Tag: widows in uganda

Almost Four Months!

Can’t believe that June will make four months quarantined in our compound. The only contacts we’ve had with are our workers, Salima, our kids, Salima’ sisters and Richard. Our village has been fortunate in a way that since they are mostly farmers they haven’t felt a great impact on their livelihoods. The ones that have felt the most strain are the boda drivers who really can’t work. Some public transport opened today but bodas still can’t carry people. Taxi vans can run at half of their capacity of people and have to be registered. And they can’t travel and pick up near border towns. I’m not sure if they were told they would have to do that ahead of time or if many just waited but there were long lines to get registered so not many on the roads yet. In our town because it will take time registering they cannot travel outside our area. I think it’s a good thing and they are trying to implement a system similar to city busses/bus stops so that there isn’t so much congestion with them stopping just everywhere.

So far Uganda has faired well as far as spread of the virus because of the quick response of closing the airport and at first borders. But there have been growing numbers now as they get some border points covered with the testing machines and stop cargo trucks then trucks from other borders have started bringing it as their countries covid numbers rise. We are still blessed, under three hundred hospitalized as of now, since the first cases in March there have been around eighty recoveries and no deaths. I commend the Ministry of Health and their diligence in testing. I pray that as the country slowly opens up, especially transport that the numbers stay down.

We aren’t sure when children will go back to school but have been so grateful and proud of both Salima for teaching and the children for being such good students for her! She keeps them busy both with school work and Bible study. They were reciting scripture to us today and explaining their understanding of what the scripture means. It’s not enough to just memorize, Salima is doing a great job in teaching them how we are to live them out.

Our bananas are ripening, one tree at a time! Sometimes there may be fifty or more on one tree and we can’t eat them all fast enough! So today Salima gave bananas to children around her house and to some of the widows.

We are getting a little stir crazy but really it isn’t as big of a change as for some people. I never know what day it is! I usually know my days by Sunday’s children’s services and Monday’s going to the prison. So that part is disorienting! Thankfully Richard has been able to provide us with all the food and supplies we need. We are just praying that the sacrifices of everyone for these months were not in vain and they can get back to normal soon.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1

Goodbye Ms. Joyce

Sunday we lost a dear lady that we have loved and who has been a constant at Bible study. Her burial was yesterday. She did t make it to study Sunday because she wasn’t feeling well. She had been fine all week but by the time study was over and Christian was going to go pray with her she passed away. We are going to miss her and we are sad but we can also rejoice that she has gone home to be with her Jesus and has no more aches and pains. My favorite memory of her will be her asking for a job and jiggling when we gave her sugar money for her tea. Please pray for her family, her son lives next to her and cared for her very well, he is really taking it hard. She had many children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Matoke

We have four different types of bananas on our property plus a staple here called matoke. It looks like a banana but is very dry and they basically steam it in the leaves. It is becoming ripe right now so Salima brought 13 widows to receive our first ripe ones. The last picture is one that couldn’t come, her grandson is holding her head up she is so feeble. So glad to be a blessing to them.

The Goat Project

Early on Raelee and I wanted to get a baby goat. They are “so cute and funny” when they are little. We got a male and female. Over the last two and a half years we have had babies and either the mother or baby or both died. We have had nine die over the two years. No one can tell us why. We believe that some of it is not from “natural causes”. Our whole goal was to have babies, enjoy them until they were old enough to then give away to widows. Finally we are at a point of seeing that this project hasn’t gone to plan. Maybe because that was “our plan” and not God’s plan. I don’t know. But this week we were able to finally give two females away to two widows who have no one taking care of them. They weren’t told they were getting a goat so they were a little hesitant as to why Salima was bringing them to our place. Once they were told they were amazed and so excited. Having a goat is like having money in the bank here. They will hold on to it until there is an emergency or are in great need of money. If they have friends or neighbors that have a male they can breed and have more in their “account”.

We have a male, but we are told it will be better for us to trade it for two females and give the females away. So we are in the process of doing that.

I’m not sure the orphaned baby goat – Sylvester – will be given away. When you’ve gotten up every four hours for a month to feed him, and he now feels he is one of the dogs, you get a little attached. A little – he is about ready to stay outside all the time. As for now he sleeps in our bathroom but when let out is jumping up one everything. No one wants to eat on a table a goat has pranced on!

After the joy of these ladies, I wish our project could have gone on, and maybe we will have another opportunity to try again. But for now, we can’t wait to give the gift of two more!