Whew....

...the grass is finally being thatched on our waiting stone houses. The grass has waited for 6 month and this week we cut long pieces of sisal from deep in the bush to make ropes to tie the grass in bundles. Men helped find reeds to sandwich the bundles. Last month, a fundi from Jinja placed wire mesh and cement on the mental frames we welded, making mistakes we learned. Our own 'ropes course' in action.

But in a few days, our home made homes should be livable. Its taken longer than expected- but, this IS Africa, and thru our struggles, we learn and grow as a team, the community sees us as learners, not as experts, see us as brothers and sisters. Pray for us as we integrate with our neighbors, learn language and increase in our understanding and empathy.

OH - tonight the team is sleeping in Okotoot. We'll be storying around the campfire and milking the cows in the morning. Looking forward to our time here -

Like will Tom take fresh blood, will Miriam drink fresh Karamajong yoghurt?

AH, I love this place.

Jean


more later.....

chicken

Today, our little chick project sold our first tray of eggs to a local business in Nabilatuk. Flo is one of the local Hadji's wives. She was so excited to get a tray, the closest place for her to buy them for her shop is 5 hours away on a bad road. She will make 50 ugx profit on each egg. One of our community members has started selling her eggs, too.
Other exciting news-
we had a gorgeous full lunar eclipse a few nights ago. Sure love living outdoors.

Video

A lil bit of catch up

Hey everyone,
    As some may have seen or heard through Facebook I am back in the states
for a period of six weeks.  So I need to do a bit of catch up.  The process of
coming to America involved getting into a plane.  The lucky company this
time to carry yours truly was Brussels Airlines.  For the most part it was a good
experience.  Before we took off on the first 8 hour leg I noticed how the seats
were really light and not so comfortable.  It was later that I read in their magazine
how they lessened their carbon foot print by giving the customers cheap seats........

More on:

lil bit of catch up

Miriam

- Introducing our new KKAB member (drum roll, please .) le jeune fille (please feel free to restrain any latent or explicit tendency to correct my grammar and spelling in any language) - Miriam LeJeune ("the youth") - a German citizen of French ancestry - tattooed and raven-haired - extroverted and brash - hard-working and energetic - full of laughter and confidence - a learner and servant - and a young woman (to me) of four years experience in the south of Uganda, first of Mukono and lately of the Source of the Nile where she was employed by Kingfisher Safaris Resort (where Nakaala and I were wed, the third time, on 9 Oct 2004) - God is building our team, as we have prayed, but in ways we could never have anticipated
- her story will join ours; be adapted to our team's cultural and missional narrative; energize and strengthen it with her own - filling out this 'Body of Christ' in ways only the Head now knows, in order that it/we may do His work more effectively until He comes, so that many Karamojong may stand together with us at the last day shouting "Hosanna!" before the Throne (Rev 7)
- pray for Miriam, she is truly a stranger and an alien in a strange land - a German having to speak English with her American teammates, while learning the Karamojong language and culture, while adapting to the oh-so-different climate and ways of north-eastern Uganda - an unmarried woman of blessing to us, called to bring God's blessings to others, in a land where marriage and children are the surest signs of all such blessing

Miriam's Blog