July 5th

Hi all!!  It is Friday July 5 in at Musana.  OK, I'm going to begin my blog post by referring to a song, by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young  (Teens, you can ask your grandparents who they are).  The name of the song is "The Southern Cross"  A particular line in the song says "When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, you will understand now why you came this way…"

I'm Craigg by the way, and anyone who knows me well knows I'm a passionate "Night Sky" person, so our 2^ndevening here, I looked for and found the Southern Cross, which is never visible from our latitude in Texas.  I'm 63, and this is the first time in my life that I have seen it and it is beautiful.  But at the same time, after only 2 days of working with the students and math teachers at Musana Vocational High School, it was also very clear to me "now why I came this way!"!!  I'm absolutely worn out, but so intensely invigorated and excited to be able to work with these exceptionally loving and accepting people.  The teachers have been crazy excited with the innovative ways I've been showing them that they can make the math they are teaching real, and tangible, and touch it and see it, and they are already adapting their classroom teaching to try to incorporate very real applicability in everything they teach. The students are AMAZING!!  They will not ever let me carry anything around the campus.  They take it from me and ask me where I am going, and they walk alongside carrying all my stuff for me.  I know I have some AMAZING FRIENDS AND FAMILY who love me, but I don't know if I have ever felt such an outpouring of welcoming and opening their hearts to me. It is an amazing feeling. Clearly, this is one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done, and I really appreciate the thoughts, prayers, and support you all have provided to make this trip a reality.

Like I really needed to, I'm quite sure I'm gaining weight!  The food that is prepared for us is incredible, and their overall hospitality is over the top.

Thank you for listening, I'll pass on to Sue for how the day has gone for others on the team.    

 

So for the rest of us we got up and headed out to Bukona, the site of the second primary campus. Our schedule showed we were working alongside the Colorado team in a mini version of VBS. Unfortunately our schedule and theirs were not the same and thus where we thought we had a lot of time to do over bit, in reality we had little more than 30 minutes to complete our craft. Not an easy task with 50 plus students. We started the morning with Primary 1 through 4. In the afternoon we tackled P5 through P7. Afterwards we came back to the women's ministry we visited earlier in the week and purchased a few more bowls. Their work really is amazing! Craigg, Denise and I are now chilling and the three young girls and Moses are at the secondary school for Bible study and fellowship. 

 

I also thank you for your prayers and thoughts. 

 

Craigg and Sue

July 4th

I am blogging tonight because the team is exhausted and I want them to all get some rest. We had a great day and everyone is doing awesome...

Happy July 4^theveryone! I hope when you wake up you have a wonderful day. We got up early again this morning with breakfast at 6:30. Have I mentioned I hate mornings!!! After breakfast we  had a cooking class put on by the head chef, Haroon, and Dorkus. It was a very interactive experience. Steve they trusted me enough (my reputation precedes me even across thousands of miles) to pour in onions! I didn't get to slice them, but I was granted permission to dump them into the pot. We peeled bananas for Matooki , potatoes; sliced meat (it actually looked really tasty), cut vegetables, made gnut sauce and took lettuce apart and chopped it up. The  Matooki is cooked in a pot. The first layer is coated with banana leaves. They go all directions to ensure the water that will later be poured in will not touch the product. Then the bananas go in covered by more banana leaves. The top layer in the pot are the potatoes again covered with leaves. All the leaves are tucked neatly into the pot. Trust me, strong hands are a necessity. Hands that are tough are also important in move steaming hot pots from one place to another. The team from Colorado is here with approximately ten students so Dorkus was continually reminding the group to be quiet as this was a class. One of the things we have talked about as a team is the value Ugandans have on respect and politeness. They are always so gracious and always have a smile on their face. They don't have the look or boredom or exasperation that so many of our youth have. They are hungry for interaction and for knowledge. What we prepared this morning will be our lunch in a few hours. Dorkus was telling us that she wakes at 3 am in the morning to begin preparing meals and doesn't go to sleep until after dinner. That is a long work day, and she is always so happy! We could sure learn a few things about positive attitudes, even when there are a few bumps in the road.  

