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I have tried unsuccessfully to get video of Raelee and Sula playing. I wanted to get her speaking in her Ugandan accent. She has to translate for me many times – in English – but in their accent. They don’t understand my accent I guess! And I haven’t gotten theirs down yet. I asked Salima if she was going to intern when she was home and she had me repeat three times and still didn’t get it. I said “You know, what you do on your breaks with the NGO”. She said “You mean intern?”. That’s what I said! So, ignore please the way my daughter sits, she is supposed to wear leggings at all times (which doesn’t make it a whole lot better) and I am constantly having to tell her to keep her legs together. She and Sula were the only ones on the property, playing right outside my bedroom window. She doesn’t know I recorded them, she heard my camera when I took the picture so Sula posed for me. (She starts speaking to him in his accent towards the five minute mark. And she does know quite a bit of Lusoga but mostly with him speaks English. His mother and Raelee converse quite a bit. But don’t ask her to tell you any words, she probably won’t!) By the way, that is chalk.

She will say one phrase to us in Lusoga, “Come here, I am going to beat you”. The boys taught her to say “You have the face of a dog” and she was yelling it as Christian was driving with her and the boys through the village. At people! He asked the boys what she was saying and they didn’t want to tell him. Finally one of them told him and he told them not to teach her those kind of things.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”      Jeremiah1:5

Today we had a visitor! Sophia brought the baby to see us, I thought Raelee was not going to be able to contain herself! Tenwa left early today so that they could go visiting a little bit since this is the first day for her to leave her house. She is tiny! Her name is Shefa (I’m sure that is not correct spelling!) Pronounced Shee/fa. Sophia says Shakim loves his little sister, he is around two and a half, was a newborn when we moved here. I will be so excited when Sophia comes back to work so I will have to take care of the baby while she is working! I’m not excited about Sophia coming back to work with the baby and having to fight Raelee over taking the baby off to her room to dress her and play with her like a doll!

While Salima was home from college for Christmas she made liquid soap. It costs so much less than the powdered soap I buy in the supermarkets. I know there are a lot of things I could get for so much less but don’t know where to get it, can’t get it for the Ugandan price because the color of my skin. Two and a half years now and we still find out things that we could get here and say “Why did we not know that?”! Salima left me with the supplies for the soap and we just finished off what she made. It so happens the young man that taught her was around today and Jennifer brought him here so that he could teach them how to make it. But he told them you have to buy the ingredients in Kampala. I know we can get them here, Salima will just have to tell her mother where! This young man goes around teaching liquid and bar soap making, candle making, mosquito repellent and some kind of jelly. I know how to make most of these things, just can’t find the ingredients. Part of the problem in us finding things is what we call them is not what they call them! So when we ask about something, they may actually have it here but they have no idea what we are talking about! He is teaching two days at a school in town, he just travels around and charges groups of people to teach and for the materials. The ingredients from them cost the same as what Salima bought. It costs under $10 to make thirty liters. Then people sell a small water bottle worth for about twenty five cents so they can profit around $15 on each batch. That’s pretty good for someone out here in the village. They all just laughed when I told them that and said that was a lot of money. But I doubt any of them will pursue it. Very hard to understand why they wouldn’t. They had a lot of fun, Sharifu was embarrassed to stir it because he was afraid someone might think he was cooking porridge for everyone. (Not man’s work!)

We’ve had bad news this week, really praying for a solution. Our kids we feed and send to school got their exam results this week. The new year will start the first week of February, I don’t know why they have to wait until two weeks before the new school year to see if they passed. The two in second and third grade always have excellent grades. Fiona was in her last year of primary school, she would go on to secondary (which I guess is junior and senior high for us). She has always tried hard but struggled to get good grades. Not failing grades but we have asked if there was anything we could do to help her. She has always gone during holidays, stayed late and really given her all to it. We have been praying about where she will go to school for secondary. It would probably be best for her to board in town for her physical safety but haven’t been sure about her leaving all the younger ones on their own. Naomi is around twelve now so she can take care of all. And one more younger one is going to school this year. But, Fiona failed the exam. And the teachers told her that her only two options in life are to become a seamstress or child care. How sad is that, to be told it’s pointless to repeat school and you won’t amount to anything more that two options? We talked to the head master today and he said most times they don’t have children repeat grades but they don’t feel it will do Fiona any good to repeat. We wonder if it is because for the first five years she went to the inferior government school and didn’t get a good foundation or help soon enough. Now, if she stays home she will feel shame. She is at high risk at being taken advantage of and to be married off – she is fourteen or fifteen now, marrying age. We are going tomorrow to talk to a good Ugandan friend to see what we can do and then our plan is to take her to a female Ugandan friend to try and have a conversation with her away from the village. That is the biggest struggle for us, to get the whole story, to get true feelings about something, to get the true interpretation. I’m asking prayer for this situation and for Fiona. She is a beautiful shy girl that has no mother and really no one but us to help her with life. And doesn’t speak English! I hate that, because she isn’t going to talk openly through anyone here interpreting. It is extremely hard to have heart to heart talks with someone through an interpreter, especially one that is local because gossip is rampant here and no one wants to be talked about. Being motherless is hard enough for her. I believe with all my heart God put us in Fiona and her siblings’ lives for a reason so He has a plan for her. Our God is a miracle worker. He can part waters, move mountains, bring the dead back to life, save, bless and care for. He can do anything, everything, things beyond our comprehension.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11

