Two and a half years ago, our family found ourselves in a situation where we had 500 hand-made lunches and knew of no one to eat them. Knowing that there were, in fact, people who could be blessed by this food, we instituted a new policy; we would live each moment with our "Jesus glasses" on until the lunches were distributed. We would view our lives through the eyes of Christ. We would not go through the motions of life, but in each moment, we would be intentionally asking God, "What do you want me to see and experience here? Who needs me to show them Your love? Jesus, how would you respond here?" We saw the hand of God over that week in such a profound way, we dared to wonder what He would do in our lives if we kept those glasses on.
If you've been following our lives at all over the past 30 months, you have seen what a difference taking Christ's viewpoint has made.
Here, in Uganda, we are surrounded by poverty and pain that is unlike anything we could experience in the US. There are a million possible ways to "help", but often, what looks like help to us actually does more harm than good.
Discernment is more important than ever here, and often we can become immune or paralyzed from helping because we don't want to do it wrong.
Thus, the need for Jesus glasses. I cannot be led by my emotions or by the gravity of the situation. I can only be sure that what I am doing is right by following the will of God in each case. I need to constantly be checking myself against who I know my Savior to be. I spend my days getting to know my Father's voice so that in the moment of need, I can be sure that it is His voice that I hear above all else.
Many women come to us for help with a sick child, wanting some clothes for their children or really anything that we might be giving out. For this reason, Healing Faith makes it a point to NOT hand things out. Our goal is to be in relationship, to lead our friends to Christ, not to the next handout. We do, however, partner with Mercy for Mamas to get kits to pregnant mothers for a healthy, safe delivery. We do this often and it can become routine.
God was about to rock that routine though.
Halie became friends about 3 weeks ago with a young, pregnant girl, named Fauza. They walked together holding hands and talked each day. The first week, Fauza told us that she was new in Wakisi, and asked if we could hang a mosquito net in the home she was staying in.
The next week, with Halie by her side, she peeked her head around the corner of the school building to hesitantly ask for a Mama Kit and a baby kit (blanket, outfit, socks and hat for a newborn), I thought nothing much of it.We gave her the kits, prayed over her and her soon-to-be-born baby, and asked her to come see us after the baby was born so that we could rejoice with her.
We all sat down together to watch the kids playing soccer and jumping rope, when out of the blue, Fauza began to tell me her story. She said that she wouldn't be happy when her baby was born.
Okay, God. I am listening. Guide me. How are you calling me to act on Your behalf?
Fauza is 17 years old and has been in school most of her life. She is at Senior 2 level, but is on holiday right now. She speaks English well and is very smart. She had been living with her uncle, who also paid her school fees, but when she became pregnant, she was told to leave and to only come back when she no longer had a baby.
We talked about the choices that lay before her. We talked about her heart. This was not an easy situation. We talked about the gift of this child, but also about the aspects of being a young, single mother that are hard.
She shared that she wanted to keep her child, but she didn't know how she would provide milk or soap. Fauza had no idea about breast-feeding being sufficient for at least a year. I assured her that we could find a way for her to be able to provide soap for her and her child. We prayed that she would bond with this child and allow herself to love him or her. Mariam, a Healing Faith interpreter and I asked her to stay with the baby for at least the first few months to give the baby a strong, healthy start. We assured her that she wouldn't walk this path alone.
We left that day prayerful. There was no way of knowing where her heart truly was.
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The following week, we came to check on her, and the grandmother that she was living with said she had gone to a clinic to give birth. She left early the previous day, but no one had heard from her since.
Now, these are not woman who spend three days in a hospital recovering. These are woman who give birth alone on the floors of their homes and then get up and do the laundry. For her to be gone for 2 days was odd.
When we arrived at the clinic, she was 48 hours into intense labor with little if any sign of progress. The contractions brought her to tears every 3-5 minutes. She chewed on a root plant to keep the nausea away.
Again, we prayed and encouraged her. We walked with her between contractions, and we held her through them. We told her how strong she was and that she could do this.
As hard as it was to see her in so much pain, what pained my heart the most was knowing that there was true risk here. The baby was not coming like it should. My silent prayer was for protection, health and a safe delivery for mom and baby. I prayed that God was not leading us into a season of grieving with this young girl.
The following day, I expected to wake up to news of a birth. The update was that there was still no change. Day 3 of intense labor on the floor of a simple clinic. We continued in prayer knowing that things are done differently in Uganda than they would be in America. We were not called to barge in and fix things, we were called to walk alongside this young woman on her journey. And that is honestly the absolute hardest part of ministry.
We had checked in throughout the day, and finally that evening got a phone call that the clinic staff said Fauza needed a c-section. That meant a transfer from the village clinic to the hospital in town. A friend lent Fauza, still in intense labor, a phone to call us and tell us that she was standing on the side of the road in the village waiting for a boda (a motorcycle taxi) to bring her to the hospital. She wasn't asking for us to do anything, but the image of her traveling 30 minutes on a motorcycle after 3 days of labor was too much.
Dave, Mariam and I got in the van and went to get her.
Once we arrived at the hospital, Dave and I needed to stay in the van because the prices for any services would skyrocket as soon as the color of our skin was seen. We are so thankful for Mariam and her strong, sure negotiating skills. For no charge, Fauza had a bed, would get an examination and would be where she needed to be if and when the doctor decided a c-section was imminent.
The next morning, a phone call informed us that she had been dilated to 7 all night long, that the baby was handling labor well, and that the surgery was scheduled for later that day.
Around 9pm the call finally came that the surgery was done, and a baby girl was here! Mom and baby were both doing great! The price for the surgery had been negotiated, so I was able to come visit. Finally!
Want your mind completely blown? I assured Fauza that we would cover all costs that she had to get her baby here. All of the medical care that she needed from the village clinic to the c-section to the hospital stay was under $30. UNDER $30!
Holding this precious child was such an incredible answer to prayer!
So, the baby is here. We rejoice together. (Though Fauza is still holding a slight grudge against her daughter for causing her so many days of pain.) :-)
This week, as Fauza recovers physically, we celebrate what God has done, but we know that life continues to loom ahead of her.
We don't yet know where she will go when she leaves the hospital. We don't know how she will provide for her child, where her heart will be about returning to school or staying to care for her child, or what their future holds.
So, we pray. We stay by her side and we walk with her through the process of making her decisions. We point her to her Heavenly Father and assure her that to do what is right, His is the voice that she needs to hear above all else.
Continue to hold this little family in your prayers with us.
When someone is in need, it is my instinct to step in. What God has been showing me though, is that sometimes, He wants to step in, and He is simply calling me to sit back and watch. Unfortunately, I am much less patient than He is, and sometimes, I move too quickly.
