Long time coming

Tuesday July 6

Well, we made the trip to Lira today. We have the goal of completing a kitchen expansion in 4 days. That is; demolishing a wall, pouring a new footing and slab, building up the walls, and then the roof. Right now the Lira kitchen is about 10' wide and 14' long. We will be making it into a 10' x 20' room. Our bus was scheduled to leave the Ridar Hotel at 6:15AM, but we ended up leaving at around 7:10AM. One of the Mums from Seeta was moving north to Lira, so our bus had to make a stop at the orphanage before it came to the Ridar. We had to go and pick up Betty 

at Christian Life Church after we left the Ridar, then 

once we got there, we started to smell something burning on the bus. Turns out the mechanic had over-tightened the brakes and they were smoking. We walked across the street, which is no cake walk, and had a brunch at a hotel that the Douglas's had stayed at before. It was quite nice. We finally got heading north around 9:30AM. I got to sit in the back of the bus, which was literally half full of bags and luggage, with 3 little orphans from Seeta. They fell asleep on me on a number of occasions. We got to Lira around 3:30 PM and dropped off a bunch of things at the Pauline Hotel, then went to the Lira Orphanage. Since we only have about 4 days to get the job done, we met with a contractor up here that is going to help us get everything that we need. We spent the afternoon and early evening running around getting tools and materials. We even wanted to go to the village today and start busting down the wall, but we couldn't find any sledge hammers. So we dropped off some form boards and went back to the Hotel for dinner. The food is actually very good here, I was quite impressed. Kirk and I are just chilling in our room just preparing to watch the Uruguay/Netherlands game.

Wednesday July 7

We had a largely productive day. We got to the orphanage this morning around 8:10AM, and our Lira contractor James had started laying out the footprint of the expansion. We had told him all along what we wanted to do, but he started doing it his way. We were so excited to be pouring a floor the way that we do in the US. We know why there are so many problems with the buildings in the orphanage, but the workers all build the buildings the same way. The floors crack, pit, and chunks come out of the floor leaving huge holes. We got the footings dug, the 

forms fabricated, and rock layed into the bottom of the forms. We even got the wall broken down and the concrete poured. We finished the pour and scraped off the excess concrete then went to the hotel to eat dinner, and then we went back to the orphanage and floated the concrete floor as best we could to make it smooth. I have to say that that is the best concrete work I have ever done. Not because it is the most quality finish, because its not, but because we had kids lined up watching us float the concrete in the light of bus headlights. I sweat more today than I think I ever have. I must have drank 4.5 liters liters and went to the bathroom but once. All the rest was sweat. It was pretty fun doing our thing with all the nationals standing around murmuring about what we were doing.. They must have thought that we are crazy Americans. I heard someone say that they can build a house with the amount of cement we used. I can say without a doubt, however, that we poured a quality floor. Francis the cook is very excited. I heard that the Container was delivered to the Seeta orphanage yesterday, and was inspected today. They want another $3000 on top of the $6000 we have already paid them to let us into it.

Thursday July 8

Mosquitoes attacked last night. Karlie Gonzalez got bit under both eyes last night, when she woke up her eyes were little swollen... also she had amazing sausage toes because mosquitoes hit up each of her knuckles on her feet... someone needs to take Malaria Prevention 101. We got to the orphanage today and the workers had stripped off our forms. I wanted them to leave them on for a bit longer than that, but what can you do. They are just doing what they know. They were setting brick this morning, and it ended up taking pretty much the whole day, so

Kirk, Steve, and I sat around for a while just doing whatever we could think of with the kids that were there. There is this one girl, Mercy, who had the longest fingernails. Kirk and I started referring to her as Wolverine. She seemed to like to go for the throat. Don't get me wrong, she is a sweetie; she just had long fingernails... and sharp. I played the role of David in a David and Goliath skit for Bible School. I worked with Francis, the cook, cooking beans. He makes them very well. They taste like the Campbell's bean with bacon soup. I love that stuff. I ate a couple bowls of that... then I decided that I would carve him a new stir paddle. The one he had was looking a little worn. We had a little mahogany left over from making our scaffolding. That's right; mahogany scaffolding. I have always considered Mahogany as pretty spendy stuff, but here it is like their basic 2x4 that we would buy at home depot. Later in the day, when we were about to take off, I was sitting around and the kids were all lined up to get new shoes. There was a really cool sunset, so I took a picture. Most of you know how I like Silhouette pictures.