 

We then boarded boda boda's (motorcycles) and headed out to a few home visits with families whose children are at Musana. These are very vulnerable families for various reasons and Musana provides education for some of their children. The first family we visited has a mother that has no use of her legs due to a birth defect. Because of her disability a few years ago she lost her balance and fell into a fire and has terrible burns on her hands. So bad that her hands are deformed. They are so thankful for Musana and the blessing they provide to their children. We then got back on our bodas and headed to another family. Keneth was telling us that the father of this family is an awesome father. He has a vested interest in his children, which is rare in this country. The third family we visited was a single mother with two high school age kids being educated at Musana. She is on the PTA of the school and helps out in her community as a social worker. She strongly promotes education and she too loves what Musana does. It is really hard not to like their vision and follow through. We then returned and ate the lunch we had prepared earlier and I have to say it was delicious. Just FYI Musana now serves milkshakes for a nominal fee; vanilla, chocolate, strawberry. As I write this, Kylee is enjoying a vanilla one. Craigg already downed his chocolate.  

 

At 2 pm the team leaders from the various teams, along with Haril, Andrea, Leah and Susan went out to see the new land they have purchased for their new campus. They are expanding the same model as Musana's original campus. They have purchased 11 acres for starters. Musana's primary school campus is 5 so they are starting large. The land itself is beautiful. We met the village elder who assisted in the purchase of the land. I can't believe this whole ministry was started by a 20 year old with a heart. I can't wait to come back in a year and see the progress that has been made. The area around the school has very little building around it, but Andrea was saying Musana started that way as well. What a blessing Musana will be to the community. We prayed over the land and I have full confidence that they will flourish. 

 

We then returned to the primary campus and joined a fellowship with the teachers. The singing h and dancing was phenomenal. Then Josh (one of the leaders of the Colorado team who is a pastor) preached and his message was perfect. I left a little early to go with Kyemba to pick up Kylee from the hospital. She will not be going there tomorrow as she is going to join us back at the Bukono campus and to the women's ministry. Craigg will be joining us as well and personally I can't wait to see him dance! Michele there will definitely be pictures!!! Now we are all chilling on the porch.

 

This afternoon while I was seeing the new property, Aubra and Denise baked the cake, and Esther went with the Colorado team to begin a mural at the high school. Stephanie don't panic… Kylee was at the hospital..

 

Tonight Musana had a fourth of July celebration in honor of all us Mzungu's. It was for both teams and the staff. What a great celebration it was. Aubra and Denise along with their chefs spent the afternoon baking a cake. All natural ingredients… no cake out of a box! The party started with dinner… hamburgers, steak on a stick, and real potato chips. Then there was a dance competition and I can assure you that none of won that. We didn't even come close. But it was great seeing the moves. Even the kids outdid us!! The party is still in full swing but three mornings of rising early and I am beat. It is WAY past my bedtime. I love you all wish you the a good fourth!!

 

Sue

 

July 3

Hi everyone,                                                                                                                               July 3

 

Well another full day.  Aubra, Esther and I started our day at the women's skills department.  It is where the women learn tailoring, knitting, and hair dressing. It was all very interesting but watching them knit was most fascinating.  They use a machine and can make a sweater in a day.  They make the sweaters for the children at Musana.  They also make the school uniforms.  Kylee started her day riding a boda boda to the hospital to volunteer in the physical therapy department.  She will be at the hospital again tomorrow and will tell you all about it in tomorrow's blog.  

 

After the skills department we went to the primary school to help with reading.  Aubra was with the P2 class in the library.  The children took turns reading to her.  I was in P1 where the children heard a story and had to write a sentence about the story.  I went around and checked their sentences.  The children are so eager to learn and were excited to have Aubra and I there.  Esther was the photographer since Sue was awol.  P1 is like our first grate and P2 is like second grade. 

 

Kylee came home for lunch and we had delicious rice and beans and potatoes and chicken.  In the afternoon there was a welcoming program at the high school for us and a team from Colorado who arrived yesterday.  The students put on a very fun program. There was a rap song about high school that I gather made fun of teachers and got quite a few laughs from the students.  There was even some acrobatics that were funny and amazing and too difficult to describe.  The main event was when the students performed traditional Ugandan dance in costume to drums.   Their hip movement reminded me of the hula dancers of Hawaii.  It was a great deal of fun.  When the program was over we joined the Colorado team as they led Bible study.  The girls were separated from the boys and there was about 75 or so girls.