I wish that I only had one personal example of this to
share. I wish, that I didn't rush ahead of God so often in life. But I am learning.
It is by making mistakes that we learn.
When we know better, we do better.
I will share just one story with you today because it is a
beautiful story of grace and redemption. Those are my favorite kinds of
stories.
There is a wonderful woman who helps us around the house
here, in Uganda. Sometimes she sorts and cooks the beans, sometimes she helps
with cleaning. She is a hard-worker and a good friend. We attend Bible study
together and a mid-week church service. She also manages the house that she
lives in.
In theory, that means she is responsible for collecting rent from the
15+ tenants and getting it to the owner each month in exchange for free rent
for her family.
Sounds like a great position, except:
·The tenants only pay when they feel like it…and that
is not on-time or often. ·The owner is corrupt, demeaning and deceitful. ·Uganda has a law that says you need to allow a
tenant 3 months rent-free before you can evict them. ·The owner doesn’t care about this law and
expects my friend to break the law to evict them.
So, I have known that my friend’s job was stressful for her,
and that others have advised her to get out of the position, but she had never
asked me for advice, so we hadn’t talked about it much.
Until she came to me not asking for advice, but asking for
money.
The owner had come banging on her door that morning
demanding 500,000 Ugandan Shillings ($200 USD). He was threatening and
screaming and told her that she had one hour to bring him the full amount.
By the time she had arrived at my gate, she was in tears and
had exhausted all of her resources. A friend lent her a portion of the money,
but now, here she was, asking if I could lend her the rest. Of course, she had
hoped to collect rent from those refusing in order to pay both the friend and
me back.
In my American mind, the 120 bucks that she needed was no
skin off my back. It was an amount that I was willing to lose to help a friend.
Even if she never got the rent, it wouldn’t have a negative impact on my life. Unfortunately,
my focus was only on myself and how this affected me rather than thinking about
how my “help” would affect my friend.
She is someone who makes about 100,000 shillings in a month.
Her husband works 12 hour days, 7 days per week and makes just about the same. To
her family, this is an extraordinary amount of money.
In the moment, in the emergency, in the tears, I gave her
the money. She paid the owner and peace was restored…temporarily.
No sooner had I handed her the money than the error of my ways
came to mind.
What would my lending her an amount that she could never pay
back do to her pride or to our relationship?
How does my rescue empower her for the future?
What could God do, or is He already trying to do to grow and
prepare her? Who am I to interfere with that?
What was going to happen next month? I know that the owner
is deceitful. Who’s to say he won’t come demanding more next week?
Did I really do any good or did I simply do what was easiest
for me?
Within a few days, some rent was collected. She was able to
pay me back half of what I lent her. I was impressed, but I also knew that God
was calling me to do something more...and it had nothing to do with this month’s rent
demand.
I asked if I could sit down with her and look at records she
kept of rent paid and money demanded. She was happy to have input and to have
someone listen to the cry of her heart.
For the past 3 years she had been functioning completely out
of fear. She was worn down and worn out. She didn’t want to do this job any
more, but whenever she tried to quit, the abuse from the owner would begin
again. He told her she was stupid and that she owed him so much money that she
could never leave. He showed her a figure of 4.8 million shillings that he said
somehow she owed him.
I had very little idea how the system in Uganda worked, but
what I did know was scary. Death threats, missing paperwork and false
accusations are all too common if you end up on the wrong side of someone
willing to bribe officials. I knew that I could not afford to risk my family’s
safety, and I didn’t know if I truly had any help to offer her, but I trusted that
God would provide what words I was lacking.
In one afternoon we were able to do some math together and
see that her rent had never actually been free and that he was demanding more
money from her each month than was covered by the tenants rent. Because no one
paid on a set schedule, she never added it all up and just gave him money as it
came in.
The tears came as her greatest fear was realized. She felt
as stupid as he had always said she was.
I know very little about business and finance, but I was
able to speak truth into her life. I was able to encourage her and remind her
that she was a beloved child of God and that His plan for her was not this life
of fear.
I wanted so badly to march into that owner’s office and give
him a piece of my mind. I was angry for the way that he had taken advantage of
my friend for years. I was in fight
mode.
But, this was not my fight.
You see, when we are called into a situation where someone
needs help, more often than not, we are called to empower them to help
themselves. I was not being asked to be a rescuer, a savior. I was called to
point her to her Savior, the one who created her and promised to always give
her strength. She had lost sight of how God sees her, and she needed to be
reminded.
We talked about steps she could take to protect herself, to
defend herself, and to get her out of this position. We made a plan, we role
played some dialogue, and as her confidence grew, I saw the anger rise up in
her. Not anger aimed at the owner, but anger that she had let her life get to
this point. Anger that she had allowed someone to treat her this way for so
long.
It was an emotion that convicted her heart and demanded a
change.
Before she left, we prayed. We prayed hard for courage and
strength. We prayed that the owner would by some miracle have a kind and
compassionate heart. We prayed that he would allow her to quit.
I told her to call me after she met with the owner.
I didn’t hear from her for a few days. Each day I prayed
that her courage would not waver as the days passed, but I feared that it
would. I feared that she was too deep in this and that change was not possible.
I didn’t catch her before mid-week service, but when we got
in the car to drive home, she said, “I have something to tell you, but I couldn’t
do it over the phone.” My heart sank.
Then, a smile stretched from one side of her face to the
other as she told me all about how she walked into his office with confidence and
told him that she was done with this work and that there was no way she would
ever be able to repay the amount he was asking for and that she refused to try
any longer. She told him that she had to borrow money to pay his demands and
that she deserved to collect enough rent to pay back her debts.
She told me that she had never felt that strong in front of
him. Usually, she just sat and listened and never said a word, but this time
was different.
And you know what? The owner said he understood. He accepted
her quitting, but he asked if she would continue just until he found someone new.
He considered her debt erased and she was welcome to stay living in the house
if she wanted to. She was to collect the money needed to pay back her debts to
her friends and then, if he hadn’t found a replacement, bring any further rent
to him. There would be no more demands.
She had no idea what to say. She had expected a fight.
God had other plans.
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And now, a week later, she laughs as she tells me that she
thinks she walks differently, taller even. “Why do I feel that way?” she asks.
That is what power and confidence and pride feel like, I
tell her. All foreign feelings to her.
She did it.
She did what she could and God did what she couldn’t.
She had read about prayers being answered. She believed that
God could answer prayers.
Today though, today she lived it. God reached right down
into her life and answered herprayer.
