Please forgive the lack of posts this week. We will try to post as we can (especially back posts from Thanksgiving), but right now we are in Kampala. We arrived safely. Actually it was a rather smooth ride. The first hour was iffy and full of potholes, but then it smoothed out and we made much better time than we could have ever hoped for.
We came up so I could go see a dentist, we could get the car checked out and a engine cut off switch installed, do some Christmas shopping, and have a mini vacation.
I went to the dentist early this morning and found out that I have a cavity and a root canal is required. They did the first part this morning and fortunately, since we were staying until Friday, will finish it on Friday morning before we leave. Then when we come back in January for our Regional Conference, we will stop by for a final permanent crown to be put on.
The car goes to the mechanic on Wednesday morning. They will do a good check out on it (something we didn't have time for when we picked it up the first time), install the cut off switch and hopefully have a roof rack installed the same day. Hopefully it will go smoothly - be praying, as things here are not always as simple as we hope they will be.
We are staying very close to one of the new modern shopping centers and over the next few days, we hope to get all Christmas shopping done. Jill will finally be able to get her hair done and I will get some much needed time with the kids - swimming, bowling and anything else we can find to do. I think we are heading to Entebbe to the zoo tomorrow.
Pray that this will be a relaxing time for us. Sometimes, trips to Kampala can be filled with a lot of driving (or rather sitting in traffic) and delays galore - just pray that we can get some quality time together and that we will all head home Friday, relaxed (at least I'll have pain medicine). We will try to update throughout the week, but please forgive us if we don't. Thanks guys - updates will be posted again soon!!!!!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Cows (finale)
Well, it took us about one hour to arrive at the village of Murissa. When we arrived, these two kids announced our arrival by beating on these drums. You can feel the excitement in the air. People started coming from all over. 
The cows were unloaded with minimal chaos. 
I'm not exactly sure how they decided which woman drew first. Everyone was crowding around so tightly, I chose to move to a different vantage point. It was just beginning to sprinkle a bit and people were so excited.
This was one woman who received a cow. Her name is Juliet.
The cows were unloaded with minimal chaos. Even the local school let out and all of the kids joined us.
Once some last minute deworming medicine was given, 
we were off to "tea". We all had to wash our hands before entering.
The ladies were so generous and kind to serve us so sweetly. 
The ladies were so generous and kind to serve us so sweetly. After tea we all joined in the church to continue the celebration.
I'm not exactly sure how they decided which woman drew first. Everyone was crowding around so tightly, I chose to move to a different vantage point. It was just beginning to sprinkle a bit and people were so excited.This was one woman who received a cow. Her name is Juliet.
Here are all five women who received a cow. It's so amazing to know that these cows have changed their lives for the better in a huge way. Thank you to those who gave to provide the cows. 
It didn't take long for the kids to find them. Dara and Dade ended up running into the church to hide there. The kids just followed. I felt like a mother hen trying to shield her chicks from the outside world. Lou (a short termer here with us) helped me lead the kids in some songs they knew and some they didn't. Dara and Dade were in the middle of all them sitting on a bench. Finally, an older student helped the younger ones know not to touch their arms and hair. It wasn't easy on my kids, but they made it through. There may not look like many kids in the pictures but there were well over 100.
After singing and playing a game with them, we had lunch. I wish I could have taken a picture of Dade. He ate three pieces of chicken - one of them was a neck! I couldn't believe Joel handed it to him, but I was so impressed when Dade tore into it like it was KFC. I wish you could have seen him, I was so proud!
As we were loading up to leave, the ladies presented our team with beautiful vegetables and fruit.
It was what they had to give us to say "thank you". It was a great day. May God get all the glory!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Quick Update
Hey guys - sorry for the lack of updates the past couple of days. Jill will still post more regarding the cows very soon. Today was our "Thanksgiving" and we will also post some pics of that. Jill woke up about 3:30, not feeling all that well. But she was a trooper and managed to pull together (with Ruth's invaluable help) things in between runs to the bathroom and times of needing to lay down in bed. We invited about 25 people originally. That grew a little bit and we thought we would have around 32 coming. However, after all was said and done we used every one of the 50 plastic plates that Jill had bought and then had to use our regular plates as well. If we counted right, there were 57 people here, including Jill and Lindsey (one of our teammates) who both spent the better part of the day sleeping in our bed.
However, we still managed to pull off an egg race, a three legged race, a piggy back race and the highlight - a good snowball fight (with casava flour stuffed in panty hose). Many commented that it was the first time they had seen many of those people laughing and having such a good time. It makes me tear up even now as I think about how close we have grown to people in just 4 months. It really did feel a little like Thanksgiving and judging by the smiles and warm "thank you's", I would say it made some feel a part of our family for a day.
Just so those of you back home can appreciate the ordeal......we only had one pork shoulder that the Hollenbecks left in their freezer. Thanks to a dear friend back home and the newly opened Pearl Supermarket (for the BBQ sauce), we were able to pull together a pulled pork recipie that made people want seconds. Looking at the table before hand, you would have thought that we were only expecting 20 or so. However, I just stood in the kitchen and prayed as people served themselves that God would stretch the food so that no one left hungry. In typical "God" fashion, our final arrivals were each able to have a helping of matoke, stuffing and a couple of vegetable squares. After serving the final person, we were out of food! Isn't God good!!!
Love ya'll back home and only wish we could have been with you for Thanksgiving. We are so thankful for you and look forward to the next one we spend at home with many of you. And for those of you wondering......couldn't get the Cowboys game or the Longhorn's game out here....but both won!!!!!!
However, we still managed to pull off an egg race, a three legged race, a piggy back race and the highlight - a good snowball fight (with casava flour stuffed in panty hose). Many commented that it was the first time they had seen many of those people laughing and having such a good time. It makes me tear up even now as I think about how close we have grown to people in just 4 months. It really did feel a little like Thanksgiving and judging by the smiles and warm "thank you's", I would say it made some feel a part of our family for a day.