I was sick soon after Christmas and very sick New Year’s until the first of last week so I haven’t been with the children until yesterday in this new year. I missed them! (Even though for close to two weeks I was pretty out of it) We had a very good day, learning more about Jesus and all the names He has been called and has called Himself. When I asked if anyone would like to color there was almost pandemonium! It is certainly humbling to see children get excited over getting to color – that is not something most of them get to do often or have ever done. And I was very impressed at how artistic some were in their coloring, I guess their use of color combinations shouldn’t be surprising when I consider all the colorful clothes they wear! I didn’t take the pictures, I am thankful Derrick did. I was busy losing my mind over marker caps not being put back on them! Constantly going round and round the tables looking for caps and markers without caps! They have no concept that the markers will not work anymore if they dry out! I was also very impressed at how many remembered names of Jesus that we had learned a while ago. I am so thankful to be back among the land of the living and blessed to be with the kids again!

Isaiah 44:6, “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me.”

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I have pictures to post but we are watching movies…The Lion King is coming next so no time to upload pictures! It’s been a quiet day which has been very nice. Raelee had the “best Christmas ever” and has been playing with her kitchen sets and baby doll clothes! As I post this most of you are just starting your Christmas Day, we just ate supper and are wrapping up our Christmas day!

The Birthday party was mostly a success! Apparently one of the older girls must have put the word out that the party was kids only – except for the older girls! Haha! So we had plenty of cupcakes and fun. I made a balloon dart board, each balloon had candy in it and when popped candy went everywhere! But I didn’t count on her still having the fear of loud noises so she freaked out a bit. After picture time though she was back to running around playing. I took quite a few videos, the pin the tail on Rainbow Dash was a lot of fun. I pinned the tail on his neck and that went over real well! Nelson Mandella stayed and played along, he had fun. Raelee loved the party, just requested we don’t pop balloons at the next one! Don’t worry all Grannies and Grandma, we are doing a photo shoot for good pictures tomorrow. Just got so busy today!

Raelee and I are in the Christmas spirit but to my regret, I didn’t bring any of my nativities when we moved here. The only Christmas decorations we’ve found are very few and very expensive in Kampala. (Expensive but cheap!) Only one store carries any and the trees they have are not good. So, we decided to make our own. We searched Pinterest for ideas and Daddo made us the tree. We only had one fail and that was me trying to make dough from glue and cornstarch. The recipe I used was apparently wrong because every one I’ve read since had different proportions. Raelee stuck with the salt dough recipe and her ornaments turned out good. All but the nativity she made which is a little disturbing to me! She isn’t finished with it so I finished the tree so that there was no room for her lumps of colorfully painted clay to go on it. I’m a terrible mother, I know! I told her they would be perfect for her room! Ha! But she did an awesome job on the popsicle stick angels, the burlap angels and ornaments. She is now addicted to making paper snowflakes but did not have the patience for the origami Christmas trees. (It took me a few tries to get it.) My favorites are the nativities and the placemats she laminated. I think we are finished but she has different ideas!

