then and now

It’s been about two years since Sam and I moved from South Korea to Uganda.  In the moments when it seems like things aren’t moving forward, it’s good to look back at what all has happened.

Here is a little “then and now,” with how things have grown for us in Uganda.

Home:
Then:  we had our house area, with unfinished rooms and outdoor area

working on the other rooms in our compound

 

it’s pretty dark, but this was what our compound used to look like

 

the land behind our house

 

Now:  all of the rooms in our house are finished, we have a mostly finished outdoor kitchen, we also have another piece of land where our boys and animals sleep, a two (in the future 3) story house for our chickens

the finished rooms

 

our kitchen and eating area (no more chickens sleeping here)

 

notice anything different on the land behind our house?!
on the left, that is where we have built for the boys and the animals

 

Kids:
Then: 6 kids, pregnant with number 7

eating a New Year’s meal together

 

Now: 13 kids (from 21 months old – 18 years old)

our older kids playing ball the other night

 

Animals:
Then: we had around 80 chickens, 2 pigs, 2 goats, and 1 dog

our two goats, who slept outside my window

 

Now: 400 chickens, 29 pigs, 10 goats, 8 dogs, and 1 cow

our pigs enjoying their food

 

our goats ready to go out to graze

 

CITY Land
Then: We had just started the purchasing process of our land for the school

land that was overgrown with grass and weeds, just waiting to be used

 

Now: over half of the land is being used as a garden, we have made and are still making bricks to build school buildings, we’ve dug a well, we have started fencing the perimeter of the land, we have also started to dig the foundation for two rooms

it may still look overgrown, but those are some of our crops growing (behind that new fence:)

 

Other projects
Then: farming corn on a land we rented, making bricks on rented land, 2 bodas (motorcycles we use for transporting things/to get weekly income), 1 rental home

Now: farming corn, tomatoes, cabbage, cassava, yams, green peppers, and more in our own garden, making bricks on our own land, 3 bodas, 1 rental home, 1 rental shop, 1 truck used for transporting goods, and our own shop* where we sell things

a panoramic of our CITY land (the well on very left, garden, then brick-making area)

 

I don’t think I can ever convey how thankful we are to all of you who have supported us to grow this much.  All of the prayers, financial support, and encouragement do more than this blog can show.

We are excited to see more changes and growth throughout this next year!

 

much love!

 

*I’ll tell you more about this shop later:)

new life

Sam’s latest farming venture started today.
It’s not new to him.
We’ve done this before, about seven months ago.
It involves animals, not vegetation.

Any ideas?

Here’s a picture clue:

bringing them into their home

 

Do you know yet?

finding their way around

 

If you guessed baby chicks, you are right!

Sam has been wanting to get new baby chicks.
The ones we brought home last November were for laying.  We are now getting around 5 trays (150 eggs) a day.
These chicks will eventually lay eggs, but Sam’s main reason for getting them are to sell around Christmas and New Year’s.

have you ever seen so many colors of baby chicks?

 

cute, right?!?

 

And of course, a pic of Maddie and the chicks.

she’s not as scared of them as last year.

 

Please join us in praying for their health, growth, and safety (safety from lurking rats and curious birds:)

 

much love!

 

would you rather . . .

When things get slow in the world of coffee, one of my co-workers and I typically pass the time by cleaning, and asking a myriad of random questions and “would you rather’s…”

Most of it is sheer ridiculousness:
Would you rather have mops for feet or towels for hands?
Would you rather bark like a dog every time you talked or were only able to say one phrase – “Polly want a cracker?”
Would you rather have garlic breath or have bleu cheese b.o.?
Would you rather be a celebrity or a royal?

But sometimes our questions make me think about changes in my life and my perspective of things over the past few years.
Would you rather spend 2 years on a deserted island or 2 years in a remote village somewhere?
If you could wake up tomorrow in any country, where would you be?
Would you rather live without electricity or without running water?

I know what I answer now to some questions is not what it would have been four years ago, maybe not even two years ago.
And honestly, that’s kind of cool to me.
Sometimes I feel like I haven’t changed.  That life has been happening and I have been doing things, but I haven’t necessarily changed much.
It was encouraging to see, through these simple back and forth questions, that change has occurred.

sometimes [many times] I miss the view out my window in Uganda

 

This might be the end of my story for today.
But I know it’s not over.
I am not done growing and I’m not done changing:)

 

much love!

i am a champion!

I know I’ve written about my school here many times.  But quite by mistake, I think there are a few details I’ve never explained.