I love seeing everyday how this new found confidence is
impacting her life. She paid back her other friend, and she has paid me back in
full. She feels like she has a fresh start.
I am glad that I didn’t continue to try and “help” her out
of this situation.
Helping can be done wrong in a million ways. Speaking truth, reminding someone of their worth, empowering them to want better and to do better for themselves: with these you simply can't go wrong.
There was a boy in the village, about 12 years old, who
broke his leg. His family had x-rays, and even to the untrained eye, it was an
obvious, serious break.
His father asked us to help.
We said no.
************************************
Sometimes, when you travel around the world to help people,
you actually get to help people in the ways that you imagined.
Other times, you can’t for a number of reasons.
This part is hard to wrap the mind around.
This part is
heart-breaking.
This part is hard to admit and is rarely talked about.
But this is the part that anyone who truly wants to make an impact
anywhere MUST understand; whether you are serving for one day, one month, or one
decade.
It just seems so obvious. For many of us, it is just a
natural instinct. You see someone in need, you have the ability to help in some
way, so you don’t think twice, you just help. This feels good and right. Your
emotion leads to action and everyone involved has a better day because of it.
But what is that emotion that led to that action? Altruism? Boredom?
Pity? Conviction? Sadness?
Afterall, they say that the quickest way to make yourself
feel better is by helping someone else, right?
I was several months into our service in Uganda before I
realized that I came here feeling really, really sorry for the people of
Uganda. For the whole continent of Africa really.
How could I not? The kids with flies on their faces were
real. The orphans were numerous, the distended bellies were right in front of
me.
Then, it dawned on me. As long as I was feeling sorry for
the people of Africa, I was absolutely useless to help them.
As long as I was comparing what they lacked to what I
possessed, I was no good to them.
To ever truly meet a need, we must first look at the
strengths and abilities of those with the need.
We know it’s true. “Give a man a fish he eats for a day,
teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime” we say. But, too often, it is
easier and more rewarding to simply give him a fish. We call it the “starfish”
mentality and we justify it by saying, “Well, at least he’s not hungry today.”
When we feed him just for today though, he will wake up
tomorrow praying not for his situation to change, not for employment, not for
strength, but simply for someone else to come feed him today. I am a firm
believer that the good people of this world outnumber the bad by a longshot,
and I am confident that his prayer is answered. I have seen it in America, and
I have seen it in Uganda. He gets fed for the day, day after day, after day. His
situation never changes. Whether it was a tough break in life, mental illness,
or oppression, those issues are never brought to light. The causes of the need
are never addressed.
What if there was another way, though? What if we chose to search
for the strengths and abilities of those in need? How could we empower them to
be world changers instead of making ourselves feel better?
What if we first asked that man if he had ever been fishing?
What if he had, and now that you ask, he has a pole in the
back of his house?
What if you went with him to the lake and shared stories
while you fished together?
What if he actually had something to teach YOU about
fishing?
How would the outcome be different?
How empowered would that man be as he went from the one in
need to the one who helps?
We are not on this earth to make ourselves feel better. We
are not here to appease our guilt.
I believe, with all that is in me, that we are here to make
the world a better place. Sometimes that means helping someone change a flat,
but more often, it requires nothing physical. More often it simply requires
that we help someone to see what they have to offer the world. It requires
building them up and empowering them to change the world on their own.
************************************
The x-ray showed an obvious and serious break...but they had
an x-ray.
That x-ray meant that they had seen a doctor. That x-ray
meant that they knew how to care for their boy. They didn’t need us to take over, but they
thought it was worth a shot. Many Americans have made that mistake in the past.
Just because we could meet a physical need, didn’t mean it was right.
We prayed with them. We asked God to bring peace and comfort.
We assured them that we would be back to see them in few days.
And when we came back to visit, the boy had a cast on his
leg. They had done it all on their own. They didn’t need us after all. They may
have called on neighbors to help them, they may have had to make some
sacrifices, but who, as a parent, has not done those things?
And the added blessing, we are not seen as rescuers. We don’t
have a line of other families begging us to solve their problems. We are seen
as friends. We are encouragers and we are prayers. We allow this family to draw
strength from God as their provider, not the missionaries.
Today was a simple, ordinary day.
We began the day with home school, like we do so many days.
Our askari and friend was playing with the kids as they finished their work.
Two men came to fix the leaks in our roof. (Yet another joy of rainy season.)
The woman came who cleans our neighbor's house. Her son joined her.
Another woman, the sister of our weekend askari, came to visit with her baby.
Our compound was full of people, and the fellowship was full of love and peace.
As we began to gather around the table for lunch, the awesomeness of the moment fell upon me. It is the same meal that would have served the 8 of us, but today, 15 of us were gathered together to eat. No one expected a meal, but all were thankful to be welcomed.
A simple meal, rice and soup, but in the sharing, it all tasted extravagant, so much better than it ever has before.
Nothing fancy, nothing planned, our lives all simply intersected on this day, at this time, due to a variety of circumstances.
Shortly after lunch, families from our church arrived to practice the kids' Christmas Program. Our compound was full, and again, I was overwhelmed with the blessing of it all. The friendship, the love, the community. After singing songs and rehearsing our lines, the children ran and played and laughed together.
All was right with the world.
Today was a day when life went on smoothly and the only things unexpected were the blessings of the most simple moments.
We were created to be in relationship. We are called to share our lives with others. We often feel the need to have an occasion or a plan for fellowship, or worse yet, our lives are so full that fitting it in is a challenge. Experiencing true, effortless relationship that happens smack dab in the center of ordinary life though, that is an amazing gift from God.
October has come and gone and we haven't seen a single leaf change colors. The weather has not grown cooler, and there is no giant bowl or candy remaining from Trick-or-Treating. This year is different, that is for sure.
Kato's surgery went fairly well. They ended up grafting some skin from his thigh onto the wound on his calf and ankle. The calf wound is healing nicely, but sadly, a second surgery is needed for the ankle wound. When Kato entered the hospital, he was overflowing with hope. He was confident that once and for all, his leg would be healed.
And then, it wasn't.
He was sent home in only a slightly better condition than when he entered the hospital.
His spirits are low.
It breaks my heart when we run into a situation full of faith, just knowing that God will show up and get all of the glory...and then it doesn't turn out how we had hoped.
It would be easy to say that He failed. It would be easy to say that, in fact, God did not show up. Unbelievers would be quick to say this. Even shaky believers would let that idea invade thier thoughts.
True faith though, is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Have you ever experienced something that seemed devastating at the time, but eventually turned into an incredible blessing?
Have you ever gotten exactly what you wanted and then later realized that maybe, another outcome could have been better?