Popsicle stick angels

Origami trees

Christmas worksheets

I have a strict rule about people who “happen” to come pump water right at porridge time in the mornings. Porridge is only for workers who are on the job. But when I stepped out the other morning and saw these little cuties I had to make them honorary part-timers so I didn’t have to kick them out! How can I say no to those little faces? Especially knowing that’s all they will get to eat until evening time. The two on the right end weren’t even a couple months old when we moved here, Becca and Sophia’s kids. We’ve watched them grow from babies to toddlers and are now really starting to show their personalities. They are both going to have siblings soon…Becca is due anytime and Sophia is due in January, although she looks like she is due anytime! Christian keeps telling her she is going to have twins! We were very excited when they both came to tell us they were expecting. They went on birth control soon after their first babies were born and one of the husbands was very hesitant, the myth here is that if one goes on the “family planning” they will have trouble conceiving again. Apparently they didn’t have any trouble, I pay for their transport to get their monthly injections and know they only skipped one month before telling me they were expecting! So that is a good witness to others that there shouldn’t be fear in planning their families.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24

We made it through another exhausting week! I have been able to breathe a little more but still busy and Christian didn’t get much rest. The roof of the government school is finished and they are putting the roof on the other school buildings. But now the school needs desks to put in the new buildings. Saw that one coming!

The workers all got to keep their jobs – on one month probation. (That was very confusing to them because this was the last week of Nov. so what date would the month probation be over!) We had a big meeting with them on Monday, changed some things and it has taken all week to implement them. Changing the way things are done is very hard here and causes much confusion. A lot of it shouldn’t be changes – the work was supposed to be being done in the first place.  We had to use tough love – these people aren’t just employees, we love them as family. We want them to understand that every project, everything we do – they are a part of that. They help to make a difference in their community. I told them we weren’t happy with any of their work but for each one of them I told them the good things I love about them. We all get slack at times in our work and have to get a swift kick in the tail but it is doubly important to do our work well when we are taking care of animals. Grass can grow up to our knees, just makes work harder. Slack off with the animals and you lose some that you can’t get back. We just asked them to work with us and not against us. Showed them a job opening for rabbit farm manager in Kampala that had quite a few qualifications, one was a college degree, and still didn’t pay what they get each month. So they could see that they should appreciate their job. This project is very important to us and whether they can see the importance or not if they work for us they will do the job the way it needs to be done or they will be gone. They don’t know it but we are going to make one of them Farm Manager and I’m not sure it will go over well at first. But that is the cost of not taking initiative and doing your job well. We can’t do everything as the farm grows and the ministry grows and we need someone we can rely on. This person may not be perfect but has proven we can depend on her for most everything and will do whatever we give as her duties.

So…the rabbit house is getting into ship-shape! There is no reason the entire grounds shouldn’t look everyday the same as when we are preparing for visitiors. (They think there is a difference). We will be having Monday morning meetings with one person from each area to go over what is happening and what needs to happen during the week. We have been trying to implement things to make the job easier – I learned a lot this week as far as cleaning and see some areas we can do differently and improve on. They have been working hard and I have been with them everyday training (or re-training). There is one guy that hasn’t been working in the rabbit house long, I don’t think he had any kind of training as to the rabbits – he just throws feed in and cleans the metal. (We have had a supervisor over the rabbit house.) Which is fine as long as there is someone else that inspects every cage and every rabbit every day. It is best if every worker does that. Our prayer is that they all see what we are trying to accomplish and as Christian told them, when we look at each rabbit or each goat  it’s not money we see but what each animal represents as far as bettering the community, helping children be healthy and women that have no one to help them.There has been misunderstanding on their part that we are trying to be a business. We explained that we are not, that is not our intention with anything on our property. Everything we do is to help others around us to better their lives and to share the love of Jesus to all we come in contact with. Yes, we do have goals financially – our organization depends on donations. The giving hearts of others to help those with less. And if we are able to generate some income, if there were ever a time when donations aren’t as much, our budget has to be smaller, we can still put in bore holes, we can still employee people, we can still help. With all the money Mandate has put out we will most likely never be able to say we profit from anything. They have a hard time understanding what profit really means!

We put our choice for farm manager in the rabbit house for this month with the reason to them being that she is the only worker we have on the grounds that hasn’t worked in there. Also, we believe a farm manager needs to have first hand knowledge of all positions to effectively manage the entire farm. Most importantly we told them that all work – whether we like it or not – should be done as unto the Lord. We can slack off, we can hide it from the boss but we can’t hide it from God. Some argue about what worship is, music or no music; hands raised, hands down…. Pleasing God comes from doing everything everyday with thanksgiving to Him for His love for us and all the daily blessings He gives. Living everyday in thanksgiving. That is worshipping Him.