Just so those of you back home can appreciate the ordeal......we only had one pork shoulder that the Hollenbecks left in their freezer. Thanks to a dear friend back home and the newly opened Pearl Supermarket (for the BBQ sauce), we were able to pull together a pulled pork recipie that made people want seconds. Looking at the table before hand, you would have thought that we were only expecting 20 or so. However, I just stood in the kitchen and prayed as people served themselves that God would stretch the food so that no one left hungry. In typical "God" fashion, our final arrivals were each able to have a helping of matoke, stuffing and a couple of vegetable squares. After serving the final person, we were out of food! Isn't God good!!!
Love ya'll back home and only wish we could have been with you for Thanksgiving. We are so thankful for you and look forward to the next one we spend at home with many of you. And for those of you wondering......couldn't get the Cowboys game or the Longhorn's game out here....but both won!!!!!!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Cows (part 1)
As Joel said, I have pictures of our eventful day. However, if I just show the pictures of the cows that were given and the women who received them, I wouldn't be doing the day justice. The day started by trying to load one of the cows into the truck that would be hawling them to Murissa (about one hour away).
but it didn't stay that way. She turned around just as they were close to getting her in :)
After more pushing and pulling, she was in!
Joel held her in so they could put the poles behind her.
First, we (I say 'we' but I wasn't involved in it at all) walked the cow up our road and to a natural ramp. This particular cow, Ginger, has been noted to have a bit of fight in her and she was not going to load up easily. 
It started out easy enough...
but it didn't stay that way. She turned around just as they were close to getting her in :)After more pushing and pulling, she was in!Joel held her in so they could put the poles behind her.This is him consoling her a bit. He has been purposeful in helping her become more friendly in order to make her agreeable to be around for whomever receives her. I'm not sure she accepted his apology (or if that was even what he was doing - it just looked that way in my picture).
How bought this tail gate?!
Off they go....
I'm off to bed as well, I'll try to continue the story tomorrow...
Daily Update - 91125
Delivered cows!!!!! We are so excited - the whole team went out to Murissa together and delivered 5 cows to a very happy 5 receipients. It was neat to see the culmination of 4 months of hard work. Jill will have pics up soon - off to bed.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Daily Update - 91123
No comments about the lack of posting - electricity has been terrible the past few days. Here's a recap of Sat, Sun and today...
Saturday: don't really remember what we did - think we just relaxed and caught up on some much needed rest. Jill had a girl's night out with all the missionary women from around Mbarara - they do it about once a month and she really enjoys it.
Sunday: it was our first Sunday back at UBC in a couple of weeks. Kind of nice to just be sitting in a service and listening (and I always enjoy Pastor Enoch's sermons). Had a great meeting Sunday afternoon and then had a neat fellowship Sunday night at the Ward's. Grilled a goat that had been donated - John is a master on a flat grill. I think that will be my next project over here at our house - a new BBQ pit.
Monday: had a really refreshing meeting with Mike (our interim team leader). He has been on the road quite a bit and we are about to be gone for a week, so it was nice to catch up. I am truly blessed to work alongside the men on this team!
This week is pretty busy - tomorrow I will try to plan for a talk I have to do on Friday night. Wednesday we deliver 5 cows to the village as part of the Heifer Project. Thursday I will be helping Jill get the house ready for Friday. And...on Friday we have invited a LOT of people to the house for Thanksgiving. We are going to have a huge celebration. Jill has already had the kids making decorations and planning games to play. This was always a big holiday for us back home with both sides of the family, so it's nice to try and recreate it over here just a bit.
On Sunday, we head to Kampala for a much needed break, not to mention dentist visit for me. We need to have some work done on the car (just routine maintenance issues when you are driving on these kinds of roads) and have found a place very close to a "mall" so we can get our Christmas shopping done at the same time. It will be nice to get away from the cows for a little while and just enjoy time together as a family. Well....off to bed.
Saturday: don't really remember what we did - think we just relaxed and caught up on some much needed rest. Jill had a girl's night out with all the missionary women from around Mbarara - they do it about once a month and she really enjoys it.
Sunday: it was our first Sunday back at UBC in a couple of weeks. Kind of nice to just be sitting in a service and listening (and I always enjoy Pastor Enoch's sermons). Had a great meeting Sunday afternoon and then had a neat fellowship Sunday night at the Ward's. Grilled a goat that had been donated - John is a master on a flat grill. I think that will be my next project over here at our house - a new BBQ pit.
Monday: had a really refreshing meeting with Mike (our interim team leader). He has been on the road quite a bit and we are about to be gone for a week, so it was nice to catch up. I am truly blessed to work alongside the men on this team!
This week is pretty busy - tomorrow I will try to plan for a talk I have to do on Friday night. Wednesday we deliver 5 cows to the village as part of the Heifer Project. Thursday I will be helping Jill get the house ready for Friday. And...on Friday we have invited a LOT of people to the house for Thanksgiving. We are going to have a huge celebration. Jill has already had the kids making decorations and planning games to play. This was always a big holiday for us back home with both sides of the family, so it's nice to try and recreate it over here just a bit.
On Sunday, we head to Kampala for a much needed break, not to mention dentist visit for me. We need to have some work done on the car (just routine maintenance issues when you are driving on these kinds of roads) and have found a place very close to a "mall" so we can get our Christmas shopping done at the same time. It will be nice to get away from the cows for a little while and just enjoy time together as a family. Well....off to bed.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Daily Update - 91120
Friday - the weekend is here!!!! Not sure that means anything different in Uganda, but it's still fun to say. Had a great meeting today with a young man who helps one of our teammates run a discipleship program. It was neat to hear his vision and hear his heart for street kids (those that have been left homeless to fend for themselves). It was a neat time of sharing and praying together. I wish more of my days could start off that positive.
Friday's are usually our "trip to town" days. We run the errands that are easier to run together and the kids are usually forced along. However, today, our teammate Susan had to deliver some snacks to a school just down the road and invited Dara along for the walk. She had a great time while we ran to town with Dade. Even Dade seemed to handle the "trip to town" much better than normal. I guess even the two of them need a little time apart.