I have lived through enough of both of those instances to have complete faith in God's timing and in God's planning. He promises His children that He will ALWAYS show up. He promises His children that He is working all things for the good of those who love Him.
So, in the meantime, we encourage Kato. We treat his wound in the village to prevent infection. We pray for patience, and we prepare for surgery number 2. We wait in confidence that God's plan is good, and in anticipation of the ending that He is preparing to write in this story.
We draw close to God and we meditate on His promises...and that is good. That is healing for our souls.
In Ugandan culture, when a woman gives birth to twins, instantly identities are changed.
The mother, from that point on, becomes known to all as Nalongo, "mother of twins".
The first twin boy is named Wasswa, and the second is named Kato.
Even the child who is born after the twins has a pre-determined name, Kizza, "the one who came after the twins".
Being born a twin is more than a circumstance. It is who you are. It is your whole identity.
Meet Kato Ibrah. His name may have been determined by the circumstances of his birth, but his true identity goes much deeper.
Healing Faith has had a relationship with Kato Ibrah for many, many months. Jason wrote about another identity changing moment in Kato's life, when he began living a life led by God and covered in the grace of Jesus. You can read about that here.
Kato, suffering from severe leg wounds for many years, also has identified with his injuries, never imagining a day when he would be without pain. There is no known cause for the wounds. As he tells the story, small wounds simply appeared and without treatment, they grew worse and worse.
When Kato first sought treatment for the wounds covering the lower portion of both of his legs, Jason was able to clean and dress the wounds on a regular basis, and healing was taking place nicely. Then, there would be weeks, or even months, when Kato wouldn't come for treatment, and the wounds would be in bad shape next time we saw him.
That was the case when we ran into Kato last month. Once again, he was in excruciating pain. His left leg had healed completely with only a deep scar remaining. The right leg was not a pretty sight though. As we attempted to unwrap the dressing, we quickly realized that we were way out of our league. One wound was infected, another stretched all the way around his calf and had gauze embedded in it. I will spare you the actual picture. The mental image is more than enough.
We took him to a clinic, and even they took one look and knew that he would need to be referred to a specialist.
After waiting almost a month for an appointment, Kato is checking in today at a ministry hospital 4 hours from Jinja. There he will undergo a skin grafting procedure that we pray will healing his leg once and for all.
Today, as he prepares, and tomorrow during surgery (9am here, 1am CST), will you join us in prayer for Kato?
In our time together over the past month, we have come to identify Kato as a great card player, a devoted, praying man, funny-as-can-be, and a great friend.
Written by Dave “What would you like us to accomplish while you
are gone?”
That was one of the million
questions we asked the Segners prior to their furlough. They asked if we would be interested in
leading a Soccer Club/Youth Group for boys in the village. We talked to some boys and discussed the best
time to meet that would not interfere with those who attend school. Fridays at 4:00 would work best for the boys.
Check! Our interpreter, John, and I were going lead the group…..if any boys
bothered showing up. We had many
discussions about what to do with the boys.
Having lead junior high and senior high youth groups for years, it
seemed to be easy, right?!? Thankfully
God had this whole thing, because I was worried. John kept asking me what I did in my youth
groups in Illinois. I tried to explain
what I did in America would not work exactly in Uganda. After much praying, my answers were given to
me….by Cara….which is typical!! J
She found a guide to help us and told us to take David, our askari
because having Ugandan men of God as an example would be so helpful for these
young boys. What great advice! The first week consisted of explaining what
we wanted to do, take roll and pictures of the boys, pray, and play
soccer. It was SO much fun and
rewarding!
Always start with warm-ups! John and David had these boys running serious laps!
God was starting something
here. Someone had donated tubs full of little league jerseys,
so we could divide the boys and actually play a game. Unfortunately, I got thrown in as goalkeeper
with very little soccer skills! Soccer...not a gift of mine. I
decided to use the gifts that God HAD given me and be the fool that I
am…..laughter can break down ANY barriers that communication cannot solve! So I
entertained the adults that came and watched the game.
Our 2nd
week gave me the challenge for the year….at least one of them! We talked about prayer, and I asked them how
many of them pray to God. Only my 9 year
old son, Carter, raised his hand. There
were 23 boys there…not exactly the response I was hoping for. (I guess I should
have expected that answer!) I told the
boys we would be there every Friday until the end of May when we head back to
America. I said we will see what God can
do in the next 8 months! So we ask you,
Oh Lord, to soften these boys’ hearts and change the minds so that they may
become servants for you as they grow to become leaders and Godly men in their
village. Amen.
Whether you live in Illinois or Africa or Timbuktoo, live in ministry.
Live with eyes ready to see what God is revealing and feet
ready to serve where He is leading.
It will feel crazy. It will feel illogical. It will be
incredible.
The emotions are all over the place and the day never goes
according to plan, but what a joy that God shows up and leads you right where
He wants you to go.
Sometimes in our life that has meant seeing the young mother
sitting on the side of the road an inviting her into our home. Other times that
has led us into the woods to serve lunch to homeless men. Today it led us into
the home of a young woman suffering from AIDS.
Wow. To be used. To be invited into other’s lives. To be
able to claim these experiences as part of my life.
Living in ministry is amazing.
As the Segners transition into furlough and our family into
Healing Faith leadership, God has been leading us into amazing opportunities in
Wakisi Village. For years, Healing Faith has been planting and nurturing seeds
in this village. They have been loving these individuals and caring for these
families in such a way that we come into this place already trusted and already
accepted.
We stopped to check on Baby Hope, a precious little girl
born with Spina Bifida a few months ago. Hope had a slight fever, but overall
is thriving with the physical therapy that her mom was taught. From hopeless to hopeful in a matter of weeks. Amazing.
We thought that was our agenda for the day, but then we were
invited into the neighbor’s home. We removed our muddy shoes at the door and
entered a small room where the most precious young woman lay on a bed, unable
to feel her legs and trying to survive amidst grueling complications from AIDS.
She simply wanted some company and some prayer. She is 24 years old. Her name
is Fatuma. We prayed. We talked. I held her hands and I kissed her head. I told
her that we would love to come visit her when we come to the village. Her face
lit up.
When we visited a mom last week to congratulate her on the
healthy delivery of her new baby, her son, 6 year-old Musisi, was eager to see
us, too. He knew that we were helpers. He knew that when he showed us his hands
full of jiggers and his infected feet, that we would try to help him.
I sat there next to him as the needles and razors removed
these fleas and their egg sacs from his feet and fingers. I held him, he
squeezed my hand, and he cried into me when it hurt.