 

 Since we have been here now for 5 days there is an ease with which we are communicating now. The awkwardness is gone and the girls are so sweet and enjoy spending time with us.  They love to ask questions about America and what we eat and about our families.  They also love to talk about God.

 

When we headed back for dinner we were so excited and happily relieved that Sue was back home from the airport with suitcase in tow.  The girls were also very excited that we were having spaghetti and green beans for dinner.  I would like to tell you more but my eyes are starting to blur and breakfast is at 6:30. Since Sue is not a morning person I need to make sure lights are out so she can get her beauty sleep.  Can't wait for tomorrow.  Aubra and I are baking a cake for the 4^thof July celebration so stay tuned.  

 

Good night America.

 

Denise

 

 

July 2nd

Jebaale everyone! 

 

            First off, I want to say that I miss you all and I hope everything is okay at home because everything is definitely okay here. Every day something new about Uganda amazes me and pulls me a little more out of my comfort zone. For example, today Sue shipped Esther and me off to school at Musana. Yes. Real school. In the summer. We didn't even fight her that hard on it either. Now my homework is to tell you all about it. We started the walk to the school and we were already lost so we decided to follow the girls in uniforms to find the best way to get there. Once we made it to the school we stood confused and obviously very lost in the courtyard, but since we were at Musana about 15 students came up to talk to us and greet us. Eventually, we found our class for the day (Senior 3 yellow room) and sat down with the other students. The first girl I sat next to was named Aysha and I can easily say I would not have survived the day without her. She took me under her wing and made sure I got to the classes I needed to get to on time. 

            The first class of the day was history and the subject: How did British reforms improve on the status of slaves? I can honestly say that I never thought I would sit in a classroom in Africa to learn about slavery but from this experience I can also say that it was a gift to be able to see things from the opposite perspective. There was no hostility in the classroom as you may think, the students simply copied down the words the teacher read out of his textbook and moved on. Near the end of history class the teacher wrote "racial prejudice" on the board and asked if anyone could tell him what it meant. No one raised their hand and before I knew what I was doing my school reflexes kicked in and my hand went up. He looked a little shocked but let me answer but hey at least I got it right.There were stares I will admit, but at this point I am starting to get used to it. I walked into school today with little expectations but boy was I wrong already. 

 Then we headed to the Physic lab (my first physics class ever). Aysha led me to the room and showed me where to sit which just means a lot on your first day of school. I wish I could tell you I paid attention the whole class or that I now really like physics or something else crazy like that, but this was not the case. We had met the teachers for this class earlier this week since they are also staying in Musana to teach practical physics and do labs with the students and, although they are fantastic people, no one can make physics interesting. I started to stare at the table as I lost interest and I read the writing students had dug into the table. Normally at my high school reading the words on the desk is a process that will literally suck any intelligence you have out of you. There's mean comments, curse words, and vulgar pictures all over the place, but this is not what I saw at Musana. I wrote down the phrases I thought were particularly interesting like: "Have no fear, life is short", "God is not blind", "I love my friends", "I love God", "In frustration we pray for him" and my personal favorite "I'm in love with a church girl". There's not much more I can say to show you how loving and kind each student at this school is truly down to their core. There's no facades with these people.

Next we had a break for study hall and during that time I realized that my water bottle was open and spilled all in my bag (yes Maverick I am still clumsy even in Africa) so I pulled my bible out of my bag. Immediately, a group of girls swarmed around me wanting to share verses and read the bible with me. One of the girls was named Myria and the first verse she told me to open to was the one I already had bookmarked as my favorite verse, James 4:4. Each of the girls took turns writing down their favorite verses so I thought I would share them in case anyone got the urge to read them:

Hebrews 4:16

Ephesians 4:7

Mark 11:20-26

Proverbs 16:3

1 Samuel 25

2 Kings 4:2-8

2 Corinthians 3:7

Not many people in my school would ever be this excited to put their work down for a second and dig into scripture. This really opened my eyes to how busy life gets and how easily I let myself get distracted by things that , just like James 4:4 warns against, are worldly items. School means so much to the kids here and you can tell by the way they respect the teacher and put themselves entirely into their work but no matter what they will find time to focus on God. 