Jill surprised them by meeting some of the other families at the pool for an afternoon swim. The kids have been hoping for a day warm enough and without rain, so they could go swimming. I stayed behind at the house and prepared for our Bible study next week. Yes, you heard right, I actually prepared almost 5 days in advance!
Off to watch a movie with Jill and then turn in for the night.
Friday's are usually our "trip to town" days. We run the errands that are easier to run together and the kids are usually forced along. However, today, our teammate Susan had to deliver some snacks to a school just down the road and invited Dara along for the walk. She had a great time while we ran to town with Dade. Even Dade seemed to handle the "trip to town" much better than normal. I guess even the two of them need a little time apart.
Jill surprised them by meeting some of the other families at the pool for an afternoon swim. The kids have been hoping for a day warm enough and without rain, so they could go swimming. I stayed behind at the house and prepared for our Bible study next week. Yes, you heard right, I actually prepared almost 5 days in advance!
Off to watch a movie with Jill and then turn in for the night.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Bees
Today, Ruth was carrying our wash to the clothes line when all of a sudden she came running back up onto the porch tearing off her jacket and bandana. Finally, she caught her breath and said "Bees!" She ran away as frightened by the bees as I did of the rat. I guess we all have our phobias. (In her defense, she was stung several times once a couple years back and the memory has lingered.)
The bees have been a mild irritant since our arrival. You see, we have a hive that lives in the corner of our house. They've been there for quite some time and apparently are very happy there.
We have had 3 homes built in an effort to entice them to leave our house and move into a proper bee hive. At first they weren't made correctly, so we had them fixed (and even painted blue! which wasn't our idea but the man who fixed them). Two weeks ago today Samson, one of the guys who works around here, baited the hive for the bees. (Here's Dara trying to help him get his glove on.)
It worked, kind of. Some of the bees moved into the new "proper" hive, but the mother load stayed in the roof. That was okay until the new hive, which was sitting on top of our hedge (don't ask why - none of us really know why we left it up there), tipped over sometime during the night. It kind of reminds me of the man who built his house on the sand...don't build a house for bees on a hedge.
Interestingly enough, the bees moved to a tree rather than move back to their original home. 
Pretty impressive, isn't it. I don't understand how they can accomplish anything while hanging upside down like that, but I guess they can. We'll try to re-bait the hive sometime soon and get them out of the tree so we can then move the hive away from the house.
Lastly, this little fella was sitting on the porch as I was heading back to the house. He lives on the porch (in a corner with the bikes and stuff). I call him a "snake with legs" and he is the reason we keep a rolled up towel in front of the door. I really don't mind geckos but if I can keep this critter out of the house, I'd be so glad. 
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Daily Update - 91118
Tooth problems yet again!!!!! I woke up in the middle of the night with a very sore mouth. After laying there a while, I finally realized that a trip to the dentist in Kampala was going to be inevitable. I managed to doze another few hours off and on and then tried to get my day rolling. However, when you have a pounding headache, caused by a terrible toothe ache, not even coffee sounds good (and those of you that know me well, know that my day without coffee is very rare!!!).
We finally finished Richard's kitchen and I hope to have a picture soon for you. He is really proud of it and it will keep them dry while they cook. I managed to make it to Bible study and we discussed the Authority of God's Word. We were also able to give each of our students NIV Bibles which I think was a huge surprise for each of them. Many of them don't have a Bible at all or they have a copy of "The Good News." We just really wanted them to have something that they could call their own. It was a very neat moment. They will all come to our house on December 5th and we have asked each of them (it was kind of their idea) to bring a question about the Bible, Christianity, or just life that they would like to discuss and we will spend the day addressing it with them.
We did get some antibiotics that I started today which will help dull the pain until we get to Kampala on the 28th. We have decided to wait this long so we can make sure we are here next week for the delivery of the cows to the village. Just pray that the pain will subside quickly. I also got my laptop back!!!!!! It turns out not only did I have a bad CPU fan, but one of my RAM slots (not RAM, just the slot on the motherboard) had gone bad and had to be replace. No more shutting off mid sentence while typing - and they didn't even charge me for the latest repair - what a huge praise!
We finally finished Richard's kitchen and I hope to have a picture soon for you. He is really proud of it and it will keep them dry while they cook. I managed to make it to Bible study and we discussed the Authority of God's Word. We were also able to give each of our students NIV Bibles which I think was a huge surprise for each of them. Many of them don't have a Bible at all or they have a copy of "The Good News." We just really wanted them to have something that they could call their own. It was a very neat moment. They will all come to our house on December 5th and we have asked each of them (it was kind of their idea) to bring a question about the Bible, Christianity, or just life that they would like to discuss and we will spend the day addressing it with them.
We did get some antibiotics that I started today which will help dull the pain until we get to Kampala on the 28th. We have decided to wait this long so we can make sure we are here next week for the delivery of the cows to the village. Just pray that the pain will subside quickly. I also got my laptop back!!!!!! It turns out not only did I have a bad CPU fan, but one of my RAM slots (not RAM, just the slot on the motherboard) had gone bad and had to be replace. No more shutting off mid sentence while typing - and they didn't even charge me for the latest repair - what a huge praise!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Daily Update - 91117
Not much to update today because I'm tired and ready for bed. Tuesdays are our team meeting night and we tend to go late and eat dinner together. Meatloaf tonight which used the same sauce that Jill makes - delicious!!!!!!
Today was just not all that productive. We did almost get a kitchen shelter built for Richard - we'll finish that tomorrow. Finally finished the Bible study for tomorrow night and caught up on some emails. Think I got my hands around a business curriculum I'm trying to get ready for a discipleship program run by some of our teammates. It will start in late January and I will be teaching every Friday morning. Should be pretty exciting - to help them focus on God through business.
That's it - tomorrow will be back to life on the farm and our late afternoon Bible study at the univeristy. Until then....