Container update. So they opened it, inspected it, shut it, and the latest that I have heard is that they are asking around $10,000 on tariffs for us to access it. We paid it, but I feel like it might not be that worth the money. With that kind of money we could probably build 4 more houses, and fill them with children. They rip us so bad. The organization that is supposed to be helping us has not yet been able to get us registered with the Government or something like that. There was a 10 month waiting period, and we started the whole process in January. So hopefully this will be the last container that we get ripped on.

Friday July 9

Today was a far more significant day than I had realized. I didnt realize it until just after dinner. It was a day all about testimonies. One that touched me today in particular was my friend Tiffany's. She led bible study for the children here in Lira while I was doing construction. The study was about David and Bathsheba; how he sinned and found forgiveness with God. The kids had some great questions. One child asked about how they get forgiveness, or give forgiveness to someone that has since died. That opened up a number of questions in my mind. Then she said that a child asked, “Can I be forgiven if I have murdered someone?” ...”Can I be forgiven if I was forced to kill someone?” ...You never really think about it I guess. Maybe I just don't think about it, but these children in Lira; most have seen loved ones killed, killed people, have been forced to kill... in many cases even someone they loved. Sometimes I think that I have had a rough start at life, but now I find myself thinking, “Who am I, that I get to live the way that I do." So many things that I have taken for granted in my life; some I learned about the hard way, and some I get to learn from someone else. This tribe in particular was a target of Joseph Kony, whom I'm sure that many of you have heard about. “Invisible Children” does a great job at exposing and informing people about him. I will let you lean about him and what he did if you are interested, but getting to be part of people's lives who were directly impacted by him has really impacted me.

Compared to the testimonies about today that I heard, I feel a little like I didnt really do anything significant. Maybe the right word, instead of “significant”, would be “eternal”. Eternally significant? … I put Concrete in a kitchen, and patched floors. I poured a small foundation for a Barbeque, and a small chunk of concrete to help the water at their tap flow away and drain. Though I know this helps their immediate needs, Sometimes I have a hard time seeing anything but treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. Here it also seems like everything you have will grow legs and run away when you are not looking, and here everything breaks ...all the time. Though this is all true, I like to think of it as a constant reminder that there is a bigger and better treasure that cant be destroyed or stolen. =) That is the treasure that we want to give them. All we can do is show them where to get it, and then they have to choose to accept it. The beauty of it all is that the treasure is a gift, and not a wage. You don't have to work for it. You just have to accept it.

Saturday July 10

Seems like the days are starting to blend together. We have almost finished the kitchen. I am getting to know the kids a little more. Since it is a different language, it is taking some getting used to. I don't really have any way of communicating with them other than English. I am understanding Luganda in the south to the point where I can communicate pleasantries, and essentials, but up here it is totally different. It almost sounds like an Asian dialect to me.

Bruce and Steve spent a good amount of time scrubbing creosote off of the existing walls. The kitchen in some places I would say had creosote up to 1/4” thick. The container came the other day, so Bruce and Robert took the bus down to Kampala to get the stoves that we wanted to install, clothes, shoes, a stereo for the Lira children, bed sheets; plenty of things. I got the Stereo jamming with some Hillsong United, and did my usual fetching water. I finished the BBQ, and kept workers supplied with Mortar for brick laying. During bible study, I don't know if it was today or yesterday, but this little girl, Mercy, totally ate a green crayon. Her teeth were Forrest green. It was pretty cute. Two girls at the orphanage are total hams. Mercy and Rita. They are about the same age. I am feeling pretty delirious. I am sitting out in the main room of the Pauline hotel fighting sleep, and mosquitoes. The Germany/Uruguay game is on, but I might have to call it quits for the night. I believe that the girls are trying to play Settlers of Catan on Kirk's and my bed right now too. I feel like this posting is going to be the longest one ever because I haven't had any internet since I have been in Lira.

