From Mom

On Sun, Apr 10, 2011 at 12:03 PM,

Hi, it’s Sue here.  Deb just said she loves having me here, but hates having to share her computer!!!! I told her I’d be out of her hair soon enough!

We had a great day today.  Worship is so great in African culture.  They love to sing, move, clap, laugh, jump, you name it!   (Rachel P – you’d just LOVE it!  And you’d be surprised how I’ve loosened up!)

We have friends here from Entebbe, Uganda.  Scott and Melissa Zook and 4 yr old daughter, Abigail are missionaries with Wycliffe stationed here.  Melissa has known my parents since she was a little girl, and on Deb’s first trip here (and now all the other times), they have met her at the airport, housed her overnight til she got a ride to GSF.  They came yesterday to visit and are leaving tomorrow – Monday.

After church we went to King Fishers which is a resort (ahhhh….. resort used loosely!)  We took Deb’s 7and 8 yr olds SS class.  There were 11 Ugandan kids, then Zooks, three older kids, Deb and me.  They have a great swimming pool and beautiful grounds.  Then you pay a price for the use of a boat no matter how many people.  So we all went on this boat, certainly not like a Whaler or anything!  We put in at Lake Victoria then went slowly around the sides looking at birds….this is a birders paradise and I told Deb that Stacey S should be here.  

We went to the source of the Nile, the only river to run north.   And of course, the story of Moses is foremost in my mind!   Along the way we saw many monkeys, a cobra snake and river otters.  The kids had never been in a boat….oh and we had brought along with us the “head” auntie.  She was scared to death to get in a boat, but we all pestered her and she was so glad she had gone.  I’m sure she’ll tell many people about it.

We rode to King Fishers standing up in the back of this truck that had metal bars to hang on to, kind of hard to explain, but you all would have been proud of me!   Actually I told Deb that so far this had been my favorite way of traveling around Uganda.  It was open air – so not so hot, you could see forever, and I felt like I was fitting in with everyone!

I so enjoy watching all the activity along the sides of the roads…..there is so much going on….the people’s huts are right where you can practically see inside them.  Now you may not like this but….the women are constantly working!   Bending over from the waist washing clothes, tending children and have babies on their backs   And the men are sitting playing cards!  Some are working on their boda bodas, but seems like they cluster around talking!   Now that’s just MY observation!

The country side is lush, fertile, rolling hills, beautiful shades of greens from the sugar cane fields and maize fields.  I had pictured it all being more flat and barren, but not here.  Lush is the only word I can think of to describe it.

A couple of summers ago I taught Sam Irwin how to drive and I kept harping on him to drive defensively…always watch out for what the other guy is doing, meanwhile dodging pot holes.  Well….here it is dodging children, goats, crazy drivers, bicycles, boda bodas, etc.  You have to constantly pay attention to what is happening.  Did I mention the “no shoulders” part?  I do the best I can back seat driving , but……

Tomorrow Zooks are dropping us off at the rafting place, so will try to do that again.  That will be all day.

I leave Tuesday night, Deb leaves about 10 days after me.  I am so glad I got to come….Africa is really growing on me.  I am learning the “aunties” names and the kid’s names and feel more a part of things. I am beginning to enjoy the slower pace just in time to get home to a hectic pace!

You all know the song….This is the Day?  They’ve added some other verses.  One is “we are the people, we are the people who the Lord has made, who the Lord has made.” I love that thought.  Then they sing, “you are the brothers, you are the brothers….etc, then the next time around…you are the sisters, you are the sisters.”  Isn’t that neat?  Sue