            The most horrifying time of the day was definitely lunch. I found Esther and we walked down to the courtyard and did our best to follow Sues directions to get a plate and sit down but it just wasn't that easy. We asked almost everyone where to find Abdul, the man we were supposed to meet to get the plates from, but since we butchered the pronunciation of his name so badly no one knew what we were trying to say. Eventually we found a plate and awkwardly got in the first line we saw. This was the wrong move, shocker I know. We started to realize that more people were staring and laughing at us than normal until one of the adults pointed out to us that there was a boys and girls line, and we were not in the right one. We fixed our mistake and went through the lunch line to pick up Posha (cooked flour, a staple food here) and beans then tried to regain confidence as we sat down. The girls that had been in our class came to sit with us and we talked about typical lunch topics. Esther asked if their school had cliques or groups which really confused them and Aysha told us that there's nothing like that here because "we are all friends" all 600 of them. As lunch time started to wind down I became concerned that I wasn't going to be able to finish my food. Here it is common curtesy to finish the food on your plate but there was still a mountain of VERY starchy food left on mine. I really don't think I have ever eaten a more filling meal as I forced the rest of it down and went to wash my plate but I did it.

            We went back to the classroom to finish the break with the girls from the yellow room and this time I met two girls with very familiar names, Jacqueline (my best friend at home) and Jenna (my little sister). These girls reminded me so much of those two back at home. They were just as sweet and just as funny and when I showed them pictures of them they were thrilled. Then Jacqueline turned and asked me something I wasn't ready for " so what do you think of your president?". I told her I would rather hear what she thought instead, to which she responded " Well I have never met him but I hear rumors that he is a bad man. Although, I have not seen him be a bad man myself so I think he still deserves a chance" so take that as you may. 

            Around this time Sue came and got us so we could go to Craigg's math class. Craigg is doing amazing work with these kids by the way. Kids came up to me in school all day to tell me how much they loved having him there and how much they admired him. When someone is passionate about learning and is being taught by someone who is passionate about teaching the results are astronomical. The kids were silent when he talked and absorbed everything he said about trigonometry which I normally would have found to be really boring. He never discredits a thought or a proposed answer and he makes sure every student understands before he moves on. The world needs more teachers like him and all the other teachers at Musana who, although they have very thick accents, care very deeply about their students. 

Another thing that I think is important to note about class were the similarities between American students and Ugandan students. Sometimes they have very similar concerns. One girl named Emillie passed me a note asking "How do you keep your pimples away" as well as "What do you do to make your hair grow" and "What are the boys in America like?". All very interesting questions that I did my best to answer but at the core of it you can see that we are all just high school students trying to find our way in this world and become what we dreamed of. Some of the professions that the girls told me they wanted to study were doctor, lawyer, dentist and pilot. Our worlds may look different from the outside but on the inside we have the same beliefs, dreams and goals. Today is a day that will stick with me for forever. My image of school is shifted and my values are going to need some reevaluation.

I am going to sign off now because it about 12:30 here and if I don't fall sleep before the train runs by I never will.

 

Love you all dearly,

            Your longwinded friend Aubra

July 1st

July 1^st

 

