Hodge Podge #2

It is definitely a season of visitors, which is fun. Usually it is the mission teams that I get to visit with on Sundays before they spend the week doing hut-to-hut, but sometimes people come for longer. There was a wonderful woman named Susan that was here teaching music and the past month I have made a great new friend, Lauren, who is doing her college internship here- living life in another culture. She is about my sister's age and we have had a fun time making jokes, talking about life, and just being silly. I am so blessed that God has been faithful to bring great girls that have a simular personality as me (Haley and Lauren) in the past 2 years. Just sad that they always seem to go. Maybe one day I will have a long term kindred spirit to work and play with. But this is Lauren and I with Marium, Beatrice, Norah, and Naula.
I also hosted my own team. They were part of a group, Global Journey, and had previously been in China and India. They came and were a bit of a sickly team, but God quickly nursed them back to health in a little more comfortable conditions. Glenn graciously offered his house for us to all stay at and we had such a great week. It was wonderful to hear their stories of what God had done in the other places and also wonderful to catch up with my friend Sarah, that I know from TbarM. The team did a great job working on painting the kindergarden classroom block. And we had fun at night playing games like Cranium and making cinnamon rolls together (thanks Kara!)

While the team was still here, I also had my dear, sweet, wonderful friend Erin come to visit me!! How blessed I am!! She spent the past 5 weeks in Ethiopia and I said that if she was on my continent then she was required to come visit me. She gladly did and will be here until the end of July.

So, while Erin, Lauren, and the team were all still here we went to Sissiyi Falls. It doesn't matter how man times I have been there or hiked that mountain, I love it every time. It is really one of the most beautiful places in Uganda (that I have seen).

The River Nile.

I have been confused as to why we call it the Nile River in America but clearly the words are reversed here. What is the real name? But after I took this photo the army man jumped up and shouted something at me. It immediatly brought me to a flashback of the army man that tried to take my camera because he was corrupt. Not this time!! I told Glenn to just keep on driving, quick.

I love the house moms. They really take care of me. Auntie Ritah is always up for a good laugh.

Music Competion PRACTICE:

The kids have spent the past week and a half practicing for music competion. There are 8 areas to present including: western piece, sight reading, drama, original composition, traditional composition, original dance, traditional dance. They have been working really hard and it is so fun to hear the deep-soul-beats of the African drum ringing through the air as I am down at the school. These local instruments are really my most favorite Ugandan music. I have no skill at it, but it was fun to have the kids try to teach me something.

The LIBRARY!!!!

What a huge, amazing, fun, exciting, and wonderful blessing it is to have a new library. Well, when I say new it is true but it is not like we had a library before, just a few books scattered here and there. For the past year Mike Thrasher has been collecting books and organizing to send a container (via ship) full of books/resources/school supplies. Two weeks ago his team was here to "unlock" the boxes of burried treasures and build shelves for the library. The whole team worked so hard to set it up and the outcome is almost unbelievable. What a blessing. They taught each class how to use the library, look for a book, and check it out. AND we had a huge party for the official opening. I really can't speak too highly about it. It will be a blessing for generations to come. Thank you to EVERYONE who contributed time, money, books, resources, etc. They are greatly appreciated by everyone here!!!