Saturday July 17

The past couple days have mixed together for me. But I can tell you what I remember. Yesterday, we put up a clothes line that spans around 75 feet. Doug Collins and I took turns using a post hole digger and a giant steel bar breaking ground and scooping. We cast some posts in concrete, and let them set overnight. There was a little stress about getting people on the bus that I ended up experiencing second hand, but it was a good day. When we got back to the Ridar, I decided that I would go down and take a swim. It was very relaxing and refreshing. 

Today we went to the orphanage very early because we wanted to start handing out clothes to boys. It seems that 80 percent of the boys are the same size, so they ended up running out of boys pants a little early. Steven and I setup the One-Stop Barber Shop for some of the children. We had two sets of Oster home clippers that we were using. We had kids lined up to get their hair cut. They mostly don't have any hair, but what the do have, they want gone. In general everyone hates hair here. They love White peoples hair and want to have hair like ours... I have tried to tell them “You are all handmade by God just the way he likes you. Having hair like yours is beautiful to God.”, but It isn't always heard I guess. I suppose that is like someone telling me, because I am not tall.. “Yes, but you are tall in other ways!” It just doesn't have the meaning that it is intended to have. No offense to anyone that has said that to me. =) The hair cutting went well.

I managed to ship an iPod docking station on the container, so we had our barber shop music going in the background. It was great. I had a box of things that I wanted to put onto the container for next time I come, so I packed it up and took it to the container. I also left my tools for next time. We ended up putting the top bar on the clothes lines and handing that project off to another team that will be staying at the orphanage for another couple weeks. The children also had a party planned for us. There were around 900 sodas that were handed out to the kids. There was popcorn... The Choir sang for us. There were new songs that I had never heard before. I got some great shots of them. I walked around with my camera like I do and tried to get some neat shots, then when the formal part of the party was finished, I danced for a while. Now that most of the children know who I am I spend around an hour just hugging and saying goodbye to mums and children. I have a pouch on my backpack full of letters from kids to me and to other people at home.

I had to show you a letter that one of my girls wrote to me that was just cracking me up. She is so cute. Just click on the picture to enlarge it.

Tracy, if you read this, I cant tell you how many of the kids want Flower to come back. For those who don't know, Flower is a clown costume that my friend Tracy brought in 2007 and dressed up in for the kids. They ask me about her every year.

My now roommate, Isaiah Anderson, is asleep and I am just about to go and brush my teeth and hit the sack. We go to the airport tomorrow. Team 2 goes home on a plane, then myself and the other 7 of us wait in a hotel next to the airport till Monday to head out. I dont know how it all worked that way... Something funky with the tickets. =) Sula Bulungi (means ”Goodnight”)

Sunday July 19

The team left the Ridar yesterday around 11:00AM. Mark had said that one thing we needed to do was to square our bills with the hotel up, but I never charged anything to our room, so I was good. I went to turn the key in, and they were like, “You have unsettled bills to your room.” One of my roommates had done some laundry and forgot to pay the bill... sweet. Winnie and Zion came with us. It was Zion's Birthday. She said that it was her best birthday ever because she got to come with us; that was sweet of her to say. We went to “Shop-rite”; I picked up a few items there, then we went over to the usual souvenir shop that is next to “1000 cups of Coffee”. Its a great little coffee shop. They have great coffee, and amazing coffee beans... So I hear. I had to pick up a bag for a friend, and noticed a shirt. It was pretty small, but I tried it on and it fit just the same as one of my other shirts. It is very tight, but I have been liking it that way for a while. The brand was “Adam”, so I had to do it. Ended up being about 15 dollars... I just couldn't pass it up. I met up with Darrie Turner and he gave me a bag full of African wood samples that I am taking back to Shwood so that they can make some Sunglasses out of them. I'm thinking with the amount of wood that I have in my check-in bag, they should be happy.

We got back on the bus and headed to Entebbe. Most of the team was to fly out that night and 8 of us the following day. We had some delicious pizza on the beach, then we said our short good-byes, sent them to the airport with Robert, and we went to the Andarita Hotel across the street. The night of prolonged excitement for us was just beginning. We checked in, and Oh!.. they gave our rooms out. Okay, well just get you some different rooms that you can stay in. Andrew Steven and I were going to room together as planned. They ended up giving us a room for 4, and 1 mosquito net.... =) Yeah, we get real close in Africa. Debbie Douglas and Jackie Richard roomed together. Their situation was a crack up. They had the tiniest room; no bathroom, just a double bed. Their bathroom was down at the other end of the hall. It had a toilet and a shower, but no sink. The sink was down on the main floor in the middle of the dining area. Oh, and the door to the bathroom didn't have a lock, so they say they had to stand guard for each other. Mark came up to get us after we were all shown our rooms for a little assignment; Debbie's bag apparently had something living in it... so Andrew and I took it down the stairs and out on their front lawn to open it up and get whatever was in there out. We unpacked the whole thing... Nothing. Although when we packed it back up and took it back inside there was a guy at the door with a metal detecting wand that wanted to search the bag for a bomb.... We had to let the guy re-open the bag and go through everything before we could go back up to Debbie's room... it was awesome... Mark had another unique experience at the Andarita that we hadn't expected; he was walking back up to his room. Little did he know that he was being followed by a woman. As soon as he put his hand on the doorknob she put her hand on his and asked if he needed company tonite.... He was like, “No, I have company!.. My wife!!” My goodness..

Andrew got to sleep pretty quick, but Steven and I just couldn't seem to get comfortable. He asked me what time it was, sure that it was about 6AM, and it was about 1AM.. After that I dont know what happened, I think we passed out. We were snug though. We scooted a twin sized bed next to a queen and all shared the mosquito net. I made that thing so bug tight... They like to come up from the floor around the inside of the mosquito net, and between the two beds, so I took the comforter and crammed it all in there. Tucking the net in all around the mattress is crucial to making through the night without bites.

Monday July 19 – July 20

Today we had to blow about 13 hours waiting for our plane. So we sat on the beach at Lake Victoria for a solid 8 hours. I know it sounds really hard, but it is hard when you have nowhere to be and nothing to do... We did play a ton of card games... I hiked my shorts up a little bit and got a nice burn on my thighs. Im feeling that right now... Feels great! Mum Betty came to say goodbye and to give me my glasses that I accidentally left at the Pauline Hotel in Lira. She is so awesome. Ive been writing on the plane, and Ill be posting from PDX, so when you read this I am probably asleep in my room at home. Andrew and I head off to Italy for another mission trip on Thursday the 22nd. We have a day to do laundry, then fly to Rome. Everyone asks why we are doing it that way, but it just worked out to be cheaper that way. The trick is to not adjust the body clock. =)

Now I am at home in my own bed down in the basement wide awake at 11:15PM. My body says 9:15AM...