Hi everyone. We have a few minutes before lunch so I thought I would begin today's blog. We got up later than usual (no complaints here 7:00) and met for breakfast. We then went down to the administrative offices to meet the lead staff. Haril explained the beginning of Musana and how it has come to be what it is today. Andrea will honestly tell you that with what they know today they are surprised it got off the ground. For those of you not in the know, Andrea was a college student when she came to Uganda as part of a summer internship. She met an American who was doing the same although while she was working in finance, he was working alongside an orphanage. When he returned to the US he asked her to keep track of the finances for the orphanage and to ensure that the children actually got fed. Well that was all it took for her to realize her purpose in life. Much against her father's wishes (as I'm sure you will understand) she did not return to the US. Instead, she took on the care of 80 young children. That has grown in ten years to over 2,000 students between their primary and secondary students. They also have opened a hospital which provides both inpatient and outpatient care. In the past year they saw over 50,000 patients. Judy,  saw Napuwa today. She has certainly changed. She was doing hair in Musana's ministry and she looked good. I told her I would be down later to take pictures. I also mentioned, Judy, that you wouldn't let me home without them. Michele, we went down to the women's ministry room (where I got to see Dennis) and have already ordered some of the products for sale at the Loft. This afternoon Denise, Aubra and Esther are going to the high school for a tour. Keneth will be leading them. I will be taking Kylee to the hospital to meet Carol and see how she will fit in. Craigg has essentially been on his own since arrival. He is a little over whelmed at all they have asked of him (although I secretly think he is so excited). What he has to offer in the area of math education is awesome and he will be making a huge impact. 

 

Today was a really good day. Andrea got a phone call from the airport and they have my suitcase!!! Everyone should stand up and cheer! Even better, one of Musana's staff is going there tomorrow and has offered to pick it up! This afternoon we visited a women's ministry and the women were pretty amazing. As they introduced themselves it became evident they all had a lot of children. The least amount was three. One mother had 15 and another 18!! When I mentioned I had two kids and two grandchildren no one was impressed. Cody and Kari, I am impressed by both of you!! One of the women, Juliet, was so fun. Her English was great and she was a child at heart. We played a game called the Prayer game. There is a person in the middle and the two on either side toss a ball to each other. After a while the goal is to hit the person in the middle. As they throw the ball the person in the middle is praying not to get hit. The kids thought it was hysterical. It was fun until the ball made of banana leaves hit you. Then it stung just a tad. We left there and the girls went to the high school to hang with the students and Denise and I went into town in an effort to get Internet. I think we finally succeeded in that! All in all a good day. Tomorrow Aubra and Esther are going to school all day. They are going to sit in classes and eat lunch with the kids. No utensils allowed!! Kylee has refused to go to school. She has already graduated and doesn't want to take one more note until college. Wednesday she will start working at the hospital though she will join us for several events as we go. 

 

For the fourth of July Denise and Aubra are baking a cake. I delegated that task with no reservations what so ever. They have spent the last hour looking for recipes as cakes in a box are not a thing here!!! My job that day will be to eat the cake!!

 

I love you all. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. 

 

Sue

 

 

June 30th blog

Greetings sweet friends from far far away, 

 

            It's been 4 days and I already have fallen in love with this beautiful country. From the culture, the food, and the passionate kind hearted people here. Church service this morning was astonishing. Being able to worship freely and sing as loud as possible for the Lord has been the highlight so far. The worship consisted of a whole choir of boys and girls singing and dancing their hearts out to praise God In the best way. The message was given by a nurse/singer/volunteer here at Musana's organization for the high schoolers. "Let your actions speak to others more than your words" says the speaker. There is no sugar coding with this speaker; all straight forward and to the point. Bringing up different groups of singers throughout the service to give all kinds of worship songs that touch their hearts. 

            Later in the afternoon I was blessed to be welcomed by the high school girls soccer  team and join in on their friendly game against the junior and sophomore girls. . The soccer game was very eye opening. The girls soccer team is brand new this year so the skill level was a bit on the younger side, yet the passion and heart of the game was all over the girls faces. The laughing and motivation from the stands of the other students helped and made the game 100x better. 

            The beginning of this trip has truly been fascinating and I can't wait to see what God has planned for us for the rest of the trip! Prayers please for our team and the organizations and programs we are working with! Prayers for safety, tranquility, and peace throughout our whole trip. Thank you so much for all of ya'lls support, and mom I use my thieves young living oil every day. 

 

            Your fellow Asian from Africa.