When the nurse told us that he also had a severe infection
affecting many of his toes, I knew that we would figure out the treatment.
Simple penicillin. Less than $10.
We came to congratulate a mom. God led us there for
something else.
He is guiding the
steps.
He leads us to where he wants us each and every day.
He is up to something that we cannot always see when we take the first step.
Last Friday, we took Musisi for the first of four injections
that he will need. I was sure after the jigger removal and the shot that he
would run from us next time we entered the village for fear of being hurt
again.
To my surprise, we showed up Tuesday for a children’s
ministry day, and with his sticky, jackfruit-covered hands, he ran up to me
smiling and gave me the biggest, messiest hug. What a gift.
Over the next month, we will take Musisi each week for his
injections. I will hold him as he gets the shot in his tush. He will be scared,
and I will be there to hold him.
God is so good to invite us into His work.
He loves us so
much that He wants us to receive the gift of these experiences.
He is writing
an incredible story.
We are a part because we choose to live in ministry.
Before the butterfly emerges, it has to struggle its way out of the chrysalis. Without that struggle, the
wings and body stay filled with fluid and it would never fly. It would never
realize what it was created to be.
Before the Israelites could leave their lives of slavery and
enter the land flowing with milk and honey, they had to wander for 40 years
learning how to completely trust, depend on and obey God’s leading.
Learning to do life in a new culture is a struggle. Cooking
in new ways, with new foods is difficult. Having a sick child in a foreign
place is scary. New bugs and unidentified rashes are unsettling. There is no
way to avoid these things. One simply has to endure, push through them and come
out of the other side with more knowledge and experience.
Our sigiri and bag of charcoal for cooking
What my head knows as
truth, but my heart fails to comprehend:
God grows us in and
through our struggles. God strengthens us and prepares us for what is next by
moving us out of our comfort zones. Growth and change are a sign that we are
living, and we know in the end, that they are good.
Lately, I am relating a little too much to the Israelites. God
provided every step of the way, but they remained a grumbly, complaining bunch.
So much so, that at one point they BEGGED to return to slavery in Egypt because
at least that was familiar to them. If they had their way, they would have
remained as slaves rather than fulfill their roles as God’s chosen people in
the Promised Land.
When there are ants trailing through the house or jiggers in
our toes here, it is easy to let my mind wander back to Illinois, back to all that
is familiar. Not because it is better there, but simply because it is comfortable
there. I don’t want to go back, but it is easy to think for a moment, what if
we just stayed home.
Dave and I weren't complaining about being in the chrysalis.
Our family was living a beautiful, wonderful life of service in Illinois. We
were content. We were comfortable. But we were in a chrysalis when God had
something more wonderful and beautiful in store for us. He is revealing what
that is to us day by day, and it is a gift each and every time we get a
glimpse.
The kids at the Nile River
If we chose to stay comfortable:
We would have missed the opportunity to immerse
ourselves in a culture that is based on relationships.
Greetings, conversations, and relationships matter more in Uganda than anything
else that one might accomplish in a day. There is no such thing as small-talk.
It is more fulfilling for a Ugandan to never accomplish what they set out to
do, as long as they took time to talk with and pour into the people that they
encountered that day. This is different, and can be a challenge when we are
trying to get many things done, but it is also such a gift. Just this week the woman we buy beans from had a new baby and the man who delivers bananas to our home had a sister die in childbirth. We share in their joys and sorrows because they share them with us. It creates a closeness and prompts such heartfelt prayers.
The gifts
and talents of our children would never have had the chance to emerge in
such a beautiful, natural, unguarded way. There is freedom here for our kids
that they don’t have in the US. No one is telling them that they can’t do
certain things or telling them that these are grown up jobs. They are allowed
to be leaders and use their own judgment.
We walk through a village, and if there is
a baby crying outside of his home, Halie
runs over, picks up that child and rocks and bounces until a smile emerges. She
is often seen with at least 2 babies in her arms at once. No one is afraid or
running to take the babies from her. She can be the little mommy that God
gifted her to be.
Chloe
feels so deeply for others and has a strong sense of right and wrong. If
someone is being mistreated by another or is hurt or is sad, she is instantly
their protector. She is a safe set of arms and welcomes little ones to her lap,
but to the instigators, whether they understand her or not, she is firm and
clear and ready to correct their behaviors.
Brice
can walk silently through a day and seem like he is completely disconnected
from all that is occurring, and then, at night, he will verbalize deep,
meaningful prayers that are evidence that he was completely engaged and that
his heart was in tune with all that we saw and did.
Another quiet child, Wren, used to be happy to follow her big sisters and be a
spectator. Now, she has kids that she needs to check on, babies that she needs
to diaper and original artwork that she needs to make to show her friends how
much she loves them.
Jasmine,
our wild child, who struggles to keep her thoughts focused and her body under
control, is best friends with each of our guards. She will sit with them at the
gate for hours just being together and chatting.
Carter
is a boy wise beyond his years with a heart that is too big to contain all
of his emotions. He is seeing things that break his heart, and he is strong and
focused in the moment. When he gets home and snuggles into my arms, the tears
just flow. He has no words and cannot explain them, but his heart simply needs
this release.
We would have access to pizza and Panera and
chocolate. (Would it be wrong to pray for Hershey’s from heaven?)
We would have had another summer of the kids
fighting and me counting down the days until I could send them all back to
school. Instead, we are cherishing our time together. We home school as a
family, and it is a gift. We get to spend every hour of every day together, and
without other things battling for our time and attention, the time together is
a better quality than we have ever experienced before. We are learning to love
each other better.
Can journal time possibly get any better than this? A perk of homeschool!
We would have missed out on these relationships.
These words of wisdom. The life experiences of others that, when shared with
us, become a part of our story, of our knowledge, our lives. There is such
richness in the relationships of other missionaries, all of whom have stepped
away from what is easy, in order to grow and learn as God has called them to.
·We would have missed the moments where we come
to the end of all we know and have nothing left to hold on to except the truth
and the promises of our Creator. Those scary moments when our children ask us
what comes next and we have no idea, but we know Who goes before us, and that
is enough.
As I do not have Cara's writing abilities, I will just share some random thoughts I've been thinking about.
Relationships, relationships, relationships....that has been the theme of all that we have heard since we arrived here. At our weekly "staff meetings" Jason and Kari have been inviting guest speakers, other missionaries, to share what they have learned since they have been here. The speakers have really given us SO much insight! It has been so helpful to hear the highs and lows of these amazing people who have truly listened to God's call here in Africa. They have been here between 3 and 10 years and still feel that they are learning every day...they still haven't figured it out yet!