Today was just not all that productive. We did almost get a kitchen shelter built for Richard - we'll finish that tomorrow. Finally finished the Bible study for tomorrow night and caught up on some emails. Think I got my hands around a business curriculum I'm trying to get ready for a discipleship program run by some of our teammates. It will start in late January and I will be teaching every Friday morning. Should be pretty exciting - to help them focus on God through business.
That's it - tomorrow will be back to life on the farm and our late afternoon Bible study at the univeristy. Until then....
Monday, November 16, 2009
Daily Update - 91116
Okay - this will be brief. It is late and I am tired. Not much different today. Had an incredibly hectic morning. Milked, distributed milk, got the guys started on some projects. Wolfed down a quick breakfast and then was off again, taking one of our workers to a children's ministry close by so he could do some repairs for them. I was only supposed to be there for 5 minutes to drop off and ended up in an hour long conversation about business and budgets. While I was in the meeting, Tony cut his finger fixing the swings, had to go the hospital for stitches. I glanced at my watch and realized that I was supposed to be home so Jill could go and pick up some bookmarks she was having made for a friend for her birthday. I rushed over and met the guy who was making them and then rushed back to the hospital to check on Tony. In the meantime, Susan, our teammate up the hill had a dead battery and needed a jump because she was in a hurry. I tried to rush back there only to find that she had already gotten the car started. During all of this, we had someone coming to pick up a cow and I was supposed to be there to help load the right one. Somehow I missed that altogether. And all of this was prior to 10:30!!!!!!
From that point on, I was worn out!!!! So, I decided to enjoy the day and slow it down some. I played battleship with Dade while Jill and Dara ran some errands. Once Jill got home, I went to start on the Bible study I was working on for Wednesday and ended up falling asleep and FINALLY getting a nap. Then woke up and went to celebrate a friend's 37th birthday. It was nice just to sit and visit a little. Now, I'm off to bed!
Welcome to life in Africa! Never a dull moment and never what you think it will be when you wake up. But, so nice to know that God is in control and that it is His timing and not ours that is important.
From that point on, I was worn out!!!! So, I decided to enjoy the day and slow it down some. I played battleship with Dade while Jill and Dara ran some errands. Once Jill got home, I went to start on the Bible study I was working on for Wednesday and ended up falling asleep and FINALLY getting a nap. Then woke up and went to celebrate a friend's 37th birthday. It was nice just to sit and visit a little. Now, I'm off to bed!
Welcome to life in Africa! Never a dull moment and never what you think it will be when you wake up. But, so nice to know that God is in control and that it is His timing and not ours that is important.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Daily Update - 91115
Posting early, but it's been a busy day already and our Sunday evenings are usually pretty busy, so I figured I'd post early.
11 years ago today, Jill and I were already driving to Seaside, FL for our honeymoon. So, how was the day after our 11th Anniversary? We woke up early, milked cows, distributed milk to neighbors, rushed to get dressed, preached at a local church and now we are back home. Jill has already gone down for a nap (which she rarely gets anymore), the kids are both down and I'm busy trying to get a Bible study pulled together for this week and planning a talk for a local high school.
By the way.....for all that have asked.....yes, we had a wonderful anniversary. We left the kids with Ruth, walked around town and enjoyed a nice Chinese dinner at a new restaurant. There was no General Tso's chicken, but the sizziling beef wasn't bad. I think the nicest part was just having the time to reflect on 11 years of marriage and talk about what's ahead.
Oh....and some teammates of ours brought back some cat food from Kampala for us. I think we have settled on Mikey for a name. He is settling in okay and is really a joy for the kids and for us.
Sorry for the randomness and short post with no pics. Just wanted to make sure something got posted today.
11 years ago today, Jill and I were already driving to Seaside, FL for our honeymoon. So, how was the day after our 11th Anniversary? We woke up early, milked cows, distributed milk to neighbors, rushed to get dressed, preached at a local church and now we are back home. Jill has already gone down for a nap (which she rarely gets anymore), the kids are both down and I'm busy trying to get a Bible study pulled together for this week and planning a talk for a local high school.
By the way.....for all that have asked.....yes, we had a wonderful anniversary. We left the kids with Ruth, walked around town and enjoyed a nice Chinese dinner at a new restaurant. There was no General Tso's chicken, but the sizziling beef wasn't bad. I think the nicest part was just having the time to reflect on 11 years of marriage and talk about what's ahead.
Oh....and some teammates of ours brought back some cat food from Kampala for us. I think we have settled on Mikey for a name. He is settling in okay and is really a joy for the kids and for us.
Sorry for the randomness and short post with no pics. Just wanted to make sure something got posted today.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Correction
We discovered today that we have made a mistake in reader the gender of our kitten. Rhea is actually a boy...we're exploring new names...suggestions welcome. He comes to his name when we call him, so we'd like to stick with something that rhymes with "Rhea".
Choices are...
1. Daya (rhymes and combines Dara and Dade)
2. Pepper (in memory of Diet Dr. Pepper)
3. Buddy (Joel thinks that's what we'll call him anyway)
4. Nemo (Dade just likes it)
5. Dallas (in memory of Texas)
6. Wangyi (it means "yes, I'm here" in the local language - Joel says it a lot.)
Behind me Joel and Dara are trying to call him "peno" - short for jalepeno. (Joel thinks Aaron will love it). I'm quoting Joel, "Jill, it's stuck. You can blog all you want, but the name is 'peno'." Please pray for me as I am the only one with any sense around here!
On a sweet note, today is our first date while in Uganda. Ruth is going to watch the kids while we go to some stores we haven't taken the time to see and go out to the new chinese restaurant we've heard good things about. We are celebrating our 11th anniversary!!! I am so blessed to be married to the greatest man in the world - even when he drives me crazy with silly names.
p.s. Now Dara and Joel are saying "kota" (like North Da'kota') should be his name. Dade's saying 'mouse'. Who knows what his name will be tomorrow morning?!
Choices are...