Blogs from Uganda

Hi Everyone,                                                                                                                          June 27^th

 

Got up this morning very early (at least for me) to head to the LOFT to meet the team so we could all caravan to Austin's airport to begin our journey to Uganda. Our flights through United were cancelled multiple times (the last time two days ago) so we jumped ship and are on flying Delta/KLM. I couldn't be happier. For a while there, we were traveling as two separate groups, meeting up in Brussels for the last leg to Uganda. Remembering our experience last year, this made me very nervous. So being all together has been a huge blessing. We got to Austin in plenty of time, checked our bags, got our boarding passes and were at the gate with an hour and a half to spare. It is the little things in life that get me excited. We are in the very back of the plane but we are all sitting together, except for Aubra, who is three rows up. Not only that, but everyone, but Aubra (I'm seeing a pattern develop) got Pre-Tsa. I went through the regular line with her  but because I was Pre-Tsa I didn't have to take off my shoes. I'm afraid to say this out loud, but so far it has been smooth sailing. Julie and Sam drove up with us to bid us farewell and I want to thank them and everyone who texted me this morning. Now my hope is that our next flights are on time, and that ALL our baggage arrives with us! I don't think that is asking too much, but we shall see! 

 

The young man sitting next to Denise and me looked directly at us and told us to be quiet, he was trying to sleep. Nothing subtle about him! And we weren't talking very loud; at least we didn't think we were.

 

We have now made it to Amsterdam. Again, we were all together except for our unaccompanied minor, Aubra, who sat in a different section of the plane. I offered to exchange with her, but she had a window seat and was quite happy. As it turned out only she and Craigg slept on this flight. The flight attendant actually came by and told Denise and me to turn off our overhead lights so the crying child across the aisle would fall asleep. Personally, I think Denise is the problem. So now we are all waiting at our next gate…

 

Another update… we have made it to Kigale, Rwanda. We all managed to sleep a little bit on this flight which is good news. In 55 minutes we will begin our final leg to Entebbe. I am so grateful we all flew together. I have decided that next year's team is going to do a "trial' flight to Uganda on the front end of our team meetings. (:I). It is a great bonding exercise!!! 

 

As I ponder the trip this year it still seems unbelievable that we are on our way. The flights just go on forever and until we land and I see the airport it all just seems surreal. I am certainly excited to see what God has in store for us as we begin serving these communities. Tomorrow we will get up and head to Iganga. Let the fun begin…

 

Saturday, June 29^th

 

First, and foremost, I want to wish my brother and his wife a happy anniversary!!! I hope you have fun today. Know I love you both.

 

We got in last night to Banana Village around 12:30 a.m. As usual, they were as nice as could be and we all got settled and to sleep very quickly. Our plan was to meet at 8:30 for breakfast. Denise woke up earlier than me (no surprise) and showered. I asked her what time it was and she told me 6:50. I was thrilled. That meant I had almost an hour left to sleep! Next thing I know, she is shouting that it is 8:20 and she'd read the clock wrong! Fastest shower ever!! And we were not even late for breakfast! I had set the alarm clock to go off at 7:30 but had forgotten to change the time to here. It still thought I was in SA. Oops!

 

Julie and Laura, just FYI our van is wonderful this year. It even has air conditioning!! 

 

We stopped at the mall in Kampala to exchange money and update my phone (I needed minutes) and have been on the road ever since. The new toll road was awesome while it lasted, but for the majority of the trip the traffic has been terrible! Did I mention the traffic is terrible! The suitcases are on the roof. 

 

We also stopped in Jinja for lunch around 3:30. The team was hungry and we had just driven through a massive rain storm. All six of us ordered but only five received their meals. Poor Denise was forgotten so she shared with me. I ordered coffee for the Loft (and picked up coffee for Cody and Sam(antha). I'll pick up the Lofts next time we are in the area. Because it rained, and because our suitcases were on the roof, some of what we brought got drenched. So now we are drying out all the paraphernalia… we ate dinner at Musana and now are trying to get organized to go to bed. While at Banana Village Kyemba reorganized the van and somehow my suitcase is missing. Banana Village will let me know if it is still there or if another team took it with them. Ugh!!!!!!! Update: My suitcase is NOT at Banana Village which means that the other team staying there may have it. Unfortunately, the phone number they gave Banana Village does not work. Sadly, the suitcase is filled with t-shirts for Musana and several other items that are desperately needed. 

 

I will send this out tomorrow when hopefully we will have Internet. The team is jelling really well and we are all excited to dive in. I love all of you and am so thankful for this opportunity to again lead a team into the country I love so much. 

 

Sue