The one thing that remains constant in all of the messages shared though has been that relationships have got to be the #1 reason for being here! A desire to be in relationship needs to come before any program or idea that we "westerners" may have.
We have developed many great relationships since we arrived 2+ months ago. A lot of the friendships are with Ugandans....obviously, no surprise. It has been life-giving to our family as we pour into the people here....also, it will come as no surprise to you that we get poured into by the people here tenfold!
We knew coming here that God was up to something in the life of our family, and we are soaking up what we can each day knowing that He is growing us and preparing us. For this year, I know we are here to support the Segners and fill in for them working with Healing Faith while they are gone on furlough. But beyond that, I am excited to see what God will do in our lives. That's the way God can work....you think you are here for one reason and BAM....you find out He had even bigger plans.....plans we may not find out even during the year we are here! I think we are getting a little bit better at the being patient while God nudges and pushes us where He is calling us.....sadly, I can quote Aerosmith in saying, "Life's a trip, not a destination!" We are enjoying the trip!
One of the funny things I think about every so often as I reflect on the journey God has been guiding for our family.....we have been becoming more and more "crazy" for God and His plan! I am thinking right now, "O.K., God, Africa it is....you have called us...we listened...here we are!" What is next? When I list everything God has done for us the past few years, it seems like we are at the pinnacle....the road has been lifting us up further and further.....I mean, Africa seems to be one of those pinnacle moments.....but I think we have more to do?!?! There is no pinnacle here on earth when you are following Jesus, the more you are faithful in, the more He calls you to.
.....here are those random thoughts that I have to share....
It took this guy going to Africa to actually start exercising on a regular basis....I've been running 4 miles (oops, I'm Ugandan for a year...6.5 kilometers) 5 days a week now. Feeling really good....I run with my good friend, David (our day askari) on Saturdays.....although I think he is secretly training me for the Ugandan Olympic Marathon team...he is so hard on me!! In a good way...tough coach!! :) I have lost over 20 pounds since being here.
Life here is becoming so normal, which is great, but I am forgetting to appreciate the differences here....I am looking forward to one of our friends visiting this fall if he is able so I can see Uganda through new eyes again! If God does not call us to move here, my greatest fear would be forgetting the day-to-day life that is so incredibly awesome!!
Mara is engaged now, so we will for sure be coming back home next May. There are days that I can't imagine going back to America....and there are days that I feel we are supposed to go back, but that this won't be our last time in Uganda....we'll see what God does in the next 9+ months. I do know there will be many more changes in our lives when we go back.
It is so funny to be looked at as such a delicate person. Some Ugandans believe that our skin is more gentle and can be harmed more easily than theirs. I purchased 20 kilos of posho for our three guard dogs. I told the men I could carry the bag over my shoulder. They all laughed at me....I had three people try to take it from me as I was carrying it to the van. I was also laughed at as I carried two large water jugs to the van. I do some of the slashing (hand mowing w/ a long metal tool) because I want a workout for my arms....no weights here to lift! David asked me to not be too good or else he might lose his job!
Watching our kids play together has been awesome! Getting rid of cable, putting away the DS's, and limiting them on computers was one of the best decisions we ever made. They were SO ready for Africa in so many ways. We do watch a movie together as a family on Friday and Saturday nights. They have become the most creative kids I know....I mean, they were very creative before....but WHOA!
The weather here is much different than I thought. I thought it would be so hot!! Being 2 blocks away from Lake Victoria makes the nights much cooler. I bet we rarely hit 80 degrees here so far. And the second rainy season has not hit yet! I will miss fall back in Illinois..I will miss the leaves changing and falling. I know I will not miss winter at all. But I will miss that first snowfall. The months of freezing cold temperatures...not so much!!
No recycling here bothers much more than I thought it would. Smelling burning plastic is NOT the sweet aroma of Uganda I was envisioning! They are recycling in South Africa, I have heard. I hope that catches on in all of Africa.
I am learning to say, "No" more often. That is probably one of the hardest things I need to learn here. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I am very aware of this!! Not the best quality to have while living in Uganda. I understand that giving handouts can actually hurt people in the long run, but when the parking ticket guy asks you for a Bible...it's not that easy to say, "No". Remember, Dave...relationships...not handouts!!!! Not easy!!
We love "House Church"! Many missionary families coming together for worship, children's message, diving deep into our bible lesson, dinner, and fellowship. We actually hosted last week. There are so many kids...35 last Sunday!! Our house and yard were so full. The families are wonderful....such a blessing to our family!
We had our "official" first date night last Friday night since we left the house. I consider every night after the kids go to bed a "date night" since Cara and I can talk for hours. But we went o get massages and go out for pizza. The massages were awesome....60 minutes for 25,000 shillings apiece ($10 for each).
I'm afraid I have forgotten what a real shower feels like. Our shower would probably be described as a trickle+.
I must be too old to learn a new language. My kids and Cara are learning a lot of Luganda. Halie will walk up to anyone and greet them or talk to them! It is taking me MUCH longer to learn.
Jiggers are fun, little parasitic bugs that burrow into skin and lay eggs which multiply and can damage tissue. These sand fleas are found in Sub Saharan climates and often live in the dirt in the villages of Uganda.
Wearing shoes and scrubbing feet well after visits to the village should keep the jiggers at bay...but sometimes it doesn't.
Dave's jigger egg sac
Halie's much smaller jigger egg sac I think she noticed it much sooner than Dave.
If you are at all squeamish, DO NOT WATCH THESE VIDEOS, but you may want to turn away and simply listen to the commentary...it is pretty comical!
If I knew more about video editting, this would be much easier for you to watch, but I don't, so if you choose to watch, you can enjoy 5 suspenseful episodes of:
"The Journey Out of Dave's Toe"
Narration and lack of focus by Dave
Guest Narration by the McMorris Kids
Safety Pin Operators Cara and David
Spoiler Alert: The dumb thing doesn't actually come out until the last video. At that time, it is absolutely disgusting.
Episode One: The One Where Everyone is Really Dramatic and Dave Thinks He Might Die
Episode Two: The One Where We Thought We Were Almost There
Episode Three: The One Where She Tries NOT To Break The Egg Sac and Release Hundreds of Jigger Babies
Episode Four: The One Where "We Have To Might Watch Out, Daddy"
You have been warned...THIS IS GROSS.
Episode Five: The One Where Dave Has a Gaping Hole In His Toe
This year we will be home schooling. Actually, since the
kids were in “school mode” when we arrived, we have just kept on going. We are
following the curriculum that they would have been following in Unit 5 the best
we can. We have the Common Core standards and many resources available online.
