Sept. 8 -- Josh's Journal

September 8, 2007
I finally finished NT Survey. I felt like it was the course that would never end. I don’t think I want to know what the students felt about it. I thought it went well, until I marked the final exams. One student got 100%, the rest failed their final exam. Thankfully they had done well enough on the rest of the course to pass the class. Now I have begun a careful study on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. Having to teach more in depth is more my style, so I am really enjoying this, but I am also having to stretch my lips farther to keep from drowning - I generally finish the lesson minutes to hours before class starts. Needless to say, the students did not get the whole class outline on the first day.
We have a new schedule at the Bible College. Pastor Francis sees BBC as training for future leaders, not merely an educational facility. We knew this and appreciated it, which is part of the reason we looked forward to coming. However, we did not know all that it meant when practically played out. We had a staff meeting a couple of weeks ago. It was decided that each teacher needs to take role at early morning group prayers for the students. So now every Wednesday (last week it was Wed. and Friday) I arrive at BBC at 5:00 a.m. to make sure all of the students are awake and assembled in the classroom for prayers. Then we prayer together from 5 to 6. At 6:00 they are supposed to do personal devotions, but it doesn’t get light until 6:30; therefore, I suggested to start prayers at 5:30 - but everyone shot that idea down, even the students. On Wednesdays I also have to supervise the afternoon activities. From 3:00 - 5:00 I have to make sure that all the students are studying. From 5:00 - 7:00 I need to make sure they are all working in the field. I worked with them digging up peanuts last week. The neighbors all stopped working to watch because they had never seen a muzungu work in a garden before. One of the students even asked if I was glad God made me white - since I like doing things that white people don’t do.
Grace and Lydia keep growing. Grace has been much less defiant lately, which has been really nice. She still has all her spunk, but now it is just funneled into being cute and having fun. We think she will keep Grandpa Shaarda laughing in December by all her expressions and words. She is quite a character. Lydia is growing up. She has gone all week without wetting the bed. She gets 200 shillings every morning for staying dry. This will continue until she has enough money to buy the boots she wants so she can play out in the rain.
I am so happy to say that the work on the house is finished. We have to paint the kitchen yet, but can’t decide on a color. I said anything but black, Mandy has not idea; the result: no paint yet. So we will leave it as is until Mother Beute arrives to pick. The drain in the porch needs to be redone, but that is all. We put in the basketball pole yesterday. It is quite a pole. It will be the nicest court I have ever had at a house where I lived. We will even have a full size backboard. The cement needs a few days to cure, but should be ready by the time we come back from Kampala. We have to go Wednesday to get our work visas; we only got one year, but it is better than two months which we have been having until now.
Ben has been transferred to International Hospital for his chemo treatments. He still lives in a rented house, but all his treatments will now be at IH. It is a little more expensive, but the care is much better. They were amazed at the difference. During his last treatment at Mulago Cancer Center he was given one bottle of water to drink with the chemo, he was sick for five days. During his first treatment at IH he was given six units of fluids with the chemo, he never got sick. I also have the phone number of the doctor at IH so I can get answers when I need them; although, I don’t always understand the medical language involved.
We went out to eat last Saturday night. We ordered ahead so we new the food would be ready at 6:00 (at least not before 6:00), so we needed to use up a little time before we arrived. We decided to go park by Soroti Rock and look for monkeys. We had only been there about 3 minutes when a mother and baby appeared. They were probably 150 yards away so they were out of Grace’s range, but she thought she saw them. They were sky-lined on top of a rock so I was quite easy for Lydia to find them as long as they kept moving. They were around for about five minutes before left.