone who has ever come over for gumbo said 'amen!')

Good news: there was rice for breakfast this morning!  ;-)

This morning, Moses said we would do the shopping for the week, so we headed to the market. Some handy tips that I learned from Moses pertaining to Ugandan market shopping:

1.  Go early. Everyone else does, and if you wait, you only get the "bad vegetables."

2.  Look at the place where all the women are shopping and go to that salesperson. 

3.  Ask the salesperson to choose the fruit for you. They will give you the best ones because they want your repeat business. 

4.  Make several trips to the car!  ;-). Shopping for produce for a week for 14 people is a lot!  

Seriously, though, look at this market:

It was incredible-- All organic, fresh vegetables and fruits!  

Me:  I'm looking for bigger green bell peppers. 

Robert:  Mom-- it's all non GMO!  

Even some silverfish-- I told Moses I could NoT cook those!). 

Being there helped us plan what kinds of things we could cook, and then it was time to go to town to buy the staples in bulk (exactly like Costco shopping -- except completely different!). 

Tonight we made spaghetti, and it was great!  Robert said, "I can't believe I'm eating Italian food, cooked by an American woman, in Uganda!"  

We have some big plans for future meals, and are getting creative with how to cook an entire meal on one burner, using only the ingredients we have found here!

House mommies are not just about the shopping and cooking, though. There is also the laundry...

Moses:  oh no. We have so much laundry to do, but we really must go to the market today. 

Me:  I brought clothes for each child!  We don't have to do the laundry today!  :-). (Thank you, Hattiesburg families!!!)

We also have to wash all the dishes... Which, I am not even kidding, is an endless chore. 

The children do many chores related to cleaning the house, and washing and ironing (!) their uniforms. Thank goodness, because ironing definitely falls among my anti-gifts. 

We are busy from 5:30am until the children go to bed at 10, and we are loving it. 

I'm so grateful God gave me this chance, and I'm even more grateful that in His infinite wisdom, he waited until I had learned to cook without recipes to do it!  

So much more!

Ddembe house!!  Sometimes you are afraid that the expectations you build up for something are not how it will be. Ddembe house is even better!!!!!  I have so much to write about the children, the house, the way Moses is parenting them, how they are doing in school, etc. For now, though, enjoy these pictures of happy, healthy children!!  

Sustainability

We are back in Uganda!  We have spent the past two days in Kampala. Yesterday we took care of "business" like changing money and getting a cell phone and using it to make arrangements for the rest of our weekend. Today, we met the guys from Team Uganda at their fields and Robert helped them with a youth practice and a team practice. 

A quick background:  two years ago we heard about Fields of Growth, an organization that was working to bring lacrosse to Uganda and Jamaica. Since Robert had taken sticks the previous summer to the orphanages and clinics, we were excited to meet other people with the same passions!  We stayed at the FoG guesthouse for two days  that summer and met a few members of their team. We learned of their Dream 2014 campaign to bring Team Uganda to the FIL World Championships (the World Cup of lacrosse) the next year in Denver.  During that year, Robert worked as an intern for the Dream 2014 campaign, and Keith helped too. Last July, Keith and Robert traveled to Denver and served as Team Liaisons for Team Uganda, the first African lacrosse team to ever compete internationally. 

Today, when we saw the guys from the team again, it was a great reunion!  They were disappointed that it was me, and not Keith, because they grew close to him in Denver. They told me all about how he took care of them and advised them, and was a great and trustworthy father to them all. Robert was in absolute heaven. He helped coach a youth practice, and then taught the Team Uganda guys some plays from the  Dripping Springs Tigers' playbook!  There are not words to express how proud I am as a mom to see Robert combining two things he loves-- lacrosse, and the people of Uganda. His smiles at practice today were the best!  

During practice, I had the chance to visit individually with many of the guys on the team. They told me more about the exhibition tour they have put together this summer, playing every other weekend in a new town or school trying to promote awareness of the game.  DJ Lubz told me about making an appointment with the sports director for northern Uganda, where many of the players are from, to discuss promoting the game there. Ken is out of town this weekend because he is in Kenya trying to start a team so that Team Uganda will have someone to play against!  They all spoke of their dreams for having teams in Tanzania and Rwanda as well-- they dream of lacrosse all over East Africa!  The girls' game is growing here too-- perhaps even faster than the men's game!  Here is what is most impressive to me:  these guys are doing this all on their own. Fields of Growth is focusing on Jamaica now, and this team, who have been through so much that they are now like brothers, are playing with no competition and no coach. They gather all the sticks they have and travel with them to each youth practice, where the youth take turns using sticks. The love for lacrosse and what this sport has meant to them is absolutely contagious, and it is the reason that the sport is growing here in Africa. There are no white people, no coaches, no former players, and no organizations-- just a group of guys who have seen the realization of one really big dream, which empowered them to dream bigger-- and more than that, are working to make it happen. They make no money for this, often take away time from jobs and families, and have no sponsorship for things like this exhibition tour. None of that matters to them. 

As someone who works in missions (which is a dumb thing to say-- don't we all?!), I have a love/hate relationship with the word "sustainability." It's great in theory to talk about missional projects that involve people eventually being able to help themselves or their close neighbors, but in reality, things like orphanages typically need continued support, because for an orphanage to generate its own income would involve child labor. Team Uganda, though, is a model of sustainability. People came and invested in these guys, some of whom were former victims of Joseph Kony. They formed a team, found a game and a purpose that elevates them beyond their circumstances, saw a dream come true, and now cannot help but share it. They are crossing borders (figuratively and literally) that Americans might not have even tried to.  

I am so excited to have seen this and spent this time with the team guys. I am grateful for the way they embrace Robert as one of them, and for the way they sacrificially share what they love, and what has changed their lives. THAT, I think, is the model of sustainability that God designed for us.