We also have some text books. We are not on a schedule yet, but in the mornings
when our schedule allows, we have school time from about 9-12. Dave and I
rotate between kids for instruction and help on their independent work.
What helped you and
Dave to make this life change?
God had been working in our hearts and in our lives for years leading up to this. Prior to acting in obedience, we were drawn closer to
God in amazing ways through prayer, Bible study, and great Christian
examples (Jacob’s Well Community Church and BN Great Banquet Community). We began to read God’s word and then pray about how it
would look for us to actually live that out as a family.
At one point, when we first were called to change the way we
were living we had even said, “If we ever think God is calling us to move to
Africa, we will KNOW that we are crazy!” We started by getting rid of cable,
then we stopped eating out, then we began to only purchase only things that we
needed rather than wanted. We believe that all of our resources really belong
to God, and we began living like that was true. If it didn't bring glory to
God, then we didn't do it, buy it, read it, watch it or listen to it. It was quite a convicting time for us. Now, we are proud to have crossed over to being
crazy about following in obedience wherever we are led.
My motto since we arrived has been, “Don’t forget in the
dark what God has shown you in the light.” When things get hard or negativity
creeps into my heart and mind, I remember how God’s hand was guiding each step
of our journey here so clearly. There is no doubt in my mind that God placed us
in this ministry, at this time. So, even when times are tough, I can fall back on the fact that God is faithful and will complete His call on our lives.
How did you know that God was calling you to this opportunity?
I explain God's call to my kids as that little feeling in your heart to do or say something. You may have a thought in your head 20 times and ignore it, or you can have it once and obey it. Either way, when it is God and He wants to use you, He will persist. It is best to obey even if it seems silly or pointless upon doing it. We never know how God will use each of our simple words or actions for His glory.
So, for the past 5 or 6 years, this has been a topic of conversation for our family. Through the process of foster parenting and pursuing adoption, our kids knew that we were making these choices because God was calling our family to do just that. When an adoption fell through and we were heartbroken, and when a foster situation was too much for our family, and it would have been easier to just quit, our kids knew that we were enduring because when God calls, He is faithful to complete His call on our lives. And because we didn't quit, we were able to witness His redemption of that process and welcome Brice, Halie and Jasmine into our family.
God had been pointing our lives towards Africa in little ways...hosting boys from a Ugandan orphan choir at our home, friends adopting from Ethiopia, an orphan conference, a book here, a book there. Dave, Chloe and I took a trip last summer to Uganda and Kenya, and we saw the amazing ways that God used that to grow and bless Chloe's life. We wanted all of our children to have that experience, so we planned to come for the summer and work with any ministry that could use a family of 8.
God is so gracious to only reveal His call in the measure that we can handle. Sometimes we can only handle the baby steps, so we were in prayer about a summer trip to Uganda. We eventually purchased the airline tickets for a summer trip, and we were ready to take this journey without disrupting any other parts of our lives.
Then, I received a phone call from the leader of my trip from last year asking if we would be interested in covering a furlough for a family of 7 who run a ministry in Uganda. Dave and I prayed, we read every blog post we could about the ministry and we took baby steps to pursue the opportunity.
We were careful to be in prayer and to follow God to see if this was His will for us. Each step of the way He was confirming our decision and blessing the process. We managed to truly follow rather than rushing ahead, and until the moment we stepped on the airplane, we still were praying, "God, only if this is your will." And it was, and still, by persevering, we know that we will be blessed in immeasurable ways as He completes this call on our lives.
Are you learning a
new language?
We are trying really, really hard to learn some Luganda. We
know a few songs and some words, but Ugandans would probably laugh at our
horrible accents.
Video note: Chloe’s word, ‘bulungi’ means ‘good’, not actually "hello" as she says...like I said, we are trying.
Here is a song we love to sing in circle time in the village.
Are the kids always happy to be there, or do they have rough days and melt downs?
Let me just say how in awe I am at the 6 children God has given me. Many of you have given Dave and I credit, but I swear, their flexibility and grace has come straight from God himself. The only person that has had rough days and meltdowns is ME!
At the end of each day, before our prayers, we go around and everyone shares the best and worst part of their days. Most nights, several of them will share 3 or 4 best parts and then say, "There is no worst part. I loved the whole day." It is such a blessing to me. If they were struggling then it would change the whole experience.
Do you use mosquito
spray?
We do! We try to be inside every day after dark, when the
female mosquitoes (the ones who bite) are active, but when we are out at dusk or
just feel the bugs, we do use Off. Some of us are more tasty to mosquitoes than
others, so we also use anti-itch cream often.
How do you wash your
clothes?
Our first month here we were hand-washing our clothing. That
requires breaking off a chunk from a long bar of soap, scrubbing each item with
the soap and a scrub brush, ringing it out, realizing that you missed a bunch
of dirt spots, doing that all over again and then rinsing it and ringing it out
again. It took me 3 or 4 hours just for the washing. This is the method that
most Ugandans use, but they are much more efficient than I will ever be. Still,
it is hard, physical work no matter who is doing it.
In the house that we are in now, there is a washing machine. Praise the Lord!
Once it is semi-clean, then begins the process of hanging it
outside to dry and praying that it won’t rain. When it does rain, you have to
bring in all of the clothes and then re-hang it once it stops raining or else
find places to hang it all around the house. Once night we had all our undies
hanging on every knob and hook that we had. It was not a good night for
company. J
Do you have regular
household appliances?
There are appliance stores in Uganda. Appliances are
a luxury though. For the first month, we had a single burner to cook on
and a charcoal stove, called a “sigiri”. You will find most people cooking over
charcoal.
Our appliances are a funny story right now, but we are so
thankful for the upgrade. We have an oven with 4 burners on top, some parts of
it are run off of our propane tank, and when we need to use the electric
components, we have to move the oven across the kitchen in order to reach an
outlet. The oven doesn’t have any temperature regulation, so it is either off
or warm, but we have figured out how to make an incredible coffee cake, so it
works!
Our house was used as a guest house before we moved in, so our fridge is a large pop cooler currently. We are in the process of purchasing a real refrigerator with a freezer.
What do you miss
most?
We miss parts of life, but none of the "stuff", funny enough. We miss people, and we often think of memories, but we continue to have more than enough even with the little that we packed.
Dave: Seeing Mara
Cara: Good, consistent sleep.
Chloe: Nothing. I brought all the items that I wanted. Maybe
I miss my own room.
Carter: My basketball hoop
Brice: Our cats
Halie: I miss my house, the playroom and our front and back
yard in America
Wren: My stuffed animals and my bike
Jasmine: My doll
How much do you miss
me, and how much does Chloe miss her BFFLTE?