1. Daya (rhymes and combines Dara and Dade)
2. Pepper (in memory of Diet Dr. Pepper)
3. Buddy (Joel thinks that's what we'll call him anyway)
4. Nemo (Dade just likes it)
5. Dallas (in memory of Texas)
6. Wangyi (it means "yes, I'm here" in the local language - Joel says it a lot.)
Behind me Joel and Dara are trying to call him "peno" - short for jalepeno. (Joel thinks Aaron will love it). I'm quoting Joel, "Jill, it's stuck. You can blog all you want, but the name is 'peno'." Please pray for me as I am the only one with any sense around here!
On a sweet note, today is our first date while in Uganda. Ruth is going to watch the kids while we go to some stores we haven't taken the time to see and go out to the new chinese restaurant we've heard good things about. We are celebrating our 11th anniversary!!! I am so blessed to be married to the greatest man in the world - even when he drives me crazy with silly names.
p.s. Now Dara and Joel are saying "kota" (like North Da'kota') should be his name. Dade's saying 'mouse'. Who knows what his name will be tomorrow morning?!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Daily Update - 91113
Okay.....I've had it pointed out that I was obviously tired a couple of nights ago. First, I put the wrong date (91117 - which I have now corrected) and then Jill said that I was continously falling asleep while typing and she had to go back and correct quite a bit after I posted. So, today I'm trying it just a bit earlier.
Thursday....went and picked up my laptop from the repair shop in town. Although it still seems to be having problems. Oh how I miss having access to PC parts to do the fixing myself. At least it's not a Mac (yes, that's a dig at all you Mac loyalists)! Spent a little time running into town with Jill and the kids for our weekly shopping trips, then spent some time trying to find my sermon notes on my computer before it would power off yet again. Wrapped up the day by heading out to check on some of our cows in a nearby village. All three were pregnant and are looking better than ever to send out to our new village in a couple of weeks.
Friday....started the same way I ended Thursday....went to look at another cow in the hopes of adding our fifth and final for Murissa - the village we will deliver to in a couple of weeks. Ran into town to return my laptop to the shop for yet another repair, chased down a short in our electric fence, got a tire fixed on the car, went with Jill and the kids to get some stuff for the SS department at our church, met with one of the students from our Bible study, and then had time to come home and get a short, but much needed nap.
Now, I find myself preparing for another sermon this Sunday and a talk to one of the local high schools in a week. I will be preaching on "Who Is A Missionary?" (you LBC folks have heard that sermon before - now I have to modify it for Africa) and the talk will be on hope. Think I will probably go back to the beginning of Jeremiah - it's a passage I have been wanting to use for some time, but I have not had the right opportunity yet. Pray that I will have wisdom and that I will be diligent in preparation.
Thursday....went and picked up my laptop from the repair shop in town. Although it still seems to be having problems. Oh how I miss having access to PC parts to do the fixing myself. At least it's not a Mac (yes, that's a dig at all you Mac loyalists)! Spent a little time running into town with Jill and the kids for our weekly shopping trips, then spent some time trying to find my sermon notes on my computer before it would power off yet again. Wrapped up the day by heading out to check on some of our cows in a nearby village. All three were pregnant and are looking better than ever to send out to our new village in a couple of weeks.
Friday....started the same way I ended Thursday....went to look at another cow in the hopes of adding our fifth and final for Murissa - the village we will deliver to in a couple of weeks. Ran into town to return my laptop to the shop for yet another repair, chased down a short in our electric fence, got a tire fixed on the car, went with Jill and the kids to get some stuff for the SS department at our church, met with one of the students from our Bible study, and then had time to come home and get a short, but much needed nap.
Now, I find myself preparing for another sermon this Sunday and a talk to one of the local high schools in a week. I will be preaching on "Who Is A Missionary?" (you LBC folks have heard that sermon before - now I have to modify it for Africa) and the talk will be on hope. Think I will probably go back to the beginning of Jeremiah - it's a passage I have been wanting to use for some time, but I have not had the right opportunity yet. Pray that I will have wisdom and that I will be diligent in preparation.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Swingin'
Does anyone remember that song, "Swinging" from back in the 80's? Anyway, I date myself...We have this really neat tree on the edge of our compound. Its branches are limber but strong. Dara and Dade have been swinging on them and I finally took some pictures (not all of them turned out because they were too blurry). 
Here is Ruth swinging too. I'm not sure who had more fun - the kids or her!
Dade's swinging pictures didn't turn out well, so here's some of him climbing. He has the toughest feet! In order to get down, he scoots back on his bum until about half way and then he jumps. He was doing it so much, I had to ask him to find a different tree. His shorts were wearing thin on the back side!
Ruth dubbed him an "African enkyende" (pronounced enchenday). So now, he's not only an African boy, he's and African monkey. He loves it!
Since these pictures were taken, we have stopped the swinging because the branches weren't really made for that and there is a wall that could easily bust open a head if they landed just right. Joel has assured them he will find a rope and make a more sturdy swing. Maybe I'll try it then.
Other tidbits going on...our garden is producing more than we can enjoy. This is a pumpkin/squash. It tastes like a yellow squash but, as you can see, it looks like a pumpkin. We have lots!
I told Dara a little over a month ago that the only way we would get a cat is if God brought it up to our compound. She kind of gave up praying for one, then last Saturday evening James comes and gets Joel. He was gone for awhile and then he came into the house carrying this little bundle in a towel. She was scared and nervous. We found out that her owner was our neighbor and he was happy to let us keep her. We know the Hollenbecks are not found of cats, and we will have to find her a home when we leave. But for the time being she has brought a sense of home for us (we have had at least one cat our entire married life). The kids have loved her and she is a good distraction from the thoughts of rats/mice. Hopefully she will grow up and be able to keep them out of the house.
Dara and I did take a moment to thank God for answering her prayer - even if not as quickly as she had hoped. He did bring a cat onto our compound...what a great God we serve! He is so thoughtful and loving!!!
