Music, Art and Trivia

Today we got up all prepared to head out to watch the choir perform. Kyemba was not only on time he was 30 minutes early. So we packed up the car and got as far as the front gate when we realized the choir was still here and had not even loaded up their instruments yet. So we all got out of the van and proceeded to do our thing. I'm not sure what the interns did but the three of us immediately settled in to paint the signs that Musana has posted in front of their dining area. Instead of painting the letters in different colors we decided to paint the backgrounds all different colors and then paint the words in white. Overnight the backgrounds had dried (with a few bugs and twigs permanently attached) so today we set about writing the words. I may have no art skills but my penmanship always got me A's in school! I decided to start with the longest since we've only been able to remove two of the signs from the ground. The others we are going to writing on two feet off the ground. That in itself will be a challenge. So we did that for a while and when we were sure the choir had gotten loaded and taken off we climbed back into the bus and headed for the same school where the netball and soccer tournaments had taken place. That school and one other school were in the competition and the second school really had some talent. All the schools were a huge blessing to listen to and Musana far outdid their performance on Sunday. Kids were sitting in the windows and the doorway was jammed from the children trying to get a glimpse of what was taking place. The costumes were great and the dancing was out of this world. I'm telling you the hip action is phenomenal. Both the boys and girls can move their hips in ways I can't even begin to imagine. The theme this year was early marriage, pregnancy and nutrition. Each school had to do a poem, dance and skit related to the theme. We stayed for most of the competition only leaving when the judges pulled each school into a private setting and didn't allow any audience. I'm not sure why that was done but we decided it was a good time to head back to Musana and finish up our painting.

 

As we were painting we heard drumming coming from the distance. The noise got louder and we started to hear muffled sounds that became clearer the closer they got. As they entered the school gate we realized the students were yelling, "We're number 1". It was so awesome. They had practiced hard and certainly deserved the award. They were all so excited and all the school children here dropped everything and ran to the bus to greet them. I love the enthusiasm and support they show for each other. It was great to see the camaraderie among the kids. Hannah leaned over at one point and said she felt the competition was a little unfair. The other schools had limited instruments. Everyone in the musana choir had an instrument and played. Andrea assures me by the time they get to District all the schools will be equally matched. I was just so proud of the kids and so excited for their accomplishment. Tomorrow we will head out to watch the volleyball team compete. It will be the first time to see them play in a match, though if they play any where near as good as they practice a win is inevitable! 

 

Tonight was trivia night, which meant a good dinner at Sol Café. On our way we had a flat tire. Kyemba wouldn't even let us out of the van as he jacked the car up and changed the tire. I will say we attracted a little attention, but once again he proved what a sweet and gentle man he is. I led Trivia tonight so for once I knew all the answers. There were three teams, the categories were soccer, mosquitos and general. Yvonne missed the one Canada question (not without a little haggling) and in the end Andrea, Jamie, Leah, Hannah, Yvonne and Dezi won. Dezi, of course, added the most knowledge!! She rocked the night away. We also got to try their new banana bread and it was awesome. All of you on our team that left early, you really missed a treat! 

 

So tomorrow we are heading out to see the Jamie and Josh at their school. Kyemba is so excited that we are doing this. Then we are on to the competition and then back to Musana to paint. They have asked us (meaning Hannah) to paint the walls surrounding the kid's dining area. They also have quotes they would like added so the three of us will be kept busy. We also still have plans to paint a mural in the hospital. Saturday we hope to visit Phil's kids again and then on Sunday spend the day at Kokombo worshipping and working with Wilson. The days are just flying by. Each day our relationships are developing into lasting friendships and we are seeing more and more of the personalities on the ground. Each day gets better than the one before. 

 

Please continue to pray for health and wisdom as we move forward. Tonight in trivia I learned that there are over 100 trillion mosquitos in the world and each one bites over five humans a day. I think they have all gotten together and decided I should be there target. Never have I been bitten so many times in so many places! 

I am attaching a picture of Hannah's mural on the clinic wall. It is awesome!! And a picture from the competition.

 

May God bless you all.  Sue

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