4 April 2007

It has been a pretty normal week so far. Construction has begun on our compound. A latrine is being built. (Everyone has an outdoor latrine for workers and Ugandan guests. Our landlord wanted one here too.) They dug a DEEP hole, cemented, and now are laying bricks. One of the workers, a teenage boy named Isaac, has epilepsy. He has had several seizers the last few days. He ran out of his medicine and can get more the first Thursday of the month, tomorrow. I feel so bad for him. We told him to stop and just rest but he only rests for awhile then goes back to work. He can't go to school because of the seizors. So many people here suffering. How can we help them?

We had a good talk with Francis and Maggie about our house help and decided to try someone else. We are learning how to do things better culturally. Today a new girl, while she is 30, came to talk about the job. Her name is Tabitha and she seems to have a great personality. She agreed to come tomorrow to start working. I have really been stressed over this house help stuff, I hate being an employer. The money issue has been really hard for me to handle. Our first house help we were paying too much. I kept thinking I wouldn't pay for help at home how can I afford it now? Now we have someone for about 8 dollars a week and I feel guilty. They make in a week what we spend on one item at the store. Plus she has to pay for transport to get here or walk a long ways. Lord, I am so confused and humbled. I have so much! How do I live here? I don't have a lot by some standards but by theirs I am rich. I want to be generous yet the needs are so great and we get taken advantage of. Help me and teach me. I want to bless others the way You have blessed me.

We got our bed! It is SO nice to sleep in a bed again. I'm not totally thrilled about how it turned out but hopefully we will be able to adjust a few things. The bed is growing on me though and I am just happy to be off the floor. Now if we could just get them to start on our table and chairs.

Angie and I went to our first womens meeting or Bible study at church. It went well and was nice. The only bad part was the heat and it went a bit long. There were about a dozen of us there. Some spoke only Ateso and some spoke both Ateso and English so everything was translated. We sang a few songs, prayed, and had a message. Maggie was in charge and she keeps things going which I appreciate. She gave a message on Prov. 15 the wise women build her house and a foolish women destroys it. She said a wise women is one with her husband, submits to him, greets him cheerfully, works and supports him, and is clean. It was quite funny at times. Next week it is a continuation about keep the bedroom clean. It should be interesting.

The girls are doing well. Lydia loves to do her preschool activity books. She know a lot. Today Josh and Tim were going out of the gate and Lydia said, “which one is my Dad?” Josh and Tim both had on hats, red shirts, tan pants, and both had the same bike with them. How cute is that. Know wonder the locals get them confused.

Josh has really impressed our workers with his Ateso. I don't know how he can remember all those new words, but he loves it. I am proud of him for working at it. He was afraid he wouldn't do as well not being in a village surrounded by the language. Of course now I hear, “Joshua know Ateso. You need to learn it too. When are you going to learn?” Oh, the joys.