ey! sorry I havent written, I have been busy. Wednesday and Thursday we went to a camp called Akwang. We did 2 children's programs each day, one near the school and one a bit further in the bush with younger kids. The second day we went to a village about 4 kilos deeper into the bush behind Akwang camp, it was called Acado. They said that we were the first visitors they have had there, as fars as white people working presenting the gospel, although there is a church. They meet under a mango tree.
Saturday and Sunday we traveled an hour away to Padibe. The church is a "building" made of stick and covered with tarps (barely covered.) THe children were not mobilized when we got there around 11:30 and they said they could mobilize them for the afternoon, so, we began a road trip to border of Sudan just for fun. (it was about 30 miles away, but on a dirt road that can be up the 3 hours.) We made it past the security check point of Uganda and after about 3 miles we would have been to the border but we got stuck in the mud for a second time and rain was coming so we decided to turn back.
The children were waiting for us and we did a program for about an hour and a half, it went well! When we returned the following day to do Sunday school many of the children had the crafts we made the day prior in hand. Sunday was good and I got to plow with the oxen for a little bit, it was neat to see, but hard work.
Today, monday, we will be delivering the mattresses! I am very excited! We've gotten 14 of them, which is about as many that can fit, in the small building! I will take many pictures, rex and melinda may have to take some because there are no lights inside and often time my pictures do not turn out light enough since the camera I have does not have a flash.
I'm not in a rush to spend the rest of the money because, I wouldn't want to make hasty decisions on how to spend it, and there is time to decide after the trip has sunk in and we've prayed about it more!
However, a couple of opportunities have presented themselves that I have been considering. One thing I have chosen, which there is a lengthy process in place to make sure it is official is there is a guy who is an orphan and has not finished high school because of lack of funds. Here's his story. He lives in the village of Padibe about an hours drive from any town. He is 20 years old and was made an orphan by the war (his parents were murdered.) He has 3 years left of Highschool but has not been able to pay for it because this years crop season has failed him.
It is difficult to support school fees here at the orphanage, because I can't pay for kids to go to school for one year because then these students will obviously expect it the year following and then that burden may fall back on Rex and Melinda, which would not be good. SO since this man named Bosco has only 3 years left, and he is far from this town, we can pay for the entire three years. which would cost about $75 each year. Once the process is finished and we can begin supporting him, I will transfer the money for the three years of school fees to Rex and Melinda to distribute.
Another thing I my be doing is helping to finish the new building of the orphanage. They were supposed to have been moved out of the rental building the 1st of August but have not had the funds to finish the new compound which is next door to the owners home. About $300 ( I think) can pay for the rest of the cement to finish the floors and inside of the walls so that they can move in. However, that does not cover paying men to work in doing so, but the labor here is the cheap part. When we deliver the mattresses today, Rex and I will be looking at the building and finishing and what not. I will let you know as soon as I figure all of that out.
Another thing that I just did, was donate $75 to the bakery, for supplies for their new building. The bakery is run by 3 Ugandan women, and their mission statement of the business is to support orphans and widows by tithing off the top of their business revenues. They would like to support 100 orphans to go to school by this time next year! The business has been working out of Rex and Melindas kitchen however, this week the new building and all of the supplies will be ready for them to move in which will increase the profits of their already thriving business! (Most of their business comes from 2 Large local Restaurants, and ALL of the NGO's in Kitgum town!) As I gave them the $75 offering during their business meeting (payday) I got to sit in on it. Already they have begun tithing towards their orphan cause of 10% of all their revenues which was $35. It is very exciting to LOCAL women, who will be able to support Orphans! There are more great things that the bakery is doing such as displaying necklaces and purses made by widows (who also take care of orphans) which will then be sold and ALL of the profits will go to those women! It is a very neat business enterprise! :)
Okay, well I will let you know how everything goes today! Oh yes, and also I will be buying clothe diapers and mailing them back when I get back to the U.S. with some of the funds to be used at the orphanage! People do not use diapers here to many times the babies will be sitting in the dirt barebottomed and pooping there as well, which as we all know is unsanitary and surely is a cause of sickness and worms! Clothe diapers will be a big help for this!
I love you and miss you, and will see you in less then a week! talk soon!