(p.s. this blog will work for Joel's daily post - just in case you wondered) :)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Daily Update - 91111
Today I was expecting to be able to spend most of the morning preparing for our Bible study that Jill and I are leading at the university here in town. However, one of the guys that works out here on the Heifer Project with us came up and asked a couple of questions, which resulted in a fairly lengthy dicussion. So, since sometimes, I can't pull myself out of "task" mode, we proceeded to continue working on fixing up the calf shed (what used to be the goat shed) while we talked. Finally, with about an hour to spare before I had to leave for the Bible study, I took some time to review my notes, get cleaned up, and play with our new kitten (see yesterday's post) and rush to the university in time.
We spent this week discussing the "cost of discipleship." While the discussion was wonderful, it was the last 5 minutes that meant the most. Several of the students shared how they just didn't want to come, but were so glad they did. The interesting part was that I had just shared with Jill earlier in the day, that Wednesdays are just hard.....there are a lot of times, I just don't want to go and can often find excuses - I don't feel good, I'm tired, and a whole list of other ones. But then I shared how even though I may feel like that, once I get there and start digging into God's Word with them, it becomes the highlight of my week. Amazing how God works that way isn't it?
My head is nodding - I'm tired and it took longer to write this than you would expect since I now have a 4-5 week old kitten trying to walk all over the keys. So, until tomorrow...
We spent this week discussing the "cost of discipleship." While the discussion was wonderful, it was the last 5 minutes that meant the most. Several of the students shared how they just didn't want to come, but were so glad they did. The interesting part was that I had just shared with Jill earlier in the day, that Wednesdays are just hard.....there are a lot of times, I just don't want to go and can often find excuses - I don't feel good, I'm tired, and a whole list of other ones. But then I shared how even though I may feel like that, once I get there and start digging into God's Word with them, it becomes the highlight of my week. Amazing how God works that way isn't it?
My head is nodding - I'm tired and it took longer to write this than you would expect since I now have a 4-5 week old kitten trying to walk all over the keys. So, until tomorrow...
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Daily Post - 91110
So, today I got to visit an orphanage nearby. It is run by Pastor Emmy, a man I met via the internet and through an old college friend in Tyler. I had actually emailed him several times prior to arriving here in Mbarara, met him during our first weekend in town in a fluke run in at a local hotel, but had not been able to coordinate a visit until today. It just so happens that one of our teammates (Zillah) had also touched base with him prior to her arrival in February, so we took another local pastor friend of ours who knew the way and finally got to see his ministy.
Here are a couple of pictures of his orphanage...
My impression from just a couple of hours is that Pastor Emmy is a very genuine man who has a heart to provide love to these children. I look forward to future visits and hope to take the kids some day so they can experience a side of Uganda that they have not been exposed to. Here is a final pic of one of the boys....I honestly didn't mean to take a picture of him, but I'm glad I got it. It is a true depiction of the faces of so many children in this country.
On an up note.....here is a pic of our newest addition....story will be told later....meet Rhea Skinner...
Here are a couple of pictures of his orphanage...
My impression from just a couple of hours is that Pastor Emmy is a very genuine man who has a heart to provide love to these children. I look forward to future visits and hope to take the kids some day so they can experience a side of Uganda that they have not been exposed to. Here is a final pic of one of the boys....I honestly didn't mean to take a picture of him, but I'm glad I got it. It is a true depiction of the faces of so many children in this country.
On an up note.....here is a pic of our newest addition....story will be told later....meet Rhea Skinner...
Monday, November 9, 2009
Daily Update - 91109
Okay.....many of you have requested more frequent blogs. I've scratched my head trying to figure out the best way to get an update to you on a more regular basis. Please understand, our desire is to always keep you up to date, but sometimes life just gets so busy that we forget or have a lack of time to do it. I can now understand from the other end. I used to be one of those that would get frustrated, not understanding why someone on the other side of the world couldn't take just a few minutes each day to update us on life. I mean, here we were in the US praying away and not knowing anything. Now, I understand completely the dilema of trying to juggle this life and keep people up to date back home. It is a delicate balance that Jill does a great job of trying to maintain and one that I have yet to get even close to accomplishing.
So, in saying that.....I am going to attempt a "Daily Update." It may just be a tid bit of information from the day - maybe something I learned, something one of the kids did, something new in life, or just a thought or simple rundown of that day. Some may be a sentence and some may be much longer, but at least I will try to send something. And for those of you wondering about the title, that is just the way I have done dates for some time now and I'm not changing because you don't understand it (although dad and Susan B will understand since they have been seeing it on my notes at the office for 15 years). The method to my madness is YMMDD - the last digit of the year (9), two digits for the month (11 equals Nov) and then a two digit date (02, 13, etc.). And before you ask, next year will go to 01109 - and it makes sense to me, so don't ask!
Now.......for ya'll that are like my wife (let your yes be yes type people), know that if I don't get a daily update posted each day, I am not going back to post later. And, I don't want any snide comments about not getting something posted. Understand, some days are village days and we won't get back until later; some days are just plain busy and the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is sit in front of the computer and think more; some days I just plain forget to even look at this screen! I will do my best, but as my wonderful wife will tell any of you - "Joel has big plans, but his follow through can use a little help!" So, be patient!
Now for today......this was our third night of very little sleep. Dade was sick on Friday night, a new kitten came into our lives on Saturday night, and Dara got sick last night. Some other posts will explain more details about each, but needless to say, the last three nights have left a lot to be desired in terms of actual time with eyes closed. And, truthfully, the last thing I wanted was another day of meetings (seems some days that's all I do).
However, this morning started off with a wonderful devotional time with the guys that work out here. We talked through some of Proverbs 10 and I am still amazed that they get excited about Monday morning devotionals after only three weeks. I followed that with another meeting with John (one of our teammates) and one of our other workers here. It turned out to be much more productive than I had thought it would be and I think a valuable time for this young man. And then, we had another meeting this afternoon. Truthfully, I just wasn't in the mood for it, even though we were meeting with some dear friends (the Mukasa's who we did our homestay with). And yet again, God used it as a time to refresh and not wear out. And that's partly because of their story....