So today, this blog is about schools here, and in particular, Champions Christian Primary School; one of the big reason I came back to Mukono, Uganda.

Mercy, from when I was on the race 

and Mercy, just a few months ago

 

Let me first briefly explain schools here.
The school year begins at the beginning of February and goes until late November / mid December.  There are three terms throughout the school year, with a holiday [break] between each term.

Students start in Nursery Section around 3 years old.  Nursery classes are Baby, Middle, and Top (like Pre-school and Kindergarten).  Nursery students graduate into Primary School, which goes from Primary One through Primary Seven (like Elementary and Middle school).  If students pass their P7 [Primary 7] exams, then they go to Secondary School, which is six years.  After Secondary, there is High School for two years, then University.

Many people do not complete Secondary school, but there are career options that don’t require that level of education; or they can get a certificate in a desired field without needing to complete Secondary school.  It is very different from America.

group of students from Champions

 

Most schools here you have to pay fees; the only schools you don’t have to pay fees to attend are the government schools and the quality of education at those schools tend to be not so good; so most parents try to send their kids to other schools.

The school I am with is a Christian school, but that does not make it elite or special, there are many Christian schools, Muslim schools, and non-religious schools; but in all schools here Religious Education as a subject is taught.  Actually at Champions, the fee is a little bit lower for the quality of education they are offering the students.

In addition to fees, parents also have requirements they have to bring to the school each term, such as sugar, brooms, toilet paper, a ream of paper, etc (these are used by the school throughout the term).

stack of books – students need to bring new books each term

 

Champions Christian Primary School was started during third term, I think 2009.  They started with 57 students and have now grown to around 300 students.

The school prides itself on providing a quality education while maintaining lower school fees than some of the other schools.  They also have a good work environment, and have a good teacher-retention rate.

The school’s motto of “raising the total man” is more than just a motto.  This school really does want to see these students succeed and to go far.  There is love and acceptance, and just a different environment at this school that isn’t at all schools here.  There is such a difference at Champions that our Christian school has Muslims and children of witch doctors in attendance.

school emblem or badge

 

I’ve said at different times that I am helping at Champions while I am here in Uganda; I am not paid for this, well maybe in high-fives and hugs:)  But, I am so thankful for this opportunity, to be back here, seeing all of the growth and the changes that are taking place at this school; to learn more about how things work here.  To be a part of this community.

the other day I was even a Champions student:)

 

This video is not the best quality, but, it is the choir singing our school song; I thought you might enjoy hearing that!

 

 

much love!

fighting polar bears

I wouldn’t recommend fighting a polar bear; over a week later and my ankle/foot still looks rough:

if you think this looks bad, you should see Sven (the bear)

But, I have been learning a great deal in the healing process.  Usually I am doing more.  I don’t like…
sitting when people all-around me are busy and I could be helping.
having to ask for help.
not being able to do things for myself.
feeling like I am lazy.
letting people know i’m hurt.

While the above has become a part of my reality since the unfortunate bear incident, God has definitely been using this time for me to reflect and learn.  Which is always a good thing.

On a different note, it’s hard to believe today is our last time picking up groups from the airport.  Our final two groups arrive in a few hours – crazy.  Somedays it feels like just last week we were starting this; but in reality, we are finishing it.

art from Adventure Camp a couple of weeks ago

This week is going to be awesome!  We are going to have 50 participants living and serving with us.  This might be our biggest group, but that just means more love and more fun!

Please pray for our groups and our kids here.  As a team, Natalia, Taylor, Tyler and I, want to finish strong and give this week our all.  We may be exhausted, but we can still learn and grow in this week.

 

much love!

vamanos a puerto rico!

The past couple of days have been intense,
but good.

Tuesday evening, training camp began.

It has been a lot of learning what this summer
has been designed to look like and finding out
more about what we will be doing.

so much material to get familiar with for the summer

The other project leaders are great.

My team is awesome;
and I am excited to get to know them
better over the next couple of months.

We, the two Puerto Rico sites, have really
clicked, and enjoy spending time as one
big group.

PR1 and 2
Everett, me, Natalia, Kaylani, Ashleigh, Don, Taylor and Tyler
Tomorrow, we will be in Puerto Rico!

My team is going to Luquillo.  After getting there, we will meet with our ministry contact and find out more details about where we will be doing ministry everyday and and the areas of the community we will be reaching out into.

We are really so excited to transition from training camp to site in just a little over a day now.  To start making the place feel like home for the summer and put everything we have been learning into practice.  Please be praying for our flights on Sunday morning and as we begin our time in PR.

much love