Ashlee…tons and tons! We are excited to see what God does
with your time in ministry in China though!
Paige wants to know
if you have seen giraffes and zebras?
We are in a town that is quite busy, and doesn't resemble
the “safari atmosphere” that we imagine when we think of Africa. There is a
pool that we have gone to close to the Nile where monkeys run and swing and
climb all over. We have a herd of cows that roams our block every day, and we
see tons of goats, but that is the extent of our wildlife.
You mentioned
security. How dangerous is the region where you are located.
We are very, very safe. Jinja is a very peaceful town, and the risk here on a typical day is no more than it would be anywhere. The kids and I walk around our neighborhood and even into town. The people are wonderful and love that we have so many kids. They say that we look like a Ugandan family with this many!
It is typical to have guard dogs and askaris (guards) on every compound. We have wonderful guards that open and close our gate when we come and go, and are the eyes and ears of our property when we are away. We do have a cement wall around our property topped with barbed-wire, but again, this is fairly typical of all properties here.
Just because we lock our doors in America doesn't mean we expect someone to break in, and just because we have protection around our homes in Africa doesn't mean we expect anything to happen either. It is simply a smart security measure.
Other parts of Uganda may have volatile histories, but the Jinja area does not.
What is the most physically challenging part of living there?
Dave: The slower-paced, laid-back way of life is an adjustment. It takes much longer to get things done, and I am working on being okay with that.
Cara: Not letting negativity or worries invade my thoughts. In the idle time my imagination keeps itself busy, so I need to keep my mind focused on what is true.
Chloe: When Mom and Dad don’t know what to do (psssh...as if that ever happens.)
Carter: Answering all of these questions
Brice: Saying good-bye to people who leave here (Shout out to Greg, Kellie, Brittany, Elisa and the teams!)
Halie: Struggling through problems in the village with sick people or babies who aren't healthy
Wren: Saying my name loud when we are doing circle time
Jasmine: That Katie is going to leave (We can avoid this if we just keep her here!)
How hot is it and can you tolerate it?
On hot summer days in Illinois we used to always refer to it as “Africa hot”, but in reality, Uganda has been fairly mild. The temperature is consistently in the upper 70’s or lower 80’s…it is pretty close to perfect. Some days it is hot and sweaty, but nothing unbearable at all. We live about 2 blocks from Lake Victoria now, and there is a cool lake breeze at night even.
Today, I wore a sweatshirt all day and was still a little chilly.
I've noticed that Cara and the girls are always wearing skirts. Why?
It is tradition in this culture for women to wear long skirts, and as guests in the country we always want to be absolutely respectful of their culture. Breasts are no big deal here, but legs and thighs are to Ugandans the sex symbol that breasts can be in America.
I'm wondering when you are walking the dirt roads between towns or villages are you seeing snakes? And since I'm not a fan of spiders I have to ask about tarantulas!
We have not seen any spiders to write home about. Just regular little ones here and there.
We haven't seen many snakes, and the ones we have seen have been small. We have geckos all over our house, inside and out. One even fell on me from the ceiling when I was taking a shower. Not cool. Our friends have caught monitor lizards, and in the village there are chameleons all over.
What about bathrooms?
Out around town and in the villages, you will find “squatty potties” or pit latrines. At our house, we have a regular flush toilet and a shower though.
How is that sweet, little baby, Adonai Faith and can you give her some neck kisses from me?
Isn't she precious? She and her mother are doing well. Just prior to her birth, her father passed away, so life in the village as a single mom will not be easy, but thankfully, she truly does have a village to help her. I will give kisses as soon as I see her again!
How is little Esther?
She seems to be doing well. I was there while her father was visiting her, and it was amazing how strong and aware she was in his presence. There are a few other missionaries who visit and keep an eye on Esther as well, so I feel good to have other eyes and ears looking out for her and praying for her.
How did you NOT notice the ants in the soup?
Well, Selah, the thought of ants being in any of our food had not crossed our minds, honestly. It was a boiling pot of stew, so it doesn't make sense that ants would have been attracted to it. Evidently they had the idea at some point in the process prior to the boiling. Also, we were hungry, and the soup was good, so we just dug right in. Believe me, we will be looking at our food a little closer from now on.
How are you rationing the Jolly Ranchers?
Luckily, the kids don't ask for "sweeties" too much. We do have a bag that was left for us by one of the teams though. It is nice to be able to surprise the kids with a treat every now and then. Avery, Chloe only chooses the blue ones in honor of you!
Where do you buy your food? And what American 'staples' are not available? How are prices?
We go to the market, like a huge, year round farmer's market, once or twice per week to purchase all of the staples: beans, rice, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, g-nuts, potatoes, etc.All of that typically costs about $12. Amazing prices!
There are also "super markets" where we buy other necessities: toilet paper, eggs, bread, milk, peanut butter, jelly, pasta etc. Prices there are still pretty good, but higher than the market.
Heinz ketchup is everywhere in Uganda and tastes completely like we are used to. That surprised us. They sell Pringles, Twix, Oreos and M&M's, but we have heard that we will NOT be happy with how they taste. Milk chocolate is not a thing here, so chocolate chips and such are a no-go.
All of the soda is made with pure sugar rather than corn syrup, so it is sweeter.
Dairy products are almost non-existent...no sour cream, milk, cheese, or cream cheese. We have heard that there is a place to get cheese, but that it is very expensive. For cooking we are using a "milk" that comes in a box and doesn't need refrigeration, so I am not sure what that truly is.
Maple syrup is available, but costs 15,000 shillings (almost $8) for a small bottle. That is the case with most American items, if you can find them, then they are too expensive to afford on a regular basis.
What is sort of nice is that there is not an abundance of choices, so if you want peanut butter, you buy the one brand offered. I am one who hates the overwhelming options at Walmart, so I like how effortless choosing what to purchase is here.
Have you found any native foods or dishes that you really like?
Not really. There is an option called a rolex that they make on the side of the road throughout town, and we eat those every Sunday after church. A rolex is like a scrambled egg wrapped in a greasy tortilla with some veggies thrown in. The kids love them. My stomach can't take them every week. They are quick and easy to pick up though.
Every day for lunch we have rice and beans, which are delicious and filling now that I know how to make them. I could even see us eating these more when we come back to America.
Other dinners include, pancakes (with cinnamon-sugar on top), Veggie Beef Stew (sometimes with ants), Spaghetti with a killer fresh vegetable, homemade sauce and fresh bread from a bakery in town, and Potato Soup. Each week we do try out new recipes, but still, they are very American.
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