The Mukasa's (Amos and Perry) serve here in Mbarara with Campus Crusade for Christ. They came on staff in 1991 and now, over 18 years later, are still faithfully serving. We talked about their ministry here and throughout, we were able to hear of many they have discipled over the years. The list is impressive and yet they take no credit - they give all the glory to the Lord. They have continued to serve even when support has been low and the burden of school fees for their children have seemed overwhelming. And yet, despite their circumstances you can always count on a smile and hug and a contagious reliance on God!
I only wish I could have more days of meetings like these! I am reminded after days like today, that God has called us here at this time to serve!
So, in saying that.....I am going to attempt a "Daily Update." It may just be a tid bit of information from the day - maybe something I learned, something one of the kids did, something new in life, or just a thought or simple rundown of that day. Some may be a sentence and some may be much longer, but at least I will try to send something. And for those of you wondering about the title, that is just the way I have done dates for some time now and I'm not changing because you don't understand it (although dad and Susan B will understand since they have been seeing it on my notes at the office for 15 years). The method to my madness is YMMDD - the last digit of the year (9), two digits for the month (11 equals Nov) and then a two digit date (02, 13, etc.). And before you ask, next year will go to 01109 - and it makes sense to me, so don't ask!
Now.......for ya'll that are like my wife (let your yes be yes type people), know that if I don't get a daily update posted each day, I am not going back to post later. And, I don't want any snide comments about not getting something posted. Understand, some days are village days and we won't get back until later; some days are just plain busy and the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is sit in front of the computer and think more; some days I just plain forget to even look at this screen! I will do my best, but as my wonderful wife will tell any of you - "Joel has big plans, but his follow through can use a little help!" So, be patient!
Now for today......this was our third night of very little sleep. Dade was sick on Friday night, a new kitten came into our lives on Saturday night, and Dara got sick last night. Some other posts will explain more details about each, but needless to say, the last three nights have left a lot to be desired in terms of actual time with eyes closed. And, truthfully, the last thing I wanted was another day of meetings (seems some days that's all I do).
However, this morning started off with a wonderful devotional time with the guys that work out here. We talked through some of Proverbs 10 and I am still amazed that they get excited about Monday morning devotionals after only three weeks. I followed that with another meeting with John (one of our teammates) and one of our other workers here. It turned out to be much more productive than I had thought it would be and I think a valuable time for this young man. And then, we had another meeting this afternoon. Truthfully, I just wasn't in the mood for it, even though we were meeting with some dear friends (the Mukasa's who we did our homestay with). And yet again, God used it as a time to refresh and not wear out. And that's partly because of their story....
The Mukasa's (Amos and Perry) serve here in Mbarara with Campus Crusade for Christ. They came on staff in 1991 and now, over 18 years later, are still faithfully serving. We talked about their ministry here and throughout, we were able to hear of many they have discipled over the years. The list is impressive and yet they take no credit - they give all the glory to the Lord. They have continued to serve even when support has been low and the burden of school fees for their children have seemed overwhelming. And yet, despite their circumstances you can always count on a smile and hug and a contagious reliance on God!
I only wish I could have more days of meetings like these! I am reminded after days like today, that God has called us here at this time to serve!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
The Longest Night
I've thought hard about blogging today, and it has been a battle in my mind. Do I write about things that make me want to pack up and go home? or is it better to keep those things secret - only to share with a few of you via email? Well, obviously I've opted to write about it. I will apologize now for the length. If you attend Lamar Baptist in Arlington, you may remember the Sunday evening service when we spoke. I spoke about how I'm a chicken at heart. Yesterday that was evident even more then when I was chased upon a chair by a wee mouse. :)
This is our house, you can use the picture for reference to better appreciate the story...
Yesterday evening, around 6:30pm, I was walking down the hall and happened to see something in the hall window sill. In the picture that would be the 2nd window from the right. I looked closer to see 2 little eyes staring at me. It was either a rat or a huge mouse! It was trapped between a closed window and a screen. (the other side of the window was open - there are two individual windows that make one big window) Calmly (this was the only time I was calm), I went and found Joel who was busy with milking. I wasn't leaving it there any longer than necessary..so I sent for James, the 14 year old boy who lives here. He came with a towel because he was just going to stick his hand in and pick it up. He hopped up so he could reach in to grab it and quickly jumped down and said he'll wait for his dad. Now that made me feel validated in my fears, so even though my heart was beginning to sink inside of me - I was affirmed.
Richard, James' dad, came and decided to go into the house and get it. I was very clear in letting him know I did not want that rat lose in my house. So I switched the hall lights on for him and instantly see him running back towards me! The rat had gone out the window - which was good but I really wanted it dead.
Now if you look at the picture of the house, you'll notice there is a triangular storage space beneath the stairs. The rat found that to be a good hiding space, but as it was running towards it...I was at the top of the stairs. I'm sure it was a hilarious sight to see a grown women in an orange skirt jump up and straddle the stair railing. I had the most difficult time getting my feet to get a good grip. I thought it could not get any worse than this.
Well, the mouse ran back the way it came - mind you, there is a grown man and 2 boys chasing it with sticks. I was doing much better because I was now at the far end of the porch (towards the left hand side of the picture) - standing on the railing of course. The rat returns to the storage space and Richard asks for a flash light. Joel is now chuckling to himself about the way I'm handling the situation and tells me to put a towel by the front door so just in case it comes onto the porch, it won't get into the house. This sounded good to me, so I go inside for both purposes. I come back with a flashlight in my hand to see the rat flying up the stairs towards me! I closed the door and shook it with all my might so the noise would scare it away from me. I thought my heart would pound out of my chest or I would just pass out right then!
Amazingly, William and James killed it with their sticks out by the car. I was so grateful but still a bit on edge for the rest of the evening. THEN...I'm resting in bed all ready to go to sleep while Joel is in the bathroom. All of a sudden I hear him make a strange yelp-type of noise. It wasn't a sound I've heard from him before and I didn't respond very quickly until he came out saying there was a mouse, hopefully, or something that ran into a crawl space by our bathtub. (we have this open space where you could fix the bathtub pipes if necessary) I went and put some glue on a piece of cardboard while Joel stood guard. We didn't want "it" lose in the house at all. So we got the glue in place and put towels under the door to fill the gap - just in case it didn't get in the glue.
We could hear the rodent moving and running and scratching. It was awful. I sat down and thought "This is it! I want to go home! This is not funny." I knew somewhere down the road I would think, "I left Africa because of 2 rats", but that was okay with me. I suggested to Joel that we call our teammates up the hill and see if we could spend the night with them, but he said "no". While we were waiting to hear if the noises were still moving around the bathroom or not, I heard Dade coughing very forcefully - almost retching. Sure enough, he had thrown up all over his mosquito net and bedding and was in the bathroom vomiting all of his dinner. The boy is so tough, but it was a mess to clean.
Dara was not about to let Dade sleep with her (I can't blame her) and I didn't want to sleep in the room next to the rat. So, I slept with Dade in their room while Dara slept with Joel. I think Dara's the only one who thought it was a good night's sleep. Dade proceeded to be sick throughout the night. After looking at the symptoms, I blame an amoeba named giardia for his sickness. He's moving about but not eating today.
This morning Joel and Richard went into the bathroom to find the rat(!!!) glued to the floor but alive. The glue is not easy to get off the floor, but worth the mess to have the rat confined. It was over...but I'm still nervous walking around and will probably not get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom.
I hope you can follow all that I've written. It's a long story, but it was somehow therapeutic to write it all out. Thanks. I know it's gross, and I also know I'm not going home because of it all. I told Joel that I felt that "rats" crossed the line of "taking up my cross". He understood but didn't quite agree - thankfully.
All this is to say that I'm still a chicken and I'm not sure I want any of you to pray that God will help me in this way. That translates into more rats or even worse - snakes. So just pray I will have strength for the day and grow in the Lord. That covers everything, but not so specifically - if that makes sense. Thanks for all of your support and prayers. Thank you for holding our ropes. We know we're not slipping even if it may feel like it for a day.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Monster Crops
Part of what we are doing in the Agri-Business projects is the Heifer Project. Probably most of what I have written about on this blog concerns what we have done with the heifers and the milking. However, the other half of the agri-business projects is something called Farming God's Way. While I don't understand it completely, I am beginning to learn more and more about it. It really changes the ways Ugandans have always farmed crops. I'll explain more as I learn more. However, one of the things I wanted to show everyone is how the crops produce far better using these methods. We have a young man named Tony, who learned under a man named John Young who used to live here in Mbarara. Tony has taken it upon himself to see this project succeed and prove that it can be sustainable in any village we might teach these methods in. And to show Dale, John, and any others who might be interested, he insisited I take some pictures of him in the maize and beans to pass along. Enjoy these pics!
Dale asked about the bottom fields in one of his last emails. Well Dale.....how do you think it is doing? These are all beans....
This is Tony next to one of the bean stalks. Now understand.....Tony is 6' tall, so yes, they really are that tall!
This is a field of cabbage right behind the house. Tony was not too impressed with the size of these. You'll understand when you see his "Monster Cabbages!"
Monster, next to a regular...
Now, on to the Maize....again, Tony is 6' tall - so imagine how tall this maize would be if we could actually measure!
While I use to say, I didn't come here for Agriculture, I am beginning to realize that God did bring me here to work with these "businessmen." I don't know who teaches who - I would tend to guess, I am learning far more than I'm teaching.
One neat story to end with....back about two weeks ago, I told the guys that work out here that we would start having a devotional time each Monday morning and then a short prayer time together Tuesday through Friday. Well, this week I have been a little under the weather and while I did make it out to lead devotional on Monday, I forgot prayer time the last two mornings. This morning, I was in from milking and grabbing a quick breakfast with the kids, when Tony came to the door. I walked out and he reminded me that it was 8:00am and time to pray, especially since we had missed the last two mornings! How encouraging to see this small thing in my mind, become a huge deal to them! To see their desire to pray together as a team was a boost I needed. It reminded me that even when ministry doesn't look and feel like I think it should, that God is still using me in spite of me! Hope that makes sense.
I'll update soon on the group Jill and I are leading at the university. There are some exciting things happening in the hearts of these young students and I can't wait to share it with you!
Dale asked about the bottom fields in one of his last emails. Well Dale.....how do you think it is doing? These are all beans....
This is Tony next to one of the bean stalks. Now understand.....Tony is 6' tall, so yes, they really are that tall!
This is a field of cabbage right behind the house. Tony was not too impressed with the size of these. You'll understand when you see his "Monster Cabbages!"
Monster, next to a regular...
Now, on to the Maize....again, Tony is 6' tall - so imagine how tall this maize would be if we could actually measure!
While I use to say, I didn't come here for Agriculture, I am beginning to realize that God did bring me here to work with these "businessmen." I don't know who teaches who - I would tend to guess, I am learning far more than I'm teaching.
One neat story to end with....back about two weeks ago, I told the guys that work out here that we would start having a devotional time each Monday morning and then a short prayer time together Tuesday through Friday. Well, this week I have been a little under the weather and while I did make it out to lead devotional on Monday, I forgot prayer time the last two mornings. This morning, I was in from milking and grabbing a quick breakfast with the kids, when Tony came to the door. I walked out and he reminded me that it was 8:00am and time to pray, especially since we had missed the last two mornings! How encouraging to see this small thing in my mind, become a huge deal to them! To see their desire to pray together as a team was a boost I needed. It reminded me that even when ministry doesn't look and feel like I think it should, that God is still using me in spite of me! Hope that makes sense.
I'll update soon on the group Jill and I are leading at the university. There are some exciting things happening in the hearts of these young students and I can't wait to share it with you!
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