Monday July 12

I had the most awesome Happy Birthday sang to me yesterday at the Lira Orphanage. We went for church with the children, then back to the hotel to change, then at 3:00PM they gave us a “production”. They had their choir sing and dance a number of songs for us. I swear, they are the best children's choir ever. They sing so beautifully. After the production we started to disperse, and someone tipped the kids off that it was my birthday, even though I had 2 more days, they surrounded me and all sang me a 3 verse happy birthday song.. Ill never forget that one.

Today we set off back for Kampala, taking a minor detour and stopping over at Red Chilli before we get there. Red Chilli is a small safari camp in North West Uganda close to Congo and Lake Albert. It sits right on the Blue Nile. We take a boat safari up to see Murchison Falls and back again. It covers a small amount of the river, but we see tons of wildlife. If Jerry's Rogue Jets wanted to make a sister company, this would be a great place for it. The boats are not so much designed for speed and going over rapids as just putting up river and slowing down to look at Crocodile, Hippo, Elephant, birds, and whatever else may be in the water or getting a drink.

We checked into our first room/hut just a little while ago. And there are some warthogs meandering through the place. Just doing their think looking for food. I guess if you have any food in a tent, they will rip through the tent to get it. So they advise against it. Our food is mostly safe; on the bus.

I brought Deb and Gav (Red Chilli managers) a summer sausage. I remember last time we were here we gave them the rest of the one that we had, and they loved it. So I wanted to be sure to bring them one again. Right now our party of 14 is sitting under a huge grass roof looking out over the Blue Nile into part of Uganda. This is a great place.

Thrusday July 15

Well, a lot has happened since the last time I have typed let alone posted on the blog. Now that I an back at the Ridar, I can now access the internet once again. We had a great time at Red Chilli's. We stayed two nights, and hit up Murchison Falls on the way back to Kampala. After our fist night, we went on a morning boat safari up the Nile to the falls. We had a little time once we got back to the camp, so the younger people decided to take a trip in the bus to the top of the falls and hike down some trails to the bottom of the falls. We fought the Tsetse flies all the way there, and then they just left us alone. It started pouring once we got to the trail head, and by the time we started descending, we were all soaked. I was freaking out because I didn't think the bus would be able to get out of the place since the roads are all dirt and clay. I was wrong, we got out. The rain seemed to stir up the flies for some reason, and we were literally under attack on the way back to the camp by the Tsetse flies. They would chase the bus until it slowed down, then try to fly in through all the windows and bite us...

Ok, so we left Red Chilli's, hit up the falls one more time, and came back to Kampala where we met up with the portion of our team that was on their way to the airport to come back home. We went through the shopping centers and rode the bus with the team to the airport, then finally returned back at the Ridar around 10:30PM

Today, we got to go back to the Seta village and tossed some more brick around. They have gotten so much completed since I have been in Lira. The walls are above my head.. I know that isn't saying too much, but come on... We heard that there was a boys football game at the school they attend, so many of us wanted to go and see that. The game was really cool, our teams all won all their games!! I made a Vuvuzela (Horn) for it our of PVC pipe and was blowing it the whole day. We ended the day at the football and Netball field, and came back to the Ridar.

I know that some of you may have heard about a bomb going off in Kampala the other day/week. I was in Lira, and our team was not affected. Apparently it was Somalians targeting Ugandan nationals because there are Ugandan peace keeping forces in Somalia that they don't want there. We were no where near the bomb, and are all safe. There were lives lost; mostly Ugandans and 1 American.

Its getting slower, the team is shrinking as people are going home and we are really realizing that this year's team has been very close. Ill be making a short stay in Portland before I go to Italy very soon.