Update

woo - whilst the computer is on I will do a quick update. . .

Sadly teacher Goretti died on Monday night. The burial was on Tuesday and 200 people from Lungujja travelled to the ceremony. We visited on Weds to give our condolances - so sad, everyone is mourning her loss. We plan to go to stay with them at the weekend and hopefully to help them to create a Memory Bench for her.

We have kept ourselves busy visiting both Nansana Royal Primary School and the Child Care Centre in Kakiri. At Kakiri we have funded some books and a stove. They have very few books until now but with a grant from The Kabanda Trust they have been able to stock a small library. I t was great to see the enormous stove they have installed - big enough to feed 825 children and a new kitchen around it - brilliant.
At NRPS we held a health workshop for the teachers and then took two classes - Gordon's model of a mosquito made out of an empty water bottle went down very well as an illustration. Next week we will hold a Health Seminar for the parents so that will be fun! We have ordered 100 mosquito nets to arrive on Monday which will be used in the boarding houses and for families.

PSteve is just arriving to collect us so will be back in a few days :)

Metaphoric weather

We have been having a difficult few days with a number of challenges that have left us feeling quite despondent. Sunday came. A grey morning which turned into the most almighty storm, with thunder and lightening through which we made our way to KPC a church held in a former cinema. It was as though the rain was a metaphor for how we felt as we arrived along with 2000 other people and joined the 3rd of 4 services held yesterday morning. After some VERY VERY LOUD praise & worship the speaker a pastor from London (rather ironic we thought)spent 45 mins expounding the first verse of Ps 46 - God is our refuge and strength an ever-present help in trouble. Dealing with frustration being the subject, twas brilliant,it was just what we needed and spoke right into our situation and as we left the building the sun shone brightly!
So there you go, there is always sunshine after the rain and the storms that trouble us although they are threatening and loud pass over.

In hot and sunny Uganda

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. (2 Cor 4 v 8-10 The Message)

It wonderful to be here again, the warmth after the cold spell at home and the everlasting sunshine really inspire! As I arrived at Rock of Joy in the early evening the 40 boarders were all outside singing Welcome Sue, welcome Mama Lizzie . . . it was lovely and so exciting to see them all.

Already the reminders of how fragile life is are obvious and the meaning of the words above 'I am not sure what to do, but I know that God knows' is already very real. On Tuesday evening Pastor Steve took me to visit one of our teachers, Goretti, who is in hospital, "it will cheer her up to see you" he said. Goretti, thin and wasted, is in a 6 bedded room, no bigger than our spare bed room at home.With people sleeping on the floor under the beds as well as in them, the air is stiffling and as we arrived she was fitting. She has remained unconscious ever since. I stood feeling absolutely helpless at the desperate situation, and all i could do was pray as her sister soothed her forehead with an old damp towel and her mother moaned in disbelief.
Please do join me in prayers for her - she was such a vibrant, enthusiastic young woman, an excellent teacher and the children love her.

In the less modern versions of the passage above Paul uses the word 'perplexed' which does describe the way i am feeling at the moment. But not in despair - there are signs of life and exciting things all around me so I invite you to journey here with me for the next couple of weeks. When I can I will try and keep you filled in on what is happening. Now I am going to meet with Pastor Steve to catch up on all the developments at Rock of Joy and later this evening Gordon will arrive.... hurrah!

October 2009

And on my way to Uganda again. Have just spent a frustrating 30mins in Amsterdam airport trying to log onto this blog, finally have done it and my money is about to run out - hey, ho